goodbye, old job
My fifth and last holiday party at my first "real" job, with Work Wife and Work Mistress (not in the whips and chains way).
My company got bought near the end of 2010. It was fast, and hush-hush, and because of who my boss is I knew before most people and had to keep quiet, which became increasingly difficult as more details became clear about "redundancies" and "synergies" that meant nasty surprises for many people at what should be a celebratory time of year.
The project I had been devoting myself to since fall 2009 was scuttled, understandably, and I was angry and afraid, feeling the frustration of time and energy wasted and the uncertainty of knowing I, like so many of my coworkers, no longer had a purpose.
It turned out that the purchasing company had a similar project already in process - different systems, but same principles - and that the person who'd been doing essentially the same job as I had been for the past year was being promoted out of running it. They asked me to give a demonstration of what I'd done at my company, then asked me if I'd be interested in working directly for them, taking over for the woman who would become my new boss. I said yes, obviously.
It's been uncomfortable knowing I have a place when many of my friends have either already been let go or know their days are numbered (HR handed letters out: 90, 60, 30). But everyone's been so gracious, and I'm terrified and excited to leave the place where I kind of grew up for a place where people will no longer remember me as the receptionist, fresh from retail; where the expectations will be higher from the start, harder to meet and maybe impossible to exceed. I do like a challenge, though. 2011: year where I finally feel like an adult?
I don't have any resolutions today. 2010 was strange and eventful and I accomplished some goals which were long overdue and completely lost the plot on other things, and so at this juncture I feel more like standing still for a moment, taking a deep breath, and just going. Let's see what happens.