How I'm feeling about going back to work

 It's going to be a big change, after a glorious 16 months off of work! I worked full time for 25 years in a "career" job, worked three jobs in college, and started working when I was 15. (My sister & I waitressed at the same restaurant, so she could give me a ride.) Taking the time off has been so incredibly good for me, and our family. I got to spend so much time with Sam before he left for college, and enjoyed Nick's senior year. We said yes to all of the impromptu hosting, ski trips, swim parties, last minute lunches & generally just enjoying all of his friends & their shenanigans. That's time I would never have had with either of them. 

I also got time with other amazing people in my life. Two hiking trips, with two different girlfriends. Took my nephew to Las Vegas. Visited my mom. Ran a 10k with my sister & BFF. Went on another hiking trip with my sister & BFF. Took both boys to admitted students days at college, plus orientation, plus college drop offs (still ahead for Nick). I've had so much fun, and been so lucky. 

I've worked out 5-6 days a week, met friends for an endless amount of hikes at the local nature preserve, and read by the pool every day there was a little sun. I did a moderate job of keeping the house clean. I truly relaxed and got rid of years of work stress. 

When M was laid off, it was a real turning point for both of us. I'd said in October (when we were in Costa Rica), that I thought I was ready to start looking for something to keep me busy. Once he was laid off, I decided that I would also look for an actual career job with benefits, so he could have the option of finding another career job, or starting his own business, which he's wanted to do for years. I'm not sure if he will actually do it, or take another career job (he's got lots of interviews going), but this gives him the flexibility to choose, and having options in life is so valuable. 

I feel really lucky to have found something that's very well compensated, because I looked at jobs that paid 1/2 to even 1/3 of what this job paid. It's just a crazy market, and the compensation in tech is really all over the place. If I tried to do a career pivot, I was basically looking at starting out in a very junior role, earning 1/3 of what I was before. It just didn't seem worth it, when I only see myself working for another 3-5 years. Why not earn the bigger salary, staying in the same area I was in before, and pad the accounts before I officially retire? 

I'm very excited about the people in this new role. One of the reasons I said "yes", was because I loved everyone I interviewed with. This job is a very natural extension of what I was doing before, so I also feel really confident about the subject area, and my ability to add value. 

On the financial side, we could have afforded for both of us not to work for at least another year, but then the cost of health care really started to eat into our retirement savings, which no one wanted. By going back to work now, we preserve both our retirement, as well as what I'll call our "flexible" savings, which allows us to splurge more. Help my nephew with college. Save money for my special needs aunt, should she reach a point that she needs it. Travel overseas to visit M's family. Update our house (I would LOVE to have a bathtub at some point.) Cover some out of pocket medical expenses that are likely looming for me. Treat my parents to some fun trips. Go to Italy. Donate to causes we care about. Set aside money for the boys, as they enter adulthood. 

I will absolutely miss the flexibility I have in my current schedule, but I've also worried that becoming an empty nester at the same time I'm not working might be too much "freedom" for me, and I might enjoy a bit more structure. This job is coming at pretty much the perfect time, as we drop Nick off at college in mid-August. We'll see how I feel in a few months, after I've gotten a chance to get a feel for my schedule & my coworkers!

Wow, that got long. Apparently, I had a lot to say about my return to work! Happy to answer questions! I'm in a *very* niche field (there are probably 15 people who have the exact experience I had that qualified me for this role), so won't give a ton of specifics about job, but any other questions are fair game.