Finding your place in the world is difficult at the best of times, but during a pandemic it can feel seemingly impossible. Particularly if you leave your job in the middle of it all–which is what I did. In September of 2020, I made a leap of faith and left my position and spent several weeks exploring contract opportunities, fielding a few offers when the chance to work at Zpryme popped up on my radar. 

Over the past couple of years, I gradually got to know the Zpryme team. It started off attending a few events, which led to getting to participate as a panelist and guest judge during their pitch competitions. When I saw the Sr. Research Analyst position opened up, I knew it was meant for me. Thankfully, Zpryme felt the same.

I initially thought that I would be throwing myself into new challenges, digging into intense research, and while some of that happened, so did a lot of other things. What’s the saying… Life happens when you make other plans? And it has.

The insurrection at the Capitol happened my second day. Following an intense year of uncertainty, political upheaval, and more, we were all shocked to see the events unfold in D.C. The following month, I was unexpectedly ill for several weeks and had to miss work before my health insurance had even kicked in. A couple of months later my mom broke her leg and I needed to care for her, all while the Delta variant cropped up. Throughout all of this, however, the Zpryme team held space for us, for me. We talked through the insurrection, they coordinated with my family while I was sick, they supported me as I cared for my mother in a different city. A large part of how all of this was possible comes down to the quality of leadership and the culture that Zpryme has crafted. 

Despite the challenges this year has presented, a lot of good has been done, too. We’ve released several new white papers on a variety of topics, including the Renewables Crisis, the Cloud Transition, Predictive Maintenance Applications, and more. We’ve also launched a new interview series called City Chats that gives community leaders and smart city experts a platform to share their challenges and insights. Our podcast has held some amazing discussions across the energy sector, we’ve held countless webinars and phenomenal conference events (City of the Future, Energy Thought Summit, etc.). 

Life happens when you make other plans, but having the right team can make all the difference. And while this job hasn’t been what I expected, it’s certainly been the job that I have needed. 2022 is looking bright and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings.