There’s nothing quite like 15 days off work to make you question your life.
While I’m grateful to have a job, and I’m grateful that it is a permanent one that allows me the luxury of paid time off (seriously – when did that become a luxury? It should be a right. But this is not an anti-“casual”-occupation rant), the time I’ve just had off has made me realize how much I love not working. Seriously, life is too short to work!
I mean, don’t get me wrong, not many people really “love” to work, but I think if we’re going to have to work then we need to be doing something that is worth the time we spend away from our family. It has to be worth leaving the beach for.
Maybe I am just having post-holiday blues. Maybe I am just being a spoiled brat. Even if I didn’t have to work, I’m not sure I’d be content to sit around doing nothing, as I’ve done the last 2 weeks. Or maybe I would be. It’s not likely I’ll ever find out.
But my staycation – I stayed home and did local things, like losing my child at Wet ‘n Wild – has made me thankful that I took a huge step a few weeks ago and applied for my Masters in Marketing. Because a couple of days ago I got the email that I’ve been accepted! This gives me both a sense of dread – work, study, fitness, tennis, mum, wife, how will I fit it all in?- and a sense of excitement. I finally have something to look forward to! I have something to work for. I have something that may end with an actual career and being paid what my time away from family is worth.
There could be big changes in the next few months and years for us. I have this study thing, hubby has his own things in the works, all of it for long-term betterment of course. I’m cautiously excited to see where the next 12-18 months takes us, and to see how we handle it. You’re never too old to learn something new, or make a career change.
Have you suffered the post-holidays-blues? Have you gone back to studying well after you thought you were done? Have you had a major career change in your mid-30s?
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT of course!
Colours of Sunset 
I’m having a mid career change. I haven’t gone back to Uni, I thought I’d just apply for jobs and see how I go. I’ve not worked for the last 5 years, and mid feb will be applying for work. So I figured I’d start applying for what I want to do and see how that pans out. Ask me in April…
I will ask again in April! I hope you find something! The GC seems short on jobs, and gets hundreds of applicants for most positions advertised. It would be practically impossible for me to apply for anything other than what I have experience in and have any chance. 😦
Congrats, hope it all goes well. I’ve just signed up for a rather exciting 12 week goddess transformation. I’m not so secretly hoping I win the $10k makeover.
$10k makeover!? What do they do??? I hope you win it, too! That would be incredible! I hope it’s $10k in clothes? Good luck!
Congratulations! Enjoy. How long is the course? x
Well if I didn’t also have to work, I could do it in 1 year, but I’m doing it part time so it will be 2 years – 2 classes/semester.
OOoO congrats on studying again!!! I am studying again this year too, it is going to be a feat!!! if its for somethign you love, then it won’t be so hard!!! Good on you lovely for stepping up and going for it! xxx
thanks Meagan and good on you too! what are you studying? hope it goes quickly (and painlessly) for both of us 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS !!!! I think that is a great idea. I’m sure that you will find how to shuffle things around enough to get the time that you need to do what you need. It isn’t easy – but it can be done.
Wishing you every success in 2014 !
Have the best week !
Me
Thanks L. Hopefully I’ll settle in to classwork easily and will be able to plan my time so that I am not completely knackered every week. x
Oh so exciting!! Congrats on the acceptance! The thought of completing my Masters (still have a year left) comes back to me once in a while but I don’t know how to fit it all in, or whether I still have the passion to do that course too. Will think about it more when the bug hits again…
All the best for the coming months! 🙂
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Thanks Ai! I think if you want to you should go for it! I am looking forward to the distraction and giving my mind something to really work on and be active with again! x
Teachers always have post-holiday blues but don’t really feel entitled to whinge as they get more than anyone else!
Your 2014 plans sound exciting, study is always both stimulating and exhausting, but the rewards (that official piece of paper at the end) make the effort well worth it. But yes, the juggling is hard… 🙂
Would be nice if I could quit work so I wasn’t juggling so much 😉 ha! I think going back to school would be just as hard for teachers as it is for kids!
