It has been almost 2 months since I got up from my desk at the government after almost 11-years of working there, walked out and took a role in the private sector. Many of my former colleagues still do not know I have left, and some probably think I am on vacation. I spent a lot of time in that role getting to know the staff in the building and I’m proud to say that I know the names of, and a fact about, almost every one of the 1100 employees there, but it was time to move on.
So how am I doing in the scary private sector? I love it! I love my job and the people that I work with and who work for me. And no matter how weird it feels to think or even say that, I really do. I like the responsibility – I manage 8 people now (I hired one and have interviewed 3 others for 2 more vacancies) and I like the corporate talk that goes on at the Managerial level – something I had little access to at the huge government. I currently don’t have any team leaders to look after – I manage my staff directly – but if I get my way that will be changing soon because my department is critical to the success of the organization and I fully expect it to grow!
I like being able to work from home if need be, and that if I have to work late that I am able to and for as long as I want. I like working between offices in the city and up in the burbs and I’m really fond of being able to display my MBA designation after my name and title on my business cards and not feel embarrassed to have it. It just fits for me.
As is customary when leaving a public service job, I have applied for and was granted a leave from my position, which means if I wanted to go back there I could for up to a year unless my leave changed (ie/ paternity, disability, etc.) But I am never going back, I know that now, which means I am so looking forward to doing something so out of character for me that I’m almost giddy at the thought. I am going to withdraw from a team leader pool at my former job. The same place that I begged them to let me work at that level – with or without pay, on a project or not, in any division… anything to keep me from being bored and to learn. The place where I thought I would be able to use my MBA to get a team leader position, which never happened because they don’t recognize MBA’s.
But now I’m going to withdraw after completing almost all of the requirements. It’s basically at the interview stage. I smile every time I think about the look of the face of the hiring manager as he reads it. <giggle>
I’m just happy to have gotten out and now I can turn my brain back on and work my ass off to support my family who have supported me while I was on the government payroll.
In other news, my Wii tells me that I have gained 2.8lbs in the last week. Damn Halloween. I realized that I eat too much, of the bad stuff, at bad times. I always seem to be hungry late at night and instead of going to bed earlier, I got in the habit of being up late to do work from graduate school, so I stay up and then I eat, Of course, eating makes me feel guilty and that stress makes me eat more. Dumb, eh? I actually went for a run tonight (Sunday night) and I lasted 30 minutes. The main problem I had – besides being tired – was that my track pants kept falling down and every few minutes I’d have to yank them up. I must have looked hilarous. I really need proper running clothes including equipment to be seen at night so I don’t get run over!
Did I mention that every morning Stewie freaks out when he looks at the control panel for the house alarm – on our bedroom wall? He calls for me and asks; “Daddy, turn the red light off please.” So while watching me, punch in the code, he waits for the red light to turn green before he says, “thank you!” with a sigh of relief in his voice. If I don’t get to it soon after he arrives in our room in the morning, he’ll just keep asking for me it turn it off. LOL. He’s crazy.
The Urban Daddy® 