Musings of "1 year old" housewife
Life had been a big chain of new experiences and changes last full year. I was so busy doing things that there was hardly any time to think. The six months after I quit were difficult ones, a family member struggled with cancer, finally giving in to the disease. The loss left us numb for a while, but the decision to move to a foreign land was seemed good as it would definitely help healing.
Life in the new land was full of excitement, surprises, learning. It was as if there was a system reset! I got to define my needs, wants, and got to set all the priorities in life right. Thinking about my life as a professional did happen, though occasionally. But frankly, I was enjoying the new responsibilities just too much to give a serious thought about it. I definitely was not missing being a professional.
It was only since few days ago, i started realising that maybe, somewhere I was missing life as a professional. I did miss the technical part a bit, but more I missed was the pressure, the team work to achieve the goals and the sense of satisfaction one got after the goal was achieved after putting up a race against time. In the job, the pressures seemed nasty, I often felt as if I would probably enjoy work more without the pressures. Now the feeling is different :)
I still do not know if I would go back to the professional life as an ASIC/VLSI engineer. The options are wide open, even the industry I want to be in! I could turn to food and catering, or textile trading or photography, or HR consultancy or travel or the good old technology. I know there is space everywhere, there is scope to earn money everywhere, but the tough task is to figure out what my true beckoning is. I feel empowered looking at the endless options I have, but at the same time overwhelmed with the difficulty in making decisions.
Assuming that i eventually do get back to some professional life, most likely technology, do I repent having taken this "break"? Absolutely not :). I think there has been a lot of value addition in me. There are a lot of things in life that need to be done, but I never got time to learn them properly. For example, your child needs your time, your advice and your skill to deal with his/her emotional highs and lows. I remember when I was a full time professional , i used to really struggle in such situations, not knowing how to react and not having enough time to give thought to this matter, or experiment with possibilities. In the past year, I have definitely got a better idea of how to handle my son. Earlier, the thought of cooking dinner for guests would really leave me feeling so unprepared and incapable, somewhere deep inside. Now I do not fear it :)
I think this past year has served a great way of sharpening the knife on the personal front, and that would help a lot in professional life too, as it would leave me more relaxed about things back home. (All this of course with the hope and expectations that all other things go normal:) )
I would like to end this post with a request to all experienced professionals out there to put in their views about getting back to the mainstream profession after a sabbatical. Do you think people come back better? Or what i have here is just an illusion? If you have happened to take any sabbatical in the past, what are the pitfalls to coming back in the mainstream profession according to you, and what can one do to avoid/overcome them? There are some major decisions i have to eventually make, and maybe a share of your mind could help pick the right way :)
Life in the new land was full of excitement, surprises, learning. It was as if there was a system reset! I got to define my needs, wants, and got to set all the priorities in life right. Thinking about my life as a professional did happen, though occasionally. But frankly, I was enjoying the new responsibilities just too much to give a serious thought about it. I definitely was not missing being a professional.
It was only since few days ago, i started realising that maybe, somewhere I was missing life as a professional. I did miss the technical part a bit, but more I missed was the pressure, the team work to achieve the goals and the sense of satisfaction one got after the goal was achieved after putting up a race against time. In the job, the pressures seemed nasty, I often felt as if I would probably enjoy work more without the pressures. Now the feeling is different :)
I still do not know if I would go back to the professional life as an ASIC/VLSI engineer. The options are wide open, even the industry I want to be in! I could turn to food and catering, or textile trading or photography, or HR consultancy or travel or the good old technology. I know there is space everywhere, there is scope to earn money everywhere, but the tough task is to figure out what my true beckoning is. I feel empowered looking at the endless options I have, but at the same time overwhelmed with the difficulty in making decisions.
Assuming that i eventually do get back to some professional life, most likely technology, do I repent having taken this "break"? Absolutely not :). I think there has been a lot of value addition in me. There are a lot of things in life that need to be done, but I never got time to learn them properly. For example, your child needs your time, your advice and your skill to deal with his/her emotional highs and lows. I remember when I was a full time professional , i used to really struggle in such situations, not knowing how to react and not having enough time to give thought to this matter, or experiment with possibilities. In the past year, I have definitely got a better idea of how to handle my son. Earlier, the thought of cooking dinner for guests would really leave me feeling so unprepared and incapable, somewhere deep inside. Now I do not fear it :)
I think this past year has served a great way of sharpening the knife on the personal front, and that would help a lot in professional life too, as it would leave me more relaxed about things back home. (All this of course with the hope and expectations that all other things go normal:) )
I would like to end this post with a request to all experienced professionals out there to put in their views about getting back to the mainstream profession after a sabbatical. Do you think people come back better? Or what i have here is just an illusion? If you have happened to take any sabbatical in the past, what are the pitfalls to coming back in the mainstream profession according to you, and what can one do to avoid/overcome them? There are some major decisions i have to eventually make, and maybe a share of your mind could help pick the right way :)
In the field of technology, because of the pace at which it moves, you may feel you have a backlog of things to learn if you rejoin. However, it may also provide a fresh perspective on things as you had a breath of fresh air for a while. Your ability to think out of the box may have improved due to this and will be helpful. You will definitely find it hard to get used to the time-pressure in the field.
ReplyDeleteIf you can find your real calling (free lance photographer? :)) there will not be a single day in your life when you "work" - all will just appear as a pure joy.
From your post I know that I need to give you an opportunity to show your cooking skills by inviting myself :)
I agree with your point: Never repent. There are so many things going on in the world, that we never get to learn/experience. so it was/is a really a good opportunity.