It's done

[randysmith]

(Context for this post is long enough ago that I'll include links: here and here.)

After several months of angsting about it (and wearing some ruts in conversation with poor psongster) I have given notice at my job. I tried to do it at the beginning of last month, but my grand-boss requested I wait until I come down there to make it official; that happened the week of May 18th (I report, and work with, a team that's down in Research Triangle Park, NC, not at my site). My last day is July 9th; I'm trying to do as much information (and perspective, and passion) transfer to the rest of the team between now and then as I can. At that point I'm going to take some time off, and start looking for a job again in the fall.

I'm feeling pretty at peace about it at this point; I'm not even feeling all that upset about the layoffs (well, baseline; I can still get upset when specific aspects of them are brought up :-J). In the end, it came down to two things for me: I'm getting to the point of really wanting a change in the work I'm doing, and my local environment is no longer a particular nurturing environment for me. My project team and management is still pretty darn good, as I was reminded on the trip down to RTP. But the comment I made to my grand-boss was that taking the remote assignment had been a stretch for me, somewhat going out on a limb. And it worked well, and I grew a lot doing it. But they sawed the tree away while I was out on the limb :-{.

This is still a somewhat wrenching change for me--I've been at the company nine years now in one way or another, which is more than four times as long as I've been anywhere else. That's partially because I got to change projects within the company several times in that nine years (I'd count seven quite separate, non-overlapping projects to which I made a substantial contribution in that time). And it's partially because (I still believe) it's a substantially better run company than many that are out there, so I got frustrated by bulls**t less, and when I did there was a better than average chance that complaining about the idiocy would actually change something. But nine years is still a very long time, and I'm not having very much internal second guessing about moving on.

I haven't tried to line up a new job yet; I've been unhappy for a while, and I want some time off to rest, and to think about what it is I really want to do next, and look around at the possibilities. There's part of me that's worried that I'm shooting myself in the foot (or higher :-}), by doing this, but that part's gotten quieter over time. I believe the economy in three months will not be so much worse than the current one that I'll not be able to find a job. I may be wrong; I (we) accept that risk. And I'd have to be really wrong for it to become a survival issue.

But my life ... I was going to say it was about to change dramatically, but the truth is that it already has changed. It'll change again on July 9th, but I'm already in a somewhat different place. I don't know what comes next. But I'm looking forward to finding out.

Comments

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

::applause::

Go you for having the courage to turn a new page. ;-)

[randysmith]

Thank you. ::fingers crossed that the story stays good:: :-}

[wolf-grace.livejournal.com]

*hug* best of luck!

[randysmith]

Thanks!

[raaga123.livejournal.com]

Synchronicity! I too just left my job (though I hadn't been there nine years; the bulls**t factor was much higher there), am planning to take the summer off, and will be looking (in my case, for contract work) starting in the fall. What are the odds?

[randysmith]

Hee! Indeed. Doing any traveling? :-}

I could actually imagine that there's a causal connection, specifically that both events were somewhat triggered by the economic downturn; that's certainly where the layoffs came from for mine; I dunno if that was a factor in the ugliness at your place.

Regardless, good luck with your time off and job search!

[raaga123.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think the economic situation delayed my decision a bit -- I had to wrestle with the weirdness of deliberately walking away from a job at such a time. If it had come to layoffs I would probably have been first on the chopping block as a well-paid relative newcomer, but there weren't any signs that that was getting ready to happen. There were, however, managerial dysfunctions and major communications issues that I got tired of dealing with. Anyway, I've been wanting to take a sabbatical, and I'm now more confident than I used to be that my marketability will survive it.

So no, a true-blue coincidence. ;-)

Enjoy your time off, too!

[in-parentheses.livejournal.com]

Good for you! It sounds like you're happy and at peace with it, which makes it the right decision.

And it just so happens that I have lots of free time this summer, too. Let me know if you want to play! :)

[randysmith]

Good for you! It sounds like you're happy and at peace with it, which makes it the right decision.

Yeah, that's how I'm thinking too. Thank you.

And it just so happens that I have lots of free time this summer, too. Let me know if you want to play! :)

That's an easy question: I want to play! :-} Remind me when your break starts? Would you like to try and plan something (Fells hike?) earlier than my end date, or wait until we can do stuff randomly during the week?

[catya.livejournal.com]

congratulations *hugs*

[randysmith]

Thanks! *hugsback*

[jasra]

Congratulations on making the change.

Mentally, I'm so much happier not at my job. Financially, well, let's not talk about that. At least I have an interview this week. :)

[randysmith]

Thanks!

Mentally, I'm so much happier not at my job. Financially, well, let's not talk about that. At least I have an interview this week. :)

Aye, there's the rub. Good luck with the interview; that's good news to hear.

[majes.livejournal.com]

A brave move; best of luck for you in this time. I hope you end up in a more satisfying place.

[randysmith]

Thank you! I think it'll end for the better, and if you don't bet, you can't win. And I'm very curious as to what happens now (besetting sins (of which mine is curiosity) are useful :-}).

[rintrahroars.livejournal.com]

I am looking forward to seeing the person who is not stressed out and unhappy with his job. Congratulations on making a hard decision. FWIW, this decision seems "right" for you. *hugs*

[randysmith]

Thanks! That helps to hear. I haven't worn quite as deep ruts in conversation with you, but they've been pretty deep; thanks for putting up with me. But yes, I'm already feeling (and apparently looking--it's been remarked on by a couple of folks) much more peaceful. It'll be a neat little next period of life.

[yagagriswold.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, and good luck!

[randysmith]

Thank you!

[the-shoshanna.livejournal.com]

Congratulations and hugs.

[randysmith]

Thanks very much. *hugs*

[dajt.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on making a difficult decision.

Are you going to be having an "I'm free!" party sometime in July?

[randysmith]

Thanks!

Are you going to be having an "I'm free!" party sometime in July?

I want to mark the transition somehow, but I'm not yet sure how I'm going to do it. A party doesn't feel right, at least at the moment. So, no, probably not a party, but I'm going to do something; I just need to figure out what.

[keyne.livejournal.com]

Good for you.

[randysmith]

Thanks!

[sicklemoon.livejournal.com]

I'm going to agree with the chorus and add--June is a good time of year to be making this sort of change. November-March--not so much.

Enjoy the summer.

[randysmith]

*nod* It used to be my habit (back when I was changing jobs every two years or so) to leave in November. psongster got to watch this a couple of times, and when I started making noises about leaving this job, put in a very strong preference for my leaving sometime in spring. Go figure :-}.

Enjoy the summer.

Thanks!

[pumpkin-pi.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I'm glad to hear you're making changes that will make you happy!!

[randysmith]

Thanks!