Clarity

This is the First Official Day of my Gainful Unemployment. Now it's all happened I can clarify - for the first time ever in my working life I have applied for and received Voluntary Redundancy. Why have I done it? That's a hard question, and one that I'm not entirely at liberty to answer, but it has mainly to do with the enhanced package I have received (many thousands of pounds more than I would receive had I been made compulsarily redundant), pending offshoring, colleague morale and basically being fed up with this style of working.

It's time to try something new! I have enough that, if I'm frugal, will keep the wolf from the door for probably just under a year if all goes well. I might stay in IT - I have an open mind and would like to see what else may present itself.

I'm not going to rush into anything - I have time to let things sort themselves out in my head, and the incredible luxury of being able to have a time-out to think what I would like to do next.

Many of my colleagues were refused this opportunity, ostensibly due to "operational necessities". The compulsory redundancies are starting this month. I count myself as very lucky indeed.