My decade in review (part 2)

The decade in review continues...

2005 - the year of 4 different jobs

Trying begins in earnest.

Back from leave first week of Jan and I see a new job advertised which I apply for and get. Yayy. High profile so if you stuff up, you basically mess up your career at the company. I'm not scared of challenges so accept the position with great enthusiasm.

Start new job on 1 Feb and suddenly new job is not great. Why? Discover later that existing staff all applied for job and didn't get it so are ticked off at me and resentful with a capital R. Lovely. One day, in a terrible mood, I buy newspaper to look at jobs. See something that's perfect for me so apply by email after 5pm. The next morning at 9 am I get a call from the agent - can't wait to see me, I'm perfect, blah blah blah.

Long story short, I have interview upon interview and suddenly have another new job. With 40% increase in salary - yayyy.

Of course I turn the department around (not giving a jot if they like me or not) as I have to make sure I get some good results to put on my CV (resume) :)

New job is stunning, I LOVE love LOVE the team and my work but alas, 3 months in they decide to scrap the dept and move everyone to a partner company. Nooooo, not for me, so I apply for yet another job within existing company which I get.

And THAT's how I got my current role.

As you can see, I got my interview mojo back :)

Four different jobs in the space of a year.

As if the year weren't busy enough, I also decided to start running motivational workshops. They're so fun they don't even feel like work.

We also decide to buy a new house but this time I resolve, "not again for at least 7 years" (don't know where I got the 7 years from) after the house move as, despite my organising skills, two companies don't do their bits and I was super, SUPER stressed.

Have crazy symptoms regularly and am convinced every month I'm pregnant.

2006

Settled into the new house and my new job nicely.

The job is perfect for me. The boss thinks I'm great (I wasn't super stroppy yet!) and my biggest client loves me. They're super demanding but I'm just the same type of difficult person so I anticipate all their needs and they think I'm outstanding and on the ball.

However right at the end of the year sale of shares in JV, etc, blah blah and basically we lose that big client which is main reason I'm employed. Never fear, says boss, there is a lot to keep you busy.

He's right but these are tiny, tiny clients who are sooooo easy to please after big, difficult client that the job starts getting boring and I start nagging for more responsibility.

To distract myself, we go on a holiday to Thailand and Malaysia and have fabulous time, eating and shopping lots. I'd lost about 4 kgs before the holiday so even look good in bikini and shorts


2007

Job really gets boring and I start looking around again but NOTHING is working out. People phone me for jobs that just don't excite me (I get fussier the older I get) but I do make the effort to see a few recruitment consultants.

Clearly I've lost the interview mojo again.

Then I find out I'm underpaid and I flip. Seriously. Long story short, lots of meetings with HR and was told it would be fixed so off I went to have my first laparotomy.


2008

Big year for us in terms of making baby progress. Finally went to another fertility clinic and saw the wonderful Dr G in February. Lots of money, surgery and lots of tears later, in December 2008 we were finally pregnant from IVF number 2.

Still interviewing, still nothing. Inside and outside the company. A few bigger projects at work which was great although probably at my lowest, self-confidence wise, ever. The salary still not adjusted.

Coaching business doing well - loving the client work and they're getting good results, becoming more visible online. Getting speaking gigs, all good.

Had a wonderful trip to the UK - England, Scotland, Wales and totally fell in love with Ireland.


2009

Pregnant! Of course once I start showing, suddenly I get all these job offers that are perfect for me.

Didn't care about anything except remaining pregnant and being healthy.

Despite being permanently exhausted, worked my butt off on a big campaign as I wanted them to remember me while on maternity leave. It worked.

Went for a last pre-babies trip to Ireland.

Then had the babies and though I love them with all my being, will honestly say the first 3 months were the hardest of my entire life. Good thing I'm sub-fertile as I don't know if I could ever do that kind of sleep deprivation again, without going crazy.

D once said to me after we'd moved house by ourselves (in our younger days), if we can't afford to hire movers, we can't afford to move. So from then on, we've always had movers.

My take on this is - if we can't afford a night nanny we can't afford to have another baby. And we can't. We can barely afford these two (a whole 'nother post). I seriously take my hat off to anybody who can function on no sleep and no help.

My business made just a little more money than it did in 2008 - not great. That's probably due to only working 6 months properly.

So 2009 ends with me back at work, the boss says I was missed terribly, with two babies who are cute as can be.

Questions?

P.S. Saffy, thanks for this idea. I found it strangely therapeutic :)