I was kind of nervous to walk into