I've not posted for a while (bad writer, no cookie) but there were a few things I needed to get my head around. Since most of it was regarding the day job, there wasn't much I could put up on the blog; I try very hard not to let that world collide with the rest of my life. Also no one really wants to read much about regulatory compliance in their fun time, and since a LOT of what I deal with is confidential, all I could really mention was the travelling.
I've had a good +/- 7 years doing this. I've met some awesome people, I've discovered that I like the detective work of auditing (not financial. Don't even go there.) and even better, fixing things and making the clock tick a little more accurately. I've seen a lot of cities in the UK, and a lot of truly awful hotel rooms. I've got a private war going with Leicester pigeons - so far, the pigeons are winning - that's amused the hell out of my colleagues and cost me a couple of clothing items. However, I did get an "I love Pigeons" mug sent to me from the Leicester guys, so I chalk that up as a win in that column. (If I ever grow wings, Leicester is my first stop, & I'll probably be armed with a flame thrower, pigeons. You've been warned.)
Sadly, it's come to an end. My division is closing, and barring some sort of miracle, I get my redundancy pay in a couple of weeks. Saying goodbye to my team will be very, very hard. They are some of the best people I've had the privilege of working with, and I wish every one of them a bright and blazing future.
Next step for me? I'm honestly not sure. The job market in the UK is making loud squeaky noises, although if I'm really scrambling I can hopefully get a temp job to cover the rent and eat. I'd happily head out to Oz or New Zealand for work, but most employers out there want a complete degree and I'm not there yet. I've deferred my next year at university, but unless I find an employer willing to help out financially, I think I can wave goodbye to the Masters degree. I've got my first year certificate, and that and £2.75 will buy me a latte.
A lot of folks will be asking why I don't just stay at home and write. Although I'd love to, I don't earn enough to pay any sort of bills. I reckon I need at least 7 books up before I start seeing close to a three figure income, and although I have the plans for that, it won't happen until the end of this year at the earliest.
By all reasoning, I should be curled up in a little ball and whimpering, yet I still feel strangely optimistic. I still have a functioning mind, my health, my family, my sense of humor and some great friends. I still have the ability to take what ever Fate or Life or Murphy throws at me and make it bounce. I don't give up easily. If I did, I'd never have written any books, never painted any pictures, never gotten on a plane and traveled several thousand miles away from home to try life in the UK. I'd never have taken on a quality/compliance role that I had very little training for, and developed a reputation in a global company that meant people from across the EU and the rest of the planet contacted me for help and tips. I'd never have walked again after breaking my leg so badly the docs wanted me to register as disabled. The only time you can count me out is the day they plant me 6 feet under (and even then I'd recommend a couple of heavy rocks. Just in case.)
So this is me right now: slightly rocky, slightly bloody. Still not broken. Let's dance, shall we?
*****************************
I've had a good +/- 7 years doing this. I've met some awesome people, I've discovered that I like the detective work of auditing (not financial. Don't even go there.) and even better, fixing things and making the clock tick a little more accurately. I've seen a lot of cities in the UK, and a lot of truly awful hotel rooms. I've got a private war going with Leicester pigeons - so far, the pigeons are winning - that's amused the hell out of my colleagues and cost me a couple of clothing items. However, I did get an "I love Pigeons" mug sent to me from the Leicester guys, so I chalk that up as a win in that column. (If I ever grow wings, Leicester is my first stop, & I'll probably be armed with a flame thrower, pigeons. You've been warned.)
Sadly, it's come to an end. My division is closing, and barring some sort of miracle, I get my redundancy pay in a couple of weeks. Saying goodbye to my team will be very, very hard. They are some of the best people I've had the privilege of working with, and I wish every one of them a bright and blazing future.
Next step for me? I'm honestly not sure. The job market in the UK is making loud squeaky noises, although if I'm really scrambling I can hopefully get a temp job to cover the rent and eat. I'd happily head out to Oz or New Zealand for work, but most employers out there want a complete degree and I'm not there yet. I've deferred my next year at university, but unless I find an employer willing to help out financially, I think I can wave goodbye to the Masters degree. I've got my first year certificate, and that and £2.75 will buy me a latte.
A lot of folks will be asking why I don't just stay at home and write. Although I'd love to, I don't earn enough to pay any sort of bills. I reckon I need at least 7 books up before I start seeing close to a three figure income, and although I have the plans for that, it won't happen until the end of this year at the earliest.
By all reasoning, I should be curled up in a little ball and whimpering, yet I still feel strangely optimistic. I still have a functioning mind, my health, my family, my sense of humor and some great friends. I still have the ability to take what ever Fate or Life or Murphy throws at me and make it bounce. I don't give up easily. If I did, I'd never have written any books, never painted any pictures, never gotten on a plane and traveled several thousand miles away from home to try life in the UK. I'd never have taken on a quality/compliance role that I had very little training for, and developed a reputation in a global company that meant people from across the EU and the rest of the planet contacted me for help and tips. I'd never have walked again after breaking my leg so badly the docs wanted me to register as disabled. The only time you can count me out is the day they plant me 6 feet under (and even then I'd recommend a couple of heavy rocks. Just in case.)
So this is me right now: slightly rocky, slightly bloody. Still not broken. Let's dance, shall we?
*****************************
J H Sked is the author of WolfSong, Basement Blues and Die Laughing, all of which are on Amazon and enrolled in the Kindle lending programme.
