A month prior to graduating with my Bachelors degree from Arizona State University, I was excited to have received an offer letter from company X. Immediately, I contacted the President by phone and accepted the offer. I was moving to Burbank California to start a new chapter of my life. On my first day of work, I met with the human resource manager to go over my benefits and review my job description. I also took a tour of the office and met my colleagues and department manager. The organization was full of young and eager individuals. At that moment, I knew I made the right decision to go with this company.
I started as a customer service representative and quickly moved up the corporate ladder. Working long hours was never an issue and even if I was sick, I would always show up to work. There was so much to learn and as my responsibilities grew, it motivated me to work harder. I was always willing to work harder and longer than anyone else because I loved reaping the rewards. My company valued individuals with strong work ethics. They only promoted the ones that went beyond their line of duty. They frowned upon people that take vacations days or calling in sick. Although the company provided full-time employees with a fair amount of sick days, you would be treated differently when you return to work. Thereafter, people will eventually work harder to recover or go towards what we call a “dark path”. At that point, they will either be fired or will be forced to resign. This was our unspoken “corporate culture”.
During my third year with the company, we made some aggressive goals. Since we were ...