Go you for dreaming big and committing to study. Good luck with the juggle, you can do it! I’ve been excited to start 2014 but then again I’m not going back to work just yet – still home with the babies. I’m already dreading that though!
Thanks Kate. I did it once before and did quite well at it, but I didn’t have as much going on then as my son was only 2. Oh well, I’m sure I’ll figure it out.
No post holiday blues, but oddly I find I’m missing working more than I thought I would. I really thought I would be so happy not to do it, but it’s nice being able to contribute to the family in that way.
Yay for study though! That’s one thing I’d like to do at some point. Maybe when all the kids are in full time school 🙂
Def when all the kids are in full time school I would recommend it! I loved the course I did when Nick was 2, even if just for the social aspect and being able to discuss things other than nappies and poo in class 🙂
I always get the post holiday blues, sometimes worse than other times. As for studying again, gee I throw around the idea of a PhD in writing – who knows – maybe one day. You are set for an awesome year, so happy for you xx
That would be awesome Josefa and I know you could totally rock that PhD!
What timing, K just left to get boys and I’m at computer trying to work and I just said to him “I hate working” – man oh man, give me a lady of leisure life ANY DAY – wonder if I’d get bored? Nahh who am I kidding, with 3 kids I’d never be bored. Boo to being back at work 😦 xx
I don’t think I’d be bored, either. I’d play tennis and golf and go to training all week 🙂 Hahaha!
Brilliant news about the return to study. That idea is so exciting but personally terrifies me. Good luck!
There are parts about it that certainly terrify me too Twitchy! Hoping that once I get started all that will subside though.
Congratulations on getting accepted!
Dave and I are currently trying to figure a lot of stuff out too. Ideally we would like for me not to have to go back to working in a formal environment but to be able to stay at home with the girls and do some form of work at home. What that work will be is yet to be figured out. The finances of me staying at home are the biggest issue at the moment. If we can just get approval to re-finance our mortgage to wipe out our credit card then it’s not a problem. Whether or not we’ll get approval is another story though, and we need to get out bathroom re-done before we even bother to apply. But I am choosing to trust that it will all work out the way it is supposed to in the end.
Fingers x’d for the approval! I’m sure things will all work out how they’re supposed to in the end, too. xo
Usually by the end of my partners holidays I am well and truly ready for us to go back to our routine but this year I really enjoyed having our lazy days at home. I think because this year we didn’t go anywhere and didn’t have to bend in with other people’s plans we were a lot more relaxed.
Congratulations on getting into your course and good luck with finding the balance xx
I think I’ve enjoyed it because we didn’t go anywhere, also. I had 2 awesome weeks at home with no rushing anywhere, could stay in PJs all day if we wanted, we did everything at our leisure and it was amazing!
Well done on taking the plunge and applying for your course, and a big congratulations for getting in!
thanks Lauren! It was sort of a spur of the moment thing and I did think that maybe I wouldn’t be accepted. It was exciting to get the email saying I had!
Congratulations on being accepted. You will always make time for the things you love and really want to do. Looking forward to reading your progress. I felt really encouraged reading this after what I posted today. x
Thanks Bec.
I call it the suck back…. and I get it after all good things. Holiday, launches, big things that you work towards.
That said you have so much new stuff to look forward to and work towards you’ll be over the suck back in no time!
Onwards!
#lateibot
I’ve been known to plan quick weekend-get-aways for a few weeks post-holiday just to have something to look forward to to try and prevent that post-holiday come down. Suck back is perfect description of being sucked back to reality!
congrats again on your course acceptance – i am sure you will manage everything – just be kind to yourself ; )
Am totally suffering from post-holidays blues.. (and the students haven’t even started back yet!) I went from Classroom Teacher to Guidance Officer at the beginning of last year so while I still work for the Education Department I suppose it’s a career change. I think I would love to totally walk away…but to what… there is safety in the known…
Good luck with your studies and I look forward to seeing what the next 12-18 months brings for you and your family!
That’s so awesome Aroha!! I went back to school in my 30s, and it was the best thing I did.
I hope it all falls into place for you, but I’m sure it will because no doubt you have a plan. I’m still not sure what I want to be when I grow up 🙂
xx