It’s 14h35 and I’m in my pyjamas, in bed. Is it a rainy day? No – it’s a beautiful sunny day. This is what I wanted to do today, so this is what I’m doing. I get up every now and then to make tea and grab a few biscuits, and then I get back into bed. I’m knitting and watching a series on Netflix.
With 5 days left in my current job, I
have one part-time job confirmed (work-from-home, yay!) and an interview this
coming week. I have my preferred outcomes for the next few months, but I
understand that flexibility’s important, too.
I’m finding this particular
job-leaving process quite tough. I don’t think I realised how much my role
encompassed until I had to do a hand-over to my successor. I suppose what the
process is teaching me (and not a minute too soon) is how my skill set has
grown. When I started, in 2016, I’d worked mainly in Education, even though I had
done a range of jobs there and not just taught. Moving into corporate
philanthropy was not just a job change, but a career change. I was 54 at the
time and most of my previous colleagues were shocked that I’d leave the
security of a permanent post in a state tertiary institution to enter a field I
knew very little about.
Not only did I adapt, but I also realised
how broad my range was and how eager I was to learn what I needed to, for my
new job. After one and a half years as project coordinator of a non-profit
company (The Delft Big Band NPC), my role was expanded to include managing the funding
company’s CSI department, from receiving the applications to ensuring the
payments were made and beneficiary reports received. I learnt a lot. I learnt
all the time. I learnt from colleagues, in all positions. I particularly liked
learning from people who liked sharing their knowledge. I learnt that not
everyone does.
It was the first time I’d worked
within that kind of environment, where I had access to departments specialising
in areas that were ancillary to mine, where I could meet with teams (like
marketing and social media) and have them work on something that would enhance our department’s work. I have a lot of faith in collaborative
work.
I learnt about events planning.
Again, it's something that requires central coordination of people or teams that
specialise in something. I’d done a certificate course in Public Relations, and
I loved being able to use the knowledge gained there.
As I wrote in one of my previous
posts, I love both structure and unpredictability. The happy medium is
different for each of us. I like a job that has a fair amount of both. I get
easily bored, but if there’s movement and change within the routines, that’s
exciting to me. I can work on the same thing every day, but as long as I’m
working towards a goal that will benefit others, I’m happy.
What I learnt, in this job, is
that I like working behind the scenes to make things happen. I don’t need to be
in the spotlight when the goal is achieved. I do like my hard work to be
acknowledged, but it doesn’t need to be public. I love working towards an
event, for example, coordinating behind the scenes, and then standing back on
the day and seeing everything flow smoothly. Bliss!
I’ve learnt a lot about people,
in this job. I’ve learnt about people whose words are always followed by
action, and those who use words strategically, to create an impression, but
never follow up. As I always say, people are people. It’s more important to me
to know what I bring to any situation and to trust myself implicitly, because I
know I can always rely on myself. In new situations, one eventually learns who
is and isn’t reliable. It’s a process of elimination – just like life.
Even though I’ve made big changes
in my life before, this time is decidedly different, and I’m steadily figuring out why. What I do know is that there’s nothing
negative about how I’m feeling. I feel like this is the most significant change
I’ve ever made, because everything I’ve done up to now, in my 38 years of
working, as well as in my personal life, has prepared me for this next chapter.
I feel excited about finding the next context in which to make my contribution.
I’m excited to play a role, as part of a multi-faceted team, in making a
positive difference. I can’t wait!!
In my last 5 working days before
I leave for my next adventure, I will be saying a lot of goodbyes. My daughter
reminded me, the other day, that I hated goodbyes. She’s right, but they’re an
inevitable part of life, and we can’t avoid them. We shouldn’t. To fully appreciate the profound joy of hellos, we have to know the pain of goodbyes.
In every job I’ve had, I’ve made
an impact and I’ve made friends. I’ve learnt and I’ve grown. I’ve shed certain
habits and beliefs, and acquired others. I’ve used existing skills and acquired
new ones. Every job I’ve had has opened up more of the world to me than before,
growing my networks. That’s the beauty of change, of newness.
I am enormously excited about the
world of possibilities just waiting for me.
I love new beginnings!
No comments:
Post a Comment
You are welcome to place a comment here.