Break out the Kit-Kat, I'm having a break!!!
Having a career break is certainly not a normally "done" thing in the asian (specifically chinese) community. To the chinese, time is money, and every single minute counts. Having a break means I am giving up the time and opportunity to accumulate more wealth whilst reducing my existing wealth! The only valid reason for a break would be for maternity leave or to become a full-time mother and housewife, a.k.a. "tai-tai". A career break is definitely a no-no for a single woman in her 30s.
Since making the decision to quit my job, I have had to repeatedly justify myself as many have questioned the sanity of my decision. So here's the mystery unveiled...
I cannot really remember the last time I had a break of any significance. Whilst most people may take a break between school and college, or between graduating and working, or even between jobs, I was not afforded this luxury. All my life it has been GO!-GO!-GO! From school to college, college to university, university to my first job, one job to the next, it has been GO!-GO!-GO! My last real break must have been the three month summer holiday just before I turned 21. I have not had any time to think about the direction I was heading.
In September 2008, I celebrated my 10th anniversary in my professional career as an accountant. This was also shortly after I turned 31, and I believe this is the point when I hit my 1/3rd-Life-Crisis.
I began to question my achievements, my purpose, my passion and I realised that I want more!
I am no longer sure why I decided to become an accountant and how I ended up in the dog-eat-dog world of hedge funds. It must have been the lure of the big bucks but I cannot actually recall this being a childhood ambition or a dream of mine. I am not even sure if my personality is suited to the industry!
For months I had been battling an internal struggle. I had a really great job which I was pretty good at, but there was a definitive lack of passion. What I struggled with most was that this job became my life and it started to define me. My life was ruled by my job and its environment and it began to chip away at the core of my being, robbing me of my zealousness for life.
Therefore, I decided to get rid of the parasite and I am slowly in the process of discovering myself again. I now have time to indulge in my long-neglected hobbies, and to take up new hobbies.
I have extensive plans for myself during this period and I will be charting my journey here. Career breaks are few and far between, I am going to make this one count.
Stay tuned.
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Life-ly Zwergli - The low down
19 December 2008 marked my last working day at one of the top Fund of Hedge Fund companies, after loyally serving for 5 1/2 years.
It is curious to many, as to why..... at a time of deep financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, with record low interest rates, unprecedented levels of unemployment, with everyone clinging on to their jobs for dear life, I would choose to leave my secure, well-paid job!
The answer is simple. I had been thinking about taking a career break for awhile and as it happens, this period of financial crisis actually provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so! Working in the hedge fund industry, everything revolved around the bonuses and the share options. I was always waiting around for something or another, and there was always a cost attached to leaving. The second half of 2008 was probably the worst ever period for the company and suddenly it became cheaper than ever to leave - the share options were worthless and bonuses were at an all-time low. In addition, the financial crisis has driven price cuts even here in Switzerland, allowing my savings to go alot further than initially expected.
So here I am, jobless and loving every minute of it thus far. It is amazing how quickly I have managed to leave my working life behind. I know I have made the right decision as I can see the proof in the mirror. My skin is clear, my eyes are bright, I look happy and radiate life! I am born-again and lively!
Welcome to my Blog - a lively memoir of life during my career break.
It is curious to many, as to why..... at a time of deep financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, with record low interest rates, unprecedented levels of unemployment, with everyone clinging on to their jobs for dear life, I would choose to leave my secure, well-paid job!
The answer is simple. I had been thinking about taking a career break for awhile and as it happens, this period of financial crisis actually provided me with the perfect opportunity to do so! Working in the hedge fund industry, everything revolved around the bonuses and the share options. I was always waiting around for something or another, and there was always a cost attached to leaving. The second half of 2008 was probably the worst ever period for the company and suddenly it became cheaper than ever to leave - the share options were worthless and bonuses were at an all-time low. In addition, the financial crisis has driven price cuts even here in Switzerland, allowing my savings to go alot further than initially expected.
So here I am, jobless and loving every minute of it thus far. It is amazing how quickly I have managed to leave my working life behind. I know I have made the right decision as I can see the proof in the mirror. My skin is clear, my eyes are bright, I look happy and radiate life! I am born-again and lively!
Welcome to my Blog - a lively memoir of life during my career break.
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