I was only an employee with Sprout Mortgage for six months before they threw me to the shitter. Fresh out of college, I accepted a job with them in sales back in January. I studied marketing in college, but Sprout reeled me in with its benefits and accelerated pay. Don’t get me wrong; I loved working for Sprout and greatly appreciated them taking a risk on a rookie like myself. My boss was great, my sales team was warm and welcoming, and my day-to-day tasks never left me bored. Despite being comfortable, I was very out of place.
Looking for a Bright Side
The following claim will sound controversial, but it sticks with me. In the long run, Sprout’s closure benefitted me more than it did harm. This isn’t to take away from the hundreds of displaced employees alongside me. I am genuinely disheartened for my coworkers. For me, I am a product of my adaptability. I gave myself one day of mourning the loss of my first “big girl job” -and the three weeks of pay Sprout, to this day, has not compensated me for. After that first day dedicated to whom I needed to borrow money from to eat the next few weeks, I left no time for self-pity. I twisted my narrative.
Let me brag on the LinkedIn community for a second… The day Sprout closed, there were support groups made, strangers helping strangers, and plenty of job offers from other mortgage companies getting tossed out like participation trophies. In the midst of everyone attempting to “pay it forward,” I decided to decline any and all sales positions. I knew my heart belonged in marketing. Working every day at Sprout, I remember feeling an itch that I just couldn’t scratch with the sales tasks I was given. I was so desperate for a creative strategy that I attempted to incorporate marketing tactics into my day-to-day tasks. An example of this was taking email blueprints sent from my boss and giving them the ole marketing fix before sending them to prospects. That said, marketing was the route I needed to return on.
A New Journey Begins
Within a week of Sprout’s closure, Steven Cooley reached out to me, offering me a job of mentorship and marketing for the mortgage industry. I was hired as a Marketing Manager at Art Vs. Math in mid-July. I’ve only been here a month, but I can confidently say I am on the right path. I’ve also decided to return to school as a Master of Integrated Marketing Communications candidate. Between my new class schedule and job doing something I love, I’m grateful that I no longer make cold calls for a living.
If there’s one thing I learned from the Sprout Layoffs, it’s that life works itself out.
Oh – and if you want to learn more about what we offer at Art Vs. Math – CLICK HERE!
By: Cheyenne Pauley
Cheyenne@artvsmath.com