Firstly let me get the obligatories out of the way… Happy New Year, I hope 2016 is a great year for you… blah blah blah. For me, it literally is a fresh start. Unlike most, the 4th January see’s me start a new full time role, a fresh start I’ve wanted for so long, a long overdue refresh I’ve needed to kick start my career but one which scares the shit out of me and has me worrying about all kinds of things.
In terms of my career to date, I’ve only worked for two companies since I left university in 2006, one of those was for a well known financial institution joining on their graduate scheme and working my way up in the 7 years I was with them, the other for a new start up for the past two years. I like to feel I’m a pretty loyal person and put my heart into my roles however the latter didn’t really work out for me and it was in danger of changing my mindset as a person and seriously demotivating me longer term.
The job industry is a tough market, when I started looking for a new role, I was under no illusions about it being hard but I didn’t realise just how hard it currently is. Granted I was very picky in searching for my next role, I don’t like the idea of jumping into another role as a temporary stop gap just to clear one issue so when looking wanted to make sure that my next role would not only provide the financial rewards as a family we are used to, but also ensured I could regain the drive and commitment to progress and succeed that I have had previously.
The amount of standard “Thanks but no thanks” replies I received without even getting to interview / assessment stage was incredible, these were jobs I believed were perfect for me, fitted my experience, my qualifications, my aspirations for future progression everything, but still no thanks. I guess what I’m saying is be prepared for a lot of rejections, many without any hint as to why but I was quick to put it down to the sheer volume of applicants.
Finally, I was lucky enough to be invited for an informal chat, followed by online assessments, followed by several interviews with different people within the organisation, followed by a job offer. Relief! My notice was handed in at the beginning of December and the countdown has been on since.
The new role does involve a significant amount of travel to Manchester (and beyond) and although my previous employment was heavily travelled, I was working from home and could arrange my diary to fit in with our family requirements. Going back to an office based environment, has left me feeling massively nervous though.
Standard worries such as fitting in with my new workplace, being “good enough”, making the right impression etc but its my other worries which leave me feeling more anxious. Things like not being able to take H and D to school and nursery in the mornings, being able to arrange my diary so I could pick them up if I wanted, attend a craft afternoon with H at school, being home at 5pm so I can enjoy some family time before the little ones go bed. Yes I know I’ve been incredibly lucky to have been able to appreciate this for the past two years, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
Kissing H goodnight tonight and thanking him for a lovely Christmas and New Year left me with tears in my eyes as the though I’d not be able to see him as much in the week anymore, upset that I may miss D say more new words as she continues to develop at rapid pace, struggling with the thought of not being able to help share the family workload with Mrs F like I pride myself in doing.
Its not all doom in gloom though, I have (hopefully) found a job which I really do think is SO the right move for me, its back doing things I enjoy (or as much as you do with a job), it will provide us with financial stability, allow us to enjoy so much as a family and continue to allow Mrs F to work only part time which is critical with her health and the Fibromyalgia she suffers from. It will also make me appreciate weekends more and really enjoy every second of time I spend with my family.
Its A Fresh Start, a scary one, but an exciting one too. I also hope it will enable me to continue to blog more, something I love and enjoy (train journeys need to be useful for something). The blog will also be having some tweaks over the next month or so too, I’ve only been blogging for just under a year but its been a fantastic experience and one I want to continue to do and hopefully improve upon moving forward…
Wish me luck
Jim x