My Leap In The Dark

I know I have been MIA but I have good reasons! For the last 3 weeks, well 4 weeks really, I have been busy. Unemployment may seem like a "break" but not when you are me. Between scouring the web for job postings, then filling out applications, then having phone screenings, then 1st, 2nd, and even 3rd round face to face interviews, OF COURSE classwork, and other miscellaneous things, I haven't really had time to blog or even keep up with Twitter.

But I am back for good. I promise! 

On to the good news. As some (many?) of you may know I left my old job a couple of months ago. I just did not want to do the work any more and I felt my role was going nowhere. Well, good news! I got a new job! Starting next week I will take my place next to the suburban dwelling city slickers and commute to the city. 

It only took about 2 months. 

Part of what contributed to the length of my job search was that I was picky about finding the "right fit" and that is a long process. Much pickier than I was last time where I basically wanted to leave ASAP. Throughout the job search process when people asked why I left my old position, I told them the truth. I didn't like what my role was turning into and I really wanted a new place where there was a real chance to develop and grow. 

My decision to leave my old job will probably go down as one of the most selfish things I have ever done in my life. It was all about me and my need to do "more" and find something else. My decision was about my plans for a long term career and the realization that where I was would not help me get to where I want to go.

In the beginning, people close to me said a lot of things about my decision. I don't know that any of them truly had faith that I would survive my "leap in the dark". I have a feeling my parents feared I would end up having to accept an hourly salary at the mall with no benefits just so I could pay my bills. 

I was, obviously, not impervious to all this. There were times I doubted that I had made the right decision. I wavered a bit when I was given the chance to stay on at my old job even after I had signed the severance agreement. But, I had reached my decision with good reason. I felt it was the right thing to do.

With that said, please know that I took a calculated risk. This was not as much a "leap in the dark" as it was a "leap in the dusk" (ie. not completely dark). It paid off but, would I recommend that anyone else do what I did? Should you leave your "okay but often frustrating" job without another job offer and then try and find a new one? 

It all depends on you and your situation. Hey, if you want to talk about it, I have experienced it and lived to tell the tale. You can send me an email, tweet, etc.

So what about the new job? There are major changes from my old one. The company is younger, the job is more challenging, the pay is better (can't forget that), there are chances for growth, the office location is "hipper", and I truly believe I can learn a lot and do a lot. I also don't have to be "formal" for work and I LOVE that. Maybe I will tap into my inner "fashionista" who has been cowering behind work slacks and shirts.

This is my second "job upgrade" in less than 2 years. I am 95% sure it will be my last as I really hope to stay till grad school. The 5% is to allow for "unexpected circumstances".

Thank you to everyone who shared comments and/or tweets of encouragement. I promise my next post will be less "serious". 

I mean, I haven't shared my discovery of my South African roots yet.