Kathryn wants to know more about the self promotion workshop I went to at the beginning of the week. One reason for not following up sooner was that it was a bit embarrassing, in that there were only two of us and the trainer there, and much of it was about fairly basic job application stuff which, having done a good deal of recruitment over the years, I didn't really need. But I did get my cv sort of finished, and formatted, and it was reassuring to find that there was nothing arcanely difficult about this job stuff, provided I can grit my teeth and get on with networking. In fact, it looks as if the cv may be shelved for a bit, as without doing a single thing to encourage it I've had a provisional offer of some contract work from my old department (I knew they couldn't manage without me).... but of course it's like taking an umbrella to make sure it doesn't rain and if I hadn't done the cv I wouldn't have got the offer. My home group gets tied up with predestination from time to time (somehow the vicar has never taken up our invitation to visit...): I seem to be feeling after a secular version here, or is it salvation by works?
Either way, or neither, the effect of the workshop and the job discussions and coincidentally a financial review, which was yet another component of my outplacement package, has been to give me a bit more confidence that running my life without a full time job is going to work out (can you hear the chickens cheeping inside the eggs...?) because - probably - I have the skills and experience to make it so.... shhhhhhh don't tell anyone I said that.
Comments