From 20 Years of Stability to My First U.S. Call Centre Role
For the first time in many years, I’m learning what it feels like to work without assuming that the job I have today will necessarily be the job I have tomorrow.
Two weeks ago I started my first full-time assignment through a recruitment agency, working remotely as a Technical Support Representative in a call centre environment.
Tomorrow marks the third week into training, and I can hardly believe how quickly it has gone.
I’ve already had the opportunity to assist with my first live call in Production, which was both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. I still have another week of training ahead before I begin handling live calls more regularly during my 90-day probationary period.
And for me, this represents much more than simply starting another job.
It represents another step in learning how to work, grow and build a career in America.
A Completely Different Employment Experience
Before moving to the United States, my working life had been very different.
I had spent decades working in a web administrative role.
It was a stable, reliable professional environment that became intertwined with the needs of Reed and my growing family. Over those years, I knew my role, understood the organization, knew the web systems and processes, and had developed an enormous amount of experience via self development.
There was familiarity.
There was predictability.
And there was a certain level of security that comes from spending two decades with the same organization.
Then we moved to America.
And suddenly, everything changed.
Learning That Employment Isn’t Guaranteed
One of the biggest adjustments I’ve had to make is accepting that employment here can be much more fluid.
With every role I acquire, I understand that it isn’t necessarily guaranteed forever.
There may be a contract.
There may be a probationary period.
There may be changing business needs.
And ultimately, I could find myself looking for another job again.
Interestingly, I’ve discovered that I’m okay with that.
And that’s a really big realization for me.
After spending 20 years in an environment where stability became something I expected, I’ve learned that stability doesn’t necessarily have to mean staying in the same job for decades.
Sometimes stability can mean knowing that you are capable of finding another opportunity when circumstances change.
My First U.S. Job Taught Me Something
My first role was very different from what I’m experiencing now.
It was a fast-paced environment where every minute mattered.
There was a strong emphasis on productivity and efficiency, and I had to adapt quickly to a workplace culture that was very different from what I had been accustomed to.
That experience wasn’t necessarily easy.
But it taught me something valuable.
It taught me that I could enter an unfamiliar environment, learn quickly and adapt.
And even though that particular role didn’t become my long-term employment, it was still part of my American working journey.
Sometimes a job doesn’t have to last forever to teach you something.
This Role Feels Different
My current role is also fast-paced.
It’s a call centre environment, so there is naturally an expectation to listen carefully, understand the customer’s issue, navigate systems, troubleshoot, communicate clearly and move efficiently from one interaction to the next.
But there is something different about this experience.
I’m being mentored.
There are people around me who are invested in helping me understand the role.
I’m able to ask questions.
I’m learning the systems.
I’m listening to experienced team members.
I’m making mistakes, correcting them and learning from them.
And rather than feeling as though I should already know everything, I’m being given the opportunity to learn.
That makes an enormous difference.
From Feeling Stuck to Feeling Excited
Only a short time ago, I was writing about how difficult it had become to find employment.
I had applied for countless positions.
I’d applied for roles closely related to my previous experience.
I’d applied outside my traditional career.
I’d considered retail, banking, hospitality, customer service, administration and other industries.
There were times when I genuinely wondered whether anyone was going to give me an opportunity.
That experience affected my confidence.
But now I’m looking at things differently.
Instead of asking:
“Will someone hire me?”
I’m beginning to think:
“What could I learn from the next opportunity?”
That’s a completely different mindset.
I’m Not Starting From Zero
I’ve thought a lot about this since beginning my new role.
When we arrived in America, it sometimes felt as though my professional history had been left behind in Aotearoa New Zealand.
But it hasn’t.
My 20 years of experience are still part of me.
My ability to learn, work ethic, reliability, willingness to adapt is still part of me.
I’m simply applying those qualities in a completely different environment.
Being Willing to Try Something New
At this stage of my life, I’m finding myself surprisingly enthusiastic about trying different types of work.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve already experienced such a dramatic change.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve realized that I don’t have to define myself by one job title.
Or perhaps it’s because after spending so many years in one professional environment, I’m genuinely curious about what else I can learn.
I’m open to opportunities.
I’m willing to learn.
