Resignation

Technically, this is the 2nd time I have resigned from a job but it feels so much more momentous than the first that it might as well be my first. And the concept of people my age having multiple careers (and not just jobs) in a lifetime has some truth to it because I am about to embark on my third career, and this is before I turn 30. A friend put it well when she said that resigning is akin to jumping out of an airplane... you know you have a parachute (i.e. a job offer in hand) and you know it should work, but it's still a leap of faith. That is exactly what it felt like on the day I actually turned in my letter of resignation.

After nearly 8 years in banking, I am hanging up that hat to pursue what I consider the opportunity of a lifetime! I am going to be a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State starting in May. This means we "move" to the Washington DC area (Arlington, to be exact) in about 3 weeks to start my new job training, and then eventually get posted overseas! It's a not total move right now since we have a fully furnished corporate housing-type apartment up there. We have postponed the full move to a future date (TBD) since we have taken on enough for the time being. I am so excited, I can hardly wait to start!

Back to the resignation... it is definitely bittersweet. My current employer has been very good to me over the years in recognizing my talents and giving me growth opportunities. And, of course, the people! No one can argue that while jobs can be easy to leave behind, it's not so easy with (many of) the people. It's going to be difficult to say goodbye when that last day comes, and I hope that we will stay in touch, the way we all promise to do.