The long journey...

A year and a half ago, after a year of being utterly miserable as an IT consultant, I finally bit the bullet and resigned. With no job to go to, and no real idea of what I wanted to do, I fluctuated on a daily basis between believing I was really brave, or really foolish. Luckily my first gamble paid off - I ended up being out of work for less than a week, finding a contract almost immediately after my last day of work. The plan was to contract for 3-6 months to clear off a few debts, and get my head together, before starting my "dream job".

It didn't work out entirely as planned. 3 months turned into 18 months. Working out what my dream job wasn't quite as easy as "get some sleep, go on holiday and a good idea will come to you". Life definitely got in the way of career changes - no regrets about having a lovely wedding day, but it is very hard to make any other major changes during the craziness that accompanies being a bride. And the extra cash from contracting seemed to disappear as quickly as my old wage - thoughts of taking lots of time off for quiet contemplation were quickly quashed.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Looking through a mountain of job sites, I finally realised that I wanted to work in International Development. An engineering degree and experience with IT project management doesn't really cut it for this field - so I'm now coming to the end of a graduate diploma in economics which I'm hoping will bridge the gap. I will never again work full-time and study full-time - I have a very nice home and social life, which I'm not willing to give up again.

I've just had a month off working which has been just lovely - gave me time to study for exams and finish off coursework, and pack up to move house. Originally thought that I would now be in a position of starting some internships in the sorts of organisations I want to work in, but instead I'm looking for one final IT contract. It's a little discouraging, but makes the most sense - if I can stick out another 3 months in IT, I can then afford to take some serious time off to look at my options. And applying for jobs will be a lot easier without the dread of exams hanging over me.