A Job Offer (Finally!)...Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The one year anniversary of this blog is approaching fast. My initial goal had been to post a blog every day. That did work out. More recently, within the last few months, I changed that goal to averaging a post every other day for the year. I was into it for a while. But then, as usual, life got in the way. I also lost interest. I didn't feel I had something to say everyday. The thought of post to the blog become a chore, not something I looked forward to an relied on. There is no real payoff for me for this blog. There used to be. It did help me to think through all the mind slush during a very difficult life transition.

I still struggle with it, of course. But I have reached a place of equilibrium, as the transition became my new norm. I did well during the year even, with some set backs here and there, as there always are. But I continued to make forward progress.

With a little help from my friends and family as well.

I am on the brink of a new transition now, albeit a more positive one. This year, I also put of lot of time into looking for a new job for a variety of reasons I won't go into. I had some mini-successes, but kept applying. It was both a boon and a hindrance to have a decently salaried position with excellent benefits. I could be selective. I wasn't desperate. I could even turn down positions if I did not like the offer. On the other hand, my heart was not always in the search. There is comfort in the known, which at times detracted from my motivation. Some of my interviews were half-hearted . Some I did not prepare very well for. So while I had nibbles, I did not get any job offers.

Until last week. I am all but certain I will accept it, which means another move. Which means uprooting my boys again. They are a year older now, so I think the transition will be more stressful for them as well.

But they are also still young enough to get situated quickly to a new place and school. Now is the time, and the position is a good one with more of a chance for advancement and in a city that is a better fit for me. I MISS good coffee shops, Panera, and Barnes and Nobel, as weird as that sounds.

It's also a chance to start anew. There is too much here that I associate with my pre-divorce life...with my ex-wife. I like the idea of a clean slate. At the same time, I will also live closer to the ex, which is good for the boys and for me. I do want the boys to be closer to their mother.

Add to that, I feel I can finally "drop anchor" in this new place. I have not felt that way here. It always felt like a stepping stone for the next thing, albeit an excellent stepping stone.

I am in a position to buy a house. I would like to buy in time for the move...in time for my new job's start date. This is possible if I move fast. I have been planning to buy in advance. I already have an approved lender  and loan in place.

Since the job offer, which I have not yet accepted, I have been scoping out homes online. Next is to contact my lender and visit these home. There a few I really like that fit my budget and in excellent school districts.

That is where I am at now. Unless I get a counter offer from my current employer--they value me, but that scenario is unlikely--I will accept the job Monday or Tuesday.

I am already making preparations to move...which I am not looking forward to at all.

A part of me is considering holding out for an even better position. But I can't make plans based on positions I have applied for but have not yet even been called in for interview yet. But there are still applications out there...and I will continue to look to upgrade because...why wouldn't I?

In the meantime, I have been germinating plans for additional income. I have some start up ideas. There are a lot of possibilities. And I feel more ready to pursue them than I have in a long time.

The shroud of the post-separation/divorce funk is lifting.

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