Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't go back in time and change the decision I made. I am glad to have moved onto my second career and to be doing something I absolutely love. However, that doesn't mean I don't miss my former life with this company and the people that frequented it.
You see, being in the field of human resources wears on you. I mean REALLY wears on you. Not the kind of wear you might expect from an old pair of jeans. The kind of wear you expect from being drug behind a car racing down the freeway at sixty plus miles an hour. Sorry for the graphic description, but it's a stressful job where you're often under a rather large microscope under an even larger spotlight. Sizzle, little ants, sizzle!
I digress. My story when I left was mainly about how I was changing careers and how excited I was about the new stage in my life. Here we are, a year later, and I feel as if I should be a little more honest about the decision. Don't get me wrong, I definitely would have still made the same decision. However, it may have been delayed had I not gotten sick of Playing The Game. In truth, I was really starting to Hate The Game or to the layperson, hate the field of HR and much of the politics that unfortunately came with it. I certainly did not hate the players because most of the people I worked with I had really formed a bond with and leaving was a sad affair.
I live with the fact that I didn't reach three goals I had set for myself while in that field: be a leader of a team, be in a high level role (Director or above), and make more money than my husband. But, I wasn't about to turn my back on my feelings about The Game in order to reach those goals because let's be honest, while I became increasingly incensed about The Game, I would move farther away from those goals anyway. Plus, I had this whole other life I needed to live before digging myself deeper into the abyss with a field I despised.
So, here I am...a year later and truly enjoying being a writer. Sure, I don't make the kind of money I used to (not even close by a long shot) and I don't get to see my friends at work every day, but it's been worth it. I just want (or need?) my former friends at work to know I think about and miss them... and often. I didn't leave because I Hated The Players. I Hated The Game.
