February 5, 2013

Big news in the Without the Bollocks household – I’ve been offered a position within an IT companies’ APJ communications team and I’m going for it. To say I’m excited is an understatement, but I’m also terrified as well – heck I’ve been out of the traditional workforce since 2006, enjoying everything that comes with running my own business. It’s time though. I need to get my teeth into something bigger than me. I need to push my brain to its limits. I need to be part of a team that is working together to achieve some great stuff. But I’m most excited about working for this particular company. I’ve worked with it many times throughout my career, and have always been impressed by the level of passion and intelligence of its employees – not sucking up, just how I’ve always seen it. It’s also a company at such an interesting stage of its evolution, and I’m super excited to be part of that. It’s definitely a great move for me. The funny thing is, as most people in my age-group are looking to escape the corporate rat-race, I’ve decided it’s time to get back on board. But this is a different path for me. When I left the Australian Army in 1993, I joined an aerospace company and I LOVED that job. Since then, I’ve always been on the agency/consultancy side, and the bit that excites me the most about this role is it’s inside a corporation, not on the outside. The learning curve is going to be steep but I’m ready – very ready! My heart is torn over one key aspect though – my little loves. For the first time in their lives, I’m not going to be accessible to them. Working from home, if Mum is needed – even when someone else is taking care of them – I am on tap, and that is going to be a big adjustment for all of us to make. But they need less of me and to be honest, I need a little less of them too. I’ve given them my all in their important early days, and while I can’t say I’ve loved every minute of it, I’ve always willingly dropped everything when they’ve called. But Lex is now six, Jax five next week, and they’re becoming big boys, with their own lives, own friends, and own interests. It’s time for all of us to make this move. It won’t be easy though and I know I’ll need to wrap them up in love when I see them after work every day. Steve might get a cuddle too. So there you go – a significant life change for me, a great one too, and a goal for my FIE Crusade – to get back in it again. But I start NEXT WEEK – CRIKEY – I need to go shopping. Yours, without the bollocks Andrea