Somewhere around the end of 2011 I started to become restless at work. The team I had been working with had just come off of the largest project I had worked on to date and as a result I feel that I had outgrown or at least moved past my position. My manager and I tried several things, but all it ended up feeling like was that I’d moved from working with one group of people I liked to another. Nothing substantive changed. I was unhappy but made absolutely no plans to do anything about it. Luckily – although it certainly didn’t feel that way at the time – some changes took place above me in the organization and they prompted me to look outside of comfortable if not unhappy box.
In February, after a few months of soul searching and discovering that those people who knew me best knew better what was in my heart than I did, I accepted a new position within my company. After having worked in Information Technology for 15 years, I now work as a Project Manager on the business side. Although I’ve had a few rough days, such as the day I physically moved away from the department that had been my family for the past 12 years, I am very happy with my new position. It’s still early days for sure, but I am excited about the projects I am and will be working on for the company. Most importantly, I look forward to work each day and meeting the new challenges that await me.
As part of my new position I will be spending the next six months preparing for two different certifications: the Six Sigma Green Belt certification and the PMP (Project Management Professional) certification. I began my Six Sigma course about two weeks ago and it is going to be intense. There are five sessions which for us will be broken up into three parts. Part two will be held on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I will graduate after completing a Green Belt-level project. The PMP certification is awarded after passing an ACT type of examination. Both of these certifications will keep me busy through the summer of 2013.
If there is a drawback to my new position it is that my personal laptop and even my phone feel a whole lot less attractive to me right now than they ever did before. With the learning required to wrap my head around my new project and the additional time and energy required to earn the new certifications, I’m just tapped out at the end of the day and the end of the week. Some of this will be resolved immediately after I have passed my certifications. The rest will have to wait until I’m able to bring my life as a whole back into balance. I have to trust that that time will come.
Until then, my blogging is going to be inconsistent at best. My blogging/reading/personal goals for this year are simply going to have to morph to accommodate my new reality. I’ve come to terms with this fact as best as I can over the weekend. Fighting it isn’t going to help. Instead I’m going to look to what really excites me and make those things my primary focus.
Armchair Audies. This event was a great success in my personal opinion last year and I’m so glad it’s well under way this year. Most of what I’m doing for this is behind the scenes, but there is a blogging component on the challenge’s site. I’m grateful to the other participants who have offered their help.
Bloggers Recommend. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was to be invited to be on the Advisory Board for Jen and Nicole’s new enterprise. Be sure to check out the new Bloggers Recommend site and sign up for the monthly newsletter. This has really got me excited about reading again and I’m hoping that the writing I do as part of this project will inform my own reviews here.
As you can see, there are a lot of great things going on in my life and I wanted to share that with you. I know that you will all be here whatever the future holds for Literate Housewife. I appreciate all the support you’ve given me along the way.
Congratulations!!!
Thank you!
Congratulations! It sounds like a great step forward for you!
Thanks! It is. So hard to wrap my head around not being on the IT side anymore, but there’s so much to learn that I can’t think about that as much.
Congrats Jennifer! This is exciting news. I had the same sort of morphing about 18 months ago when I took a new job. I went from a job that was fine, but not challenging, to a job that challenges me every day. It took a long time to learn how to balance blogging with this new work reality and do the things you’re doing — cutting out the stuff that doesn’t work and figuring out the stuff that is important. I’m sort of getting a handle on it now, but it’s work in progress. Good luck!!
It makes me feel better to know that you have gone through the same thing. When I was hashing and rehashing this job opportunity in my head it never occurred to me that it would be a change to anything outside of my working hours. I’m glad I didn’t because it could have held me back and I’m so happy where I am right now. And by following my passions instead of the same old same old on my blog may end up being another positive.
This is awesome news. Change is GOOD. Hard but good. Fit in the blogging however you can even if you just check in once a week or something. I like hearing about what you are up to. Just see if this new group can shoot you down to Orlando for some training sometime, so you can blow off some steam!
I will see what I can do about attending some national project manager convention in. I’ll be in Orlando in October regardless with my family. We must coordinate! I hope that the family’s non-park day will end up being good for you. You can visit with me poolside and even put a fruity drink or two on my tab.
Congratulations on the new position! I know you will do a fantastic job. Don’t stress about the blog for now and, like Sandy said, just pop in to let us know what’s going on in your world. It doesn’t all have to be book related.
Thank you! You guys are right. I’ve been posting nothing outside of bookish things and there is more to life and blogging than books and book reviews.
Congratulations!! I will miss your regular posts, but I wish you good luck in your new position. Beth
Thank you, Beth! I hope to at least post once a week. Just know my brain is fried when you’re not hearing from me.
Congratulations!! New opportunities are always exciting, even though they may come with some extra work — at least initially, and hopefully you’ll get settled in soon! I wish you all the best and will be around to read your blog whenever you have time to post!
Thank you, Melissa! Here’s to getting settled in and finding new balance.
Congratulations on your new position! Exciting!
Giant congrats to you!
I’m very excited about Bloggers Recommend as well, can’t wait to start reading the monthly newsletter
Wow … so many new and exciting things happening in your life. Big congratulations! I applaud you for embracing these changes/advancements and will be eager to hear how everything goes!
Congrats on the new position and projects. It will be an adjustment, but you sound like you needed it.
I am going through almost the exact same thing. I have been in IT for ages, over 18 years but I’ve outgrown it. I was put on a project when another member took an unauthorized vacation (a cruise that lasted 14 days) and then the doors started to open. Nothing has happened yet but there are re-orgs in process as I type. This I am sure of.
I hope you continue to enjoy your new position. I am halfway through a Project Management course and it is intense. I bet the certification course is even more so.
Oh, man. I so get this. My new position doesn’t require courses like that, but I feel like I can’t get anything accomplished now that I have a staff. I am interrupted often. It’s fine – they have questions or need advice, and I’m glad I can help, but it’s hard to get anything accomplished.
I’m glad for you, though. Change can definitely be a good thing. But make sure you get time for you, as well. Otherwise, this new job will feel more like a burden. We’ll stick by you, regardless of whether you post once a week or once every few weeks. Congrats!