As I mentioned previously, I have officially left the company where I had been employed for almost six years for another opportunity. Unfortunately I am not financially independent yet, but I think this change is for the better. Six years is like a really long time for a millennial to stay at one employer from what I have heard. Overall the experience was good. I met a ton of friends through work. Met my fiancée on a trip with work friends. Learned a ton. Lit a fire under my career’s butt. Built a professional network. Traveled. Dined at some great steakhouses. But it wasn’t all peaches and cream.

For the better part of those six years I served private equity clients. If you don’t know the type, it looks like: Yale undergrad, Harvard MBA, and career and money ambition coming out of their ears. The work was very demanding and I had to be on call on nights and weekends if my clients needed anything. Tight deadlines. Lots of thankless hours. I was ready for a change.

My previous job was somewhat glamorous when I mentioned it to others. Now, I’m a cog in big corporate machine. Less glamorous job title, but less hours and stress. I have realized you have to enjoy the journey, instead of just fantasizing about the future. For the (perceived) glamour I gave up, I receive a predictable schedule and nights and weekends for my personal ambitions.

I have been pretty career driven since I graduated from undergrad about eight years ago. Moving up the corporate ladder and pay scale was the goal, and I was fairly successful at it. But in the end I have to define success for myself. Right now that definition is having good relationships (fiancée, family, friends), time for hobbies, time for experimenting, and at least some income to enjoy said hobbies and travel. My career, up until lately, was taking up too much of my time for me to become my definition of successful. Something had to change.

I’m looking forward to this new challenge. I’m going to take this new role head on and with a great attitude. New experiences are what you make of them. I wish everyone a great 2018 and hope those who find themselves stuck on a road they don’t want to be on will find a way to take a turn to somewhere new.