Trent Gillaspie

Going through the job  interview process within just over the last year, I have taken a little bit of time recently to reflect on where I have ended up from what I was thinking at that point in time last Nov/Dec when finally accepting a job offer with my current company.

One of the most common phrases I heard from companies when I was interviewing is that they are “not your typical 9 to 5 company.” This, of course, referring to the 9-5 workday that we are so used to hearing about, even in Dolly Parton’s old, “9-5.” Every company I talked to said they are not the typical 9-5. But, how typical is it, if no one is talking about it anymore and no companies are eager to boast their “old” ways at career fairs and through the interview process?

The new workplace is 24/7 accessible. This can be good and bad. Good because you’re able to work from anywhere whenever you want to in order to get your work in on time, without necessarily being near those you report to. Bad because it has become what a cell phone may have initially become to many of us, a virtual leash by which those in charge of us can access their workforce 24/7 to be able to get work done, no matter what hour of day/night it comes up. While “not your typical 9-5 job” sounds pretty great to many of us, because we think of the endless possibilities that come with such a phrase, it means that work no longer fits into the boundaries of 9am – 5pm. Now, our parents might say that we need to “get real” and understand what the work world is really like, but it is an entirely different work environment than we were even tought about in school.

It has become so difficult to mentally pull yourself away from work. When I’m at home during the weekend, I come closest to shutting out the work week, but when I come home after work at night, when I can’t achieve any of my errands for the day, I am bound to think about the next day and what needs to get done. Especially if I get a few emails later in the night, or a call to wake me up in the morning, describing what I need to do before work the next day. It’s work, with homework, that may not give us enough time off to actually finish the homework. It’s a tough gig.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to make an observation of the occupational shift within our country in comparison to many of the things we learned growing up about going into the real world. The “real world” as we remember being taught of, has shifted entirely, into the “new real world,” which many of us are seeing upon our departure from college. Many of my friends that graduated with me recently from undergraduate studies have yet to enter this “new real world.” They are prolonging the magic through either travel or more likely, graduate studies immediately out of school. While I don’t criticize either of these approaches, it seems so rare for me to find people my age, right out of undergraduate studies, going into the work force just as I did. Kids become comfortable with school, even when the loans ring in over $1million dollars. It’s a way to try and continually prepare for what the “new real world” will bring, yet it still never seems to prepare those enough. 

So many of us continue to hold on. To parents, to comfort, to many different things. I was one of these people too. However I’ve learned that it’s most important to take the dive into something that you want to make the best of, something you enjoy doing, and something that lets you fall flat on your face. Yes, not meeting a deadline at my work recently wasn’t the greatest, but I love the challenge of trying to do it again, and learning more from the “new real world” than from much of the schooling that tried to prepare me for it. I am fortunate enough to have a job in this current economy, but that doesn’t mean new graduates need to stop trying. I’m not a professional, by any means, so it’s hard to make too many recommendations, without bringing up questions about myself. But I wanted to point out some observations about the world around us, and the recent release of the class of 2008 into the “new real world.”

Let’s hope we’re just a world-changing as much of the world has put pressure on us to be.

It’s that time of year again, where the philanthropist in all of us comes out to give to those around us who are less fortunate than we are. In my recently acquired occupation, I have found countless ways to become involved in the community.

I love building parts of houses for those less fortunate and more deserving than myself. I like doing what I can to map out environmental growth in the mountains to document and send to state representatives to increase the national wilderness area. I enjoy giving hours of my time to pack boxes of food for the homeless, to donate my clothing to Goodwill and Salvation Army, and to simply be more caring around the holiday season. We should be more like this year round, which is something I have been working on the past few years of my life. Dictionary.com defines service as “an act of helpful activity; help; aid: to do someone a service.” It seems so simple to give service to those who need it.

But for those of us recent graduates, current college students, or even people affected in these economic  down-times, we have a strong desire to contribute our time, talent, and efforts, not funding, to a cause that we believe in. But, the more and more I look into a lot of the organizations I want to get involved with, the more that seem to come outright with the idea that there is going to need to be money given, prior to participation in the organization.

Now, in my opinion (and not just the fact that many consider me to be cheap), I’d love to give as much time as I have to helping work for a cause, but of course I understand that at some point I need to fund raise as well. It’s much easier for someone to contribute to you as a fund collector, if you have personally donated to the cause you believe in. I’m much more into giving my time and efforts towards a cause, than a defined amount of money. Pouring money into a service doesn’t always solve the problems. There needs to be more action, in my opinion.

This include a recent calling of me, along with many others in my company, to take up board positions in local community service organizations in the metro area.  Now, while it seems great that I could help use my passion for a cause to guide an organization that I contribute a lot of my time and effort to, many of the organizations require a minimum financial contribution each year, simply to be on their board (even for the typical 2-year tenure). While some of the 19,000 Denver metro community service organizations (in the metro area alone) simply require 100% participation of board members (I can pay $10, the next guy can pay $50, etc.), others require a far greater financial contribution (one example is $125,000/year).

If I want to make an impact in my community, or help those in need, I don’t have to necessarily contribute financially, but if I want to increase the impact I can have, I need to donate in order to partake. Now, I understand if I was a millionaire and wanted to spend all of my time traveling the world with my wife and kids, I would simply throw a hot $250,000 at an organization I liked and let them go with it. But, I am a recent college grad, with some remaining time on my hands, to contribute to an organization or two that I really care about.

I wish it didn’t have to be that way, but maybe there is still more looking involved. Or maybe there is a need for yet another community service organization that meets the needs of people like me. I’m sure I’m not the only one.

That all being said, this is a call to action to go out and give back to your community with just a little bit of time this holiday season. Chance are  you’ll feel really good about it, and desire the feeling of altruism further down the road. I encourage that.

In terms of what I’m doing this holiday season to give back, I’m planning on looking through all of my clothes, and donating everything that I haven’t worn in a year (which is a lot) to a worthy cause, or selling them at a garage sale or to a store and contributing the money to a good cause that wouldn’t usually accept my clothes (there we go with money again. ironic, no?)

Feel free to share your ideas for the upcoming season. I’m sure I’ll run into more, but it’s important to remember those around us who are less fortunate, equally as fortunate, and even more fortunate than us, at any point in time, not just “times like these”.

Happy Holiday Season!