Change is scary. It’s different and we don’t like to do it. That’s probably why we don’t do things involving change very often. We shy away from it. We rarely embrace it.
I’ve decided it’s time to embrace change in my life. Hell, I’ve got a huge life change coming up in October. That’s a change I’ve long accepted. However, in April, I decided it was time for something else to change. Something that’s been stagnant for the past seven years.
People have often asked me why I’ve stayed so long at my current company. Seven years is a long time in this current economy to stay at any one job. However, I like the people, the company and the way things are. Why change when I’m happy with the status quo? Well, after my review in April, I stood back a bit and asked myself what I want from my current position and company and how I could really expand my career there. I saw limited options. That’s not to say I don’t love my company and the people I work with, it’s just there are honestly limited options for growth.
So, I started looking around to see what was out there. I didn’t do anything heavy or serious. I stuck my resume out on Monster.com and created a job search on the broad term of ‘business analyst’ to see what showed up in my inbox. I applied here and there when something seemed like it might be a good match.
Eventually, I saw a position for a ‘Senior Business Support Analyst’ and applied for it. This was in mid-April. By late April, I had my first phone screen with the VP of Client Services. I was told I’d hear by the end of the next week, but the actually didn’t get back to me for two weeks and I went in for my second interview on Wednesday, May 9. By May 11 (Friday), I had a job offer and I accepted it this past Wednesday.
I’ll be working for a large company which holds several smaller divisions. I’ll be working in financial services software, support a product which performs surveillance of brokerage transactions. That’s overly simplified, but it’ll do. My job will require direct interaction with the clients, problem troubleshooting and solving and it would require some training and very little travel. I will report directly to the VP of Client Services who is in Salt Lake City (the corporation is actually based in the Philadelphia area).
The job is also in Hingham, MA which is on the South Shore. From Winthrop, it shouldn’t be a bad commute. It’s mostly reverse and all along highways. It took me 20 minutes to drive to my interview in the middle of the day and 45 to drive home during the beginning of rush hour.
We’ve decided two major life changes in a year was enough and we’re putting off the condo sale and house purchase for a bit. When we do look, it’ll likely be in the South Shore, which is a change of thought for us.
There is also a Planet Fitness a couple of exits up from where I’ll be working. If traffic gets bad, I can always upgrade my membership (an additional $9.99/mo) so I can use any of their gyms. This would let me work out and then hop back onto the road. I could do the same in the morning. Get down there early, workout, shower and head right to work.
The office is also moving to Weymouth in the summer which is about 5 miles north of where it is now, so it’ll be slightly closer. The gym also happens to be in Weymouth.
It’s sad and a bit nerve wracking to leave my current company, but I feel this is a change I need to make and it’ll be better for my career prospects. This new position gives me a lot of room to grow. It’s new and as the company grows there will be the opportunity for me to potentially lead a team. I really like that idea.
Wow that is lots of big changes.
Congratz on the new job!