Schenck Dwain - Reset: how to beat the job loss blues and get ready for your next act

RESET

Copyright 2014 by Dwain Schenck

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information, address Da Capo Press, 44 Farnsworth Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02210.

Book designed by Cynthia Young

Set in 12 point Adobe Garamond Pro

Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

First Da Capo Press edition 2014

ISBN 978-0-7382-1696-6 (e-book)

Published by Da Capo Press

A Member of the Perseus Books Group

www.dacapopress.com

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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Dedicated to Jack,
Nicola and Natalie,
whom I love equally with all my heart

Unemployment is a tragedy dressed in a clown suit.

CONTENTS

Reset would not have seen the light of day without the love and support of my close friend Mika Brzezinski. The recession was roaring full-force and I was out of work. Write about it, she said. She told me how it would help thousands of people keep their sanity through the worst job market since the Great Depression. She said it would help me along the way as well. She was right. Mika, youre the sister I never had.

This book would have hit a dead end if it werent for the extraordinary men and women who shared their insights and advice with me. This is their reality and therefore their book too. Their stories and inspiration are timeless no matter the jobs numbers or economic climate. Nobody writes a book without a great deal of behind the scenes help, and I would be remiss in not thanking Mikas Morning Joe co-host, the indefatigable Joe Scarborough, for his support throughout this journey and writing what he called, an important story in our life and times we live in.

Sincere and everlasting thanks are due my friend Mark Samuels who kept me sane throughout this labor of love that at times was more labor than love. Thank you for pushing me when I waivered. Thank you to my longtime friend, colleague and veteran writer/adventurer/PR man extraordinaire, Jeff Blumenfeld, who challenged me to write a book in the first place. Your counsel was invaluable. To Phil Cannon, who most importantly makes me laugh and whose guidance kept me on course every step of the way. Jeff Pennington, thanks for always being there for mesince the sixth grade. You are like blood to me.

To my editor Dan Ambrosio and all the talented people at Da Capo Press; thank you for your deft touch and eternal cheerfulness. Thank you to David Steinberger for saying yes to what I had to say. With all my admiration I thank my special friend Paul Stuhlman for his help throughout this project. He is truly a gift to anyone looking for a job. I have been inspired on nearly a daily basis by this professional who devotes his life to helping others find a job and keep their sanity.

My love goes out to my parents who have always been there for me and my familyespecially through the lean times that this book addresses. Love to my Aunt Sharon who is special in so many ways, too numerous to count. For my in-laws, Gene and Theresa; I am enormously grateful for your support and understanding. Congratulations to my brother for staying the course and landing so successfullybefore he even had this book to use as a blueprint.

And finally, my deepest gratitude and appreciation goes to my wife for the grace and happiness she brings to our family each and every day. I owe her the most thanks of all. Thank you for always being by my side and often times leading the way. Our children are truly blessed to have you as their mother.

We all have friends who seem to have figured it out early on and become successful, solid and stable in their lives and careers. Dwain and Colleen were those friends to me, the solid ones who have it all, right away, and keep it, seemingly foreverthe perfect house and the nice cars. Colleen is beautiful, a cross between Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Andie MacDowellvery groundedand that made me want to be like her. But it was an unattainable goal.

It was still early in my career, and I was working for the overnight Up to the Minute news program at CBS network news. I was struggling to climb the ranks, and I started to think I would never attain a salaried position that would keep me afloat. I was always scrambling to pay my bills.

In the meantime, Dwain had transitioned flawlessly from working as a TV reporter at a cable news station to head up public relations for one of the countrys largest disaster relief agencies. Their biggest struggle was whether Colleen should give up her great position at Deloitte & Touche to be a stay-at-home mom with their new baby boy. I was envious. They were that solid, because they had those choices and were lucky enough to be in that comfortable place.

I couldnt get it together; the hours I was working were killing me. I wasnt sleeping as a result of my ridiculous schedule, and when I could steal away for a few hours of rest I was unable to set my mind at ease. I wanted my children to grow up and be proud of their mother. I wanted my colleagues and bosses to see what a hard worker I was, and I wanted to be a great wife. I wanted to do it all, but it always felt just out of reach for me. Not for Dwain and Colleen. They had cracked the code.

Dont get me wrong. I loved socializing with them. We always had a blast at dinner. But I was always left asking myself, What am I doing wrong? I couldnt help thinking how good they were compared to me.

In March of 2012 my husband and I made plans to meet them for a long-overdue dinner like we had always done over the years. I had bounced back from a year of unemployment after being fired as a news anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent at CBS to become cohost on MSNBCs highly rated morning program Morning Joe. Unemployment had battered my spirit, but it hadnt won the war over my will to work.

It was a whole new world. Job growth in our country was paltry, and we were living through the most substantial economic downturn since the Great Depression. To put it in perspective, the median family net worth dropped a staggering 40 percent, and we were still recovering at a snails pace from a recession brought on by the collapse of the housing bubble that sucked an astonishing $7.38 trillion out of the economy.

Despite all the bad news, I was on top of the world as a result of my new job! I was excited that for once I would feel that I had my act together in front of the very people whose position had seemed so unattainable.