New year - New me
Like many of my friends here have said recently, I love LJ and I miss what it used to be. I hope to use this thing again and stop being part of the reason for a quiet Flist.
A lot can happen in a year... or not even a year. In the past 6 months my life has taken a completely different direction.
In recent years my dream job morphed into my worst nightmare as it became less and less scientific support and more and more sales. For the first time in my life I experienced depression and anxiety... things I never would have thought would impact me. In August I called it quits and was lucky enough to land a job with a wonderful organisation whose approach to healthcare align well with my own (it's about the patient and quality, not just money). I've returned to my work as a medical scientist and could not be happier with that outcome.
This comes at a bad time for my industry however, where we are due to see rapid decline for people in my specific field. While I expect that I'll be one of the lucky ones to continue holding a job when the dust settles, I am not putting all my eggs in the one basket. To future-proof my career, I'm also returning to study and was accepted into a great university. They offer degrees which can be personally tailored to my interests, and which give a lot of diversity. iIt's going to mean hard work and a long hours, but I think it will be worth it.
My kids are now 18 (not a kid at all really) and 15. Both are still finding their feet in this world and are slowly learning (or is that slow to learn) that you get out of life what you put in. Like, if you do not study, you fail to get a university placement. Good thing our system has back up plans available. I hope that Miss 18 will show some focus and effort toward her studies this year now she has direction (she wants to be an art teacher). I also hope the youngest learns from the mistakes of her older sister.
Financially the changes have been difficult. I guess that's my goal this year, to reel things in and have us all learn to live a more modest lifestyle again. We're starting with holidays, planning a very local holiday this year. Travelling abroad will be a rare treat now, as work is no longer footing the bill, and being in school again means I can only travel at expensive peak times :(
So in a few short weeks, life is going to really change for all of us, and I'm looking forward to the challenges. I hope to share my journey with you again, probably at those moments when I'm avoiding uni obligations. LJ always was a great procrastination tool!
A lot can happen in a year... or not even a year. In the past 6 months my life has taken a completely different direction.
In recent years my dream job morphed into my worst nightmare as it became less and less scientific support and more and more sales. For the first time in my life I experienced depression and anxiety... things I never would have thought would impact me. In August I called it quits and was lucky enough to land a job with a wonderful organisation whose approach to healthcare align well with my own (it's about the patient and quality, not just money). I've returned to my work as a medical scientist and could not be happier with that outcome.
This comes at a bad time for my industry however, where we are due to see rapid decline for people in my specific field. While I expect that I'll be one of the lucky ones to continue holding a job when the dust settles, I am not putting all my eggs in the one basket. To future-proof my career, I'm also returning to study and was accepted into a great university. They offer degrees which can be personally tailored to my interests, and which give a lot of diversity. iIt's going to mean hard work and a long hours, but I think it will be worth it.
My kids are now 18 (not a kid at all really) and 15. Both are still finding their feet in this world and are slowly learning (or is that slow to learn) that you get out of life what you put in. Like, if you do not study, you fail to get a university placement. Good thing our system has back up plans available. I hope that Miss 18 will show some focus and effort toward her studies this year now she has direction (she wants to be an art teacher). I also hope the youngest learns from the mistakes of her older sister.
Financially the changes have been difficult. I guess that's my goal this year, to reel things in and have us all learn to live a more modest lifestyle again. We're starting with holidays, planning a very local holiday this year. Travelling abroad will be a rare treat now, as work is no longer footing the bill, and being in school again means I can only travel at expensive peak times :(
So in a few short weeks, life is going to really change for all of us, and I'm looking forward to the challenges. I hope to share my journey with you again, probably at those moments when I'm avoiding uni obligations. LJ always was a great procrastination tool!