The Big Secret

One aspect of the move that has been very difficult has been keeping it a secret.  I’m generally an open person and I like to tell good news to people I like, so to keep this a secret for over a year in some cases has been hard.  For the first few months, it was only my wife and I who knew. We didn’t tell the kids, close family, or friends.  We were trying on the idea of moving and didn’t want to disappoint anyone who we might leak it to.  As time passed, we leaked it to a select handful of people. It was leaked for a couple reasons. Partly because these people were close to us and we were desperately wanting to share it with someone.  It felt so good to finally be able to discuss it with others and see if some of our logic behind the move was valid.  It was also partly because these people could help give us direction in some manor, be it jobs and the job market, schools, apartments, or other items.

But even now we are less than eight weeks away and the large majority of people we know are unaware of our plans.   And that is entirely because of our jobs.  While we get along quite well with our employers, our employers have invested in us and given us the chance to be in good positions.  There is concern that they may feel betrayed and terminate us once they find out.  So that is why we are waiting until closer to the date in case something like that happens.  It is quite likely that it will not, but it is pragmatic to prepare that it might.  I honestly would love to let them know now as much to share it with them as to give them more time to transition me out of my role and someone else into it.  But there is only three weeks left until we break the news and that will still give them four weeks notice.

There is still the concern that they might find out before we tell them.  But we’ve been very careful to limit the possibility.  We’ve refrained from even hinting about it on Facebook since that’s a possible link.  There were two items we couldn’t control, the family who lives here and the For Sale sign on our front lawn.  Both lead to my former boss (who lives two blocks away) who knows my current boss.  He may not find out and if he did, he may not talk to my boss, but again there is a possibility.

Yes, we’re still preparing for the worst outcome, but so far that has been our plan and we’ve been pleasantly surprised that things have been going quite well and close to our optimal plans.  Let’s just hope that continues.

The Employment Linchpin

The one element of the move that has been (and like will be once everything is said and done) the most intense and stressful is the job search.  The reason for this is because it has been the linchpin that has been necessary to start multiple other processes.  We were not willing to put our house on the market until I got a job.  We could not seriously start looking for an apartment without a job.   My wife would not be able to get a green card without a job offer so I could prove the ability to sponsor her.  Basically the whole future of the move hinged on receiving and accepting a job offer.  That’s a massive amount of importance to put on one single task.  All the others have a bit more leeway if this one is completed and completed within a certain time frame.

To add even more stress to this one task, there was the time factor that played into it.  We designated spring break as the week to return to Chicago to complete the job search.  The objective and hope was to attain an offer as a result of this trip, hopefully within a couple weeks.  So it was imperative to set up as many interviews and networking meetings as possible.  Since I would not be moving for another three months, one big concern was that offices would not be willing to make an offer that far ahead. Plus many would not know their potential workload with enough certainty to know if they would need someone.  The upsides were that the economy in the US is picking up and I am at a level that is less dependent on monthly fluctuations of workload.  The downside is that I am at a level where a specific need at that level is necessary.

So the weeks leading up to trip were some of the most stressful of my life. My goal was to have at least five interviews with a preference for seven and a minimum of three.  With about a week left before, I only had two interviews and the pressure to get others was intense.  I was working my network, checking job boards, tailoring cover letters, tweaking the CV. I had forgotten how much work a quality job search could take.  In the end, I had four interviews at places ranging from the ideal job to something to get our feet on the ground.

The week in town was just as intense. Prepping myself for the interviews. The interviews themselves. We toured the potential schools for the kids.  The time was also peppered other meetings with friends and others in the industry for the possibility of getting another lead for now or later.  The entire week was focused on the job search. The only breaks were some meetings with friends and family and taking photos on my walks back from the day of meetings.  The in between times were most often spent traveling from place to place either by train or on foot.  One testament to the intensity of the week was that I did not have any Chicago style pizza.  It had been a required food during every trip.  Though I knew that if this were successful, I would be able to have it almost any time I wanted.  Even during lunch during the week.

The end result was that that I received and accepted an offer in just over a week after returning to Montreal.  It is in a slightly different field, but given my various experiences over the years, I have acquired the skills to do it well.  I am very excited about it and to boot it is with my old firm.

The major relief was that all the other moving tasks could be started.  But still there is much work to be done.

Postscript: One item I forgot to mention is how much all this stress affected my health.  I had severe heartburn. I had trouble sleeping. My digestive system was turning over.  I felt horrible.  I don’t think I’ve ever had that degree of physical problems due to stress.