I’m willing to start at the beginning of something new.
And I’m excited about that.
Parent Member – School Organizational Team
One of the unexpected parts of settling into life in Las Vegas has been becoming involved in my son’s elementary school community.
I serve as a Parent Member on the school’s School Organizational Team (SOT), working alongside the Principal and other members of the school community.
The SOT provides parents and other stakeholders with an opportunity to have a voice in important school decisions. As a parent representative, I’ll be participating in discussions and help contribute to decisions relating to the school’s budget, priorities, and use of available resources.
For me, this has been another meaningful step in becoming part of our new community. After spending so many years in Aotearoa New Zealand, moving to the United States wasn’t simply about obtaining Green Cards and finding somewhere to live. It was about learning how to participate, contribute, and become part of the community around us.
From arriving in Las Vegas to having a seat at the table in my son’s school community, this is another chapter in what rebuilding our life in the USA really looks like.
Our Family Is Changing Too
My working journey is also happening alongside an entirely different stage of family life.
When I began working at Mātauranga in 2005, our boys were young.
Our family responsibilities shaped many of the decisions I made professionally.
Today, our family looks very different.
Our older children are becoming independent adults and establishing their own working lives.
And Mile’s is navigating the American education system as a child growing up in a country that was completely unfamiliar to him only a short time ago.
We are all finding our own paths.
And I think that’s one of the most exciting things about this stage of our lives.
Starting Again at This Age
There is something quite liberating about starting again later in life.
I don’t feel like I have to have everything figured out.
I don’t feel like every job has to become my career.
I don’t feel like changing direction means I’ve failed.
Instead, I’m beginning to see each opportunity as another experience.
Another skill.
Another connection.
Another story.
Another possibility.
And perhaps that’s one of the biggest differences between who I was before we moved to America and who I am becoming now.
Three Weeks Into a New Chapter
I still have another week of training before I move more fully into live production calls.
Then comes the 90-day probationary period.
I don’t know exactly what the next few months will bring.
And perhaps for the first time in my working life, I’m genuinely comfortable not knowing.
I’m going to show up.
I’m going to learn.
I’m going to listen.
I’m going to ask questions.
I’m going to give the role everything I have.
And I’m going to enjoy the experience.
Because after everything it took for our family to get here, I’m NOT going to spend my time worrying about whether every opportunity is permanent.
I’m going to appreciate the fact that the opportunity exists.
The Excitement of What’s Ahead
Our family came to America because we wanted to build a new chapter.
We knew it would involve uncertainty.
We knew we’d have to adapt.
We knew starting over wouldn’t be easy.
What we couldn’t have known was just how many different opportunities and experiences would eventually become part of our story.
For me, this new job is another one of those experiences.
It might be a stepping stone.
It might open another door.
It might teach me skills I eventually use somewhere completely different.
I don’t know yet.
And that’s okay.
Because I’m no longer looking at uncertainty as something to fear.
I’m starting to look at it as possibilities.
From “Starting Over” to “Moving Forward”
When I look back at the person who arrived in Las Vegas in March 2025, I see someone who was desperate to find employment and wondering whether her professional experience would still have value in America.
Today, I see someone who has already proven that she can adapt.
I’ve worked in different environments.
I’ve learned new systems.
I’ve experienced different workplace cultures.
I’ve continued applying.
I’ve continued learning.
And now I’m sitting in a remote training environment, learning an entirely new technical support role and preparing to take live customer calls.
That’s progress.
Maybe not the kind of progress that appears on a résumé as a promotion.
But the kind that happens inside you.
And So, I Keep Going
I don’t know where this particular job will lead.
I don’t know what role will come next.
I don’t know whether my future will remain in technical support, return to web and digital work, lead me toward something completely different, or eventually bring together all of the skills I’ve accumulated throughout my career.
But I do know one thing.
I’m excited.
I’m eager.
I’m willing.
And I’m ready to try.
After 20 years of stability, I’m learning to embrace a career where every opportunity can simply be the next chapter.
And maybe that’s exactly what starting over was supposed to teach me.
You don’t always need to know where the road ends to be excited about where it might take you.
For now, I’m just enjoying the ride. ❤️…. yNot
