Branching

Branches occur at the strangest places.

I was reminded of this over the course of the weekend, as I was reviewing my job history as part of a "Where have I been and Where am I going?" review.  I'm familiar with it of course as I've rehearsed it enough:  2.5 years in this part of the field, then I switched to another part of the field, following my manager through three jobs until 2004 when I joined The Firm.  After that back into The Industry, where I was three years at one place, 4 months and then laid off, and then where I am today.  Pretty straightforward, actually.

But what I realized as I looked at the history is that something happened in 2004 that I did not see before:  I chose not stay and follow.

Not because of who I was following.  The Great Boss  (TGB) is the one who I constantly look back to, even today, as the example of what a great boss is:  intelligent, honest, supportive, recognizing that the people who work for him are the resources of the company.  It's why I followed him across three companies.

But then, I stopped.

I had never seen this as something different before, a change in the rhythm of my life.  I, who was a follower, chose to strike out on my own (failed miserably of course, but that's a different tale). 

And never looked back.  My switches since then have all been due to my own choosing (or choosing for me in the case of the lay off), never due to the want or desire of following someone else.  I may not have always chosen wisely (another learned skill, apparently), but at least I have chosen.

The surprise I felt at discovering this was tempered with a sense of relief.  For years I have wondered if I will ever get the knack of making decisions for myself, of being able to chose based on something other than a feeling of security.

In this case, it appears that it has been happening longer than I thought.  And that is a good thing.