The Jasper Chronicles

The Journal of a Cynical Dad

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

But I Only Got One Cheque...

My first Unemployment Insurance cheque arrived today (woot!), but it will likely be my last one (poot!) as yesterday I rejoined the ranks of the gainfully employed. I am now Marketing Manager for a tech company downtown.

It comes with some mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong, I'm excited and grateful for the opportunity, but the past 10 weeks have been awesome as a Dad. The Boy and I have spend so much time together. He gets dropped off later and picked up earlier from daycare, there have been swimming lessons, bike rides, coffee shops, parks - basically a lot of him and me time. Not to mention the flexibility of freelancing/contract work would allow me to maintain the level of face time.

Yeah there would be a considerable drop in household income while I established myself, but unfettered Boy access seemed worth it. Then this position popped up.

P and I discussed, as we do, and in the end this is a good move for me. It's a new sector for me (tech), online focused (yay!), and chance to really apply my skills - so lots of opportunities for professional growth. Plus after meeting with some of the management team, sounds like a great place to work. I'm looking forward to starting later this month.

As for The Boy, that part still makes me sad. It's not like he'll be suddenly ignored, we'll just spend less time together. On the other hand, I'll have the income to be able to buy him lots of shiny things, because if anything can fuel the onslaught of unnecessary gifts, it's guilt.