the end of an era...

Ok, the title's a bit of an exaggeration, but nonetheless, I am in fact about to move on to a new phase in my career.

The wait I had described a couple of posts back was for the outcome of an interview with my future employers. Notwithstanding that I had told them at the interview that I would be leaving for ICT the following week, they were unable to get back to me before then, and it was only during my day off-in-lieu on 2 Feb that I got the long-awaited phone call offering the job. :)

So I'll be joining the Equity Capital Markets team in the Frantic Slogging Department of a very large local firm. For the finer details, click here.

The benefits of the move are clear to me, as the experience gained will place me in a much much better position for future career moves and options in the event that I choose not to stay (or am compelled by fatigue to move). The downside is of course that I am voluntarily giving up the most excellent hours which I am enjoying at my current firm.

Weighing the pros and cons, I suppose it's a necessary sacrifice (and investment) to slog a bit harder now while I am still young, and reap the benefits in time to come. Every person is granted with certain gifts from God, and for me, I suppose the parable of the talents come into play here. I should not be sitting comfy where I am, and allowing the gift from God to stagnate. As my ex-pastor used to say all the time, if you're comfortable, you're not growing.

Of course the most difficult aspect of the move would be having less time with Ad, but I truly hope we can both look at this shift with the right perspective, and support each other through these (still) formative years of my career. There will come a point of time some years down the road when I will have to choose between family and career, and because I will be choosing family, hence it is all the more important to establish the career aspect firmly for now.

Dealt with another difficult issue yesterday - the tendering of my resignation. It was very hard to break the news to my boss, and even harder to look him in the eye when discussing the matter thereafter. I'm sincerely grateful to my current firm for helping me transit to corporate law, and I apologise for the disappointment caused by my departure. May God prosper the firm always.

So this shift is accompanied by mixed feelings, but with trust in the Lord, I need not fear, for He shall direct my paths. (Back to the key Bible verses of my life - Proverbs 3:5-6)

Last day of work at my current place on 11 April 2007, whereupon I'll be scooting off to Bangkok from 12 to 14 April. Starting work tentatively on 23 April. FYI. :)