I'm unemployed - but not for much longer!

[Kwyjibo]

Sounds great, congratulations 

[black_biff_stadler]

Very happy for you, dude. Good luck with the new job!

[wolfking]

Some people get a mid-life crisis… I’ve had the good fortune and luxury of having a mid-life retirement.  The last 8 months has been the best time of my life - reading, working out, spending time with family... basically, enjoying life on my own terms.  But alas, that is all coming to an end in a couple of weeks

I started casually job hunting over the summer, then put it into full gear in September when the jingle.kids went back to school.  Job hunting isn't really all that fun, but it had to be done - I wasn't 'set' enough to full-time retire.  I'd been a final candidate at a couple of jobs, but they both ended up going forward with internal candidates.  Last week, I got the offer for the job/position that I had dearly wanted - that I had been chasing since the beginning of the summer.  Back in June, I had beers with an old customer who connected me with a colleague of his (Mike… my soon-to-be boss).  Mike and I kept in touch over the summer, and just before Labour Day he called to tell me that they were going to add a person to his team.  Two months and 5 rounds of interviews later, I got the job offer, and start at the end of the month.

It’s all been surreal, and I’ve truly been blessed over these past 8 months.  My old company (which was acquired) has turned into an absolute train wreck.  People are pulling the ripcord all over the place, and there are still more changes to be coming.  My job/company had been a tremendous irritant to my depression, and a handful of other problems in my life.  I was one of the very few that got out at a good time AND with a good package.

So 8 months ago, I get told by them to go home, along with a fantastic separation package.  I'll end up having taken 9 months off (that also came with some additional perks related to the separation that are too cumbersome to explain), and the job I end up landing is as if it was written with my resume in mind, in a growing space in the technology industry, and a 20% raise to boot!  I told mrs.jingle that this almost doesn’t feel real… that it’s too good to be true.  The time off has invigorated me in so many ways, allowing me to do things I never would have been able to otherwise …  most of which has helped me push aside my depression.

We’re off to Costa Rica to “celebrate” next Thursday, and then I start work again on the 27th.

Yay me.

As a friend mate, I say congrats, you really really deserve it.  And from knowing of some of the struggles you've had, this is very heartwarming and comforting to read.  Go and get 'em!!
............just don't forget about us. 

[DebraKadabra]

I'm ecstatic to read that you've been much happier the past 9 months - that is awesome. What's even more awesome is that you have what so far seems to be a better job. Congratulations, and I'm happy that you got the time that you really needed to decompress and get back to the real you. There's no better feeling than that.

[jingle.boy]

I'm ecstatic to read that you've been much happier the past 9 months - that is awesome. What's even more awesome is that you have what so far seems to be a better job. Congratulations, and I'm happy that you got the time that you really needed to decompress and get back to the real you. There's no better feeling than that.

Thanks so much Deb.  It means a lot.  It's nice to see you posting too!  Way too much of a sausage-fest around here usually.

[BlobVanDam]

It's a prog related forum, so of course it will never be anything but a sausage-fest.

[jingle.boy]

It's a prog related forum, so of course it will never be anything but a sausage-fest.

True... but a little pie once and a while is certainly appreciated.

[soupytwist]

Congratulations.   Hope your first 3 days in the new job have been enjoyable.

I can relate to your situation somewhat, although from an outsiders point of view.  My wife suffers from depression, a few months into 2016 her job role changed (office changing their procedures) and she ended up having to take a more managerial role, something she was very unsure about.    Sure enough a few months into that role she was struggling with the managerial side of the role - this lead to an onset of depression, culminating in me having to drive home from work, when I got a call from her office saying she hadn't turned up for work, or got in contact - and she wasn't answering the phone.......That was a horrible journey home for me (over an hour drive...).   Thankfully she was in bed, but in a real, real deep depression.......she ended being signed off work for 6 weeks and had to up her dosage of anti depressants.   She went back to work, but the damage was done, another 2 weeks later and she was back at home, this was probably a year ago.  She spent Christmas off work.

Long story short - she ended up leaving that job and surprisingly getting a decent settlement.  A few months off work without the pressure of knowing she'd have to go back to that job did the would of good.  Around May this year she managed to get herself another job in a much smaller office, and it's worked out real good so far, she's much happier and the depression has stayed at bay.

My wife once described her experience of deep depression as being at the bottom of a well, looking up you can see a pin prick of light, but instead of wanting to climb up, she just wants the light sealed off.   So yeah any environment that spirals your mindset towards that is important to get out off.

So Congrats again mate, and all the best in your new career.

[jingle.boy]

Thanks soupy. Sorry to hear about that situation for your wife, but glad it didn't go on for very long, and things are good now.

Already starting to get my feet pretty wet.