Interlude: Some Time in the Shack

 2022 Reflection: Here I recalled one of two or three short-term jobs that, at the time, I thought were quite rational. But now that the Boulder has been revealed to me, I see the Radio Shack job, and the next two or three jobs in traditional sales, as being more of the same flailing about. I was creating one busy-work experience after another. I was vainly seeking to succeed in the practice of one of my great weaknesses. I persisted for years . . . for decades . . . in these fruitless pursuits. This too is an outcome of dealing a boulder built upon a foundation of trauma. 

 I left Fort Worth, Texas, and Texas Christian University, in 1985. I was like a fish out of water, from 1982 to 1985, as an MBA student. I don't believe there was a single moment that I felt like I was doing the right thing. I certainly didn't enjoy business classes. 

Except for two.

I took two particular classes in my final semester, that made me consider sticking around in academia, for a PhD. One was a management class that surveyed management styles and teambuilding. The other was a Marketing class addressing "Consumer Behavior." Both courses looked at the dynamics of groups of people, what motivated them . . . how can an organization, or market segment, act in predictable ways, and what are some appropriate ways to respond to populations. I will write more about these later. 

I had an MBA. It was the mid-80s and the economy was not so great anymore. The glut of MBAs was in its earliest stages. I didn't feel like interviewing for positions looking for bright and driven MBAs. I didn't feel like doing the work it would take to make them glad they hired me. 

A certain elder in my family, that knew me very well, was frank with me:

You will have problems succeeding in business. To get ahead you will have to compromise your values, and I don't see you doing that. 

He was right. 

But I needed to pay my bills. In Fort Worth, I had been impressed with TCU's partnership with The Tandy Corporation/Radio Shack (TRS). The first personal computer I learned to use was a TRS-80, a.k.a "Trash-80", a desktop device that was intended to be easy to use for non-programmers. It was based on a vision that Apple came along, appropriated, and did better. Radio Shack ultimately folded years ago . . . like so many companies I worked for. 

I got a job at the Radio Shack Computer Center  (RSCC) at the Westgate Shopping Center in Ann Arbor. It was the first of two retail filler jobs I would take in my career, at almost exactly the same location. 

There are parts of retail that I enjoy. You are dealing with real problems of real people. The customer comes in, and you identify their needs and wants, face-to-face. This is good, and a highly valuable activity. I could never understand why retail is not utilized more strategically for brand positioning and expanding market position. There should be professional certifications for retail excellence. Strong retail people should be paid well. 

In very little time, I discerned that our problem at Radio Shack was that our product wasn't that great. With the growth of the IBM PC, there was no way serious computer users were going to think of Radio Shack computers as anything more than glorified toys. I was only there a couple of months, but before I left the announcement had been made, that RSCC would begin selling Compaq computers and the TRS phased out. They had started maneuvering to cozy up to a more respected brand in personal computers. But it was too much, too little, too late. 

Retail places too many demands on people, for too little rewards. Yes, you can work your way up to manager. You can get around to stock options. But that is such a dog-eat-dog world that I could not see it, in my case, without sacrificing some very important personal values: Like being able to do charitable work, get active in church, develop myself in other ways. 

I jumped ship after three months, and took a stab at a position that promised to teach me those "Sales" skills that everybody thought would be easy for me (because I "looked" honest). 

I had already become disillusioned that an advanced degree in business, on its own, mattered much.

Next: Interlude - Peddling Away a Career

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