Who is Big Al?

WELL, I put the finishing touches on my Exit Strategy, although I did decide not to submit my Fantasy Manifesto (why burn bridges?). I am now on the path to my new gig as a Trophy Wife*

SO, today I gave my notice to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Yes, indeed. I was one of the many Drones marching around here that got sucked in by the illustrious sound of working for the Federal Reserve. Of course, as I head for the door, I can get philosophical NOW and talk myself into thinking it wasn’t that bad. I suppose it is for self-preservation or otherwise, I would have to face the fact that I completely wasted the past 22 months of my life. In the beginning, it didn’t appear to be that bad. I took a 15% pay cut and walked away from a five-figure bonus at HR Block to what was supposed to be a less-stress, 40 hour a week gig at the Fed. Within 2 months of starting, I quickly got roped into the Check 21* project. This resulted in TRAVEL, LONG HOURS, A COMPANY-ISSUED CELL PHONE and WEEKEND TRIPS. Yikes.

Okay, the philosophical part? As part of an information security implementation, I did get to travel to over 15 Fed sites (6 Banks, 9 branches) and really, that was pretty kick-ass. The offices I worked with were pretty cool and often, I was sad to go back to the Drones in Kansas City. In fact, I believe many of the issues I have complained about since starting this blog are specific to KC and in particular to the group I work for.

While I can’t WAIT for June 30th, my last day, to get here, I can’t help but feel sad that my career is coming to an end (temporarily?) on such a sour note. I worked my tail off in undergrad, then grad school, then sacrificed many a vacation day studying for the CPA exam for THIS?

I still can’t believe that I am walking away from the Working World – I have been stacking all my pre-pregnancy work clothes into a pile to be given for charity, but I am still leery about giving them away. After all, I have had a job steadily since 1987!

*I am electing to use that title for now because dammit, I AM a prize.

**What is Check 21, you say? Believe me, you don’t want to know - really. Huh? You do? You asked for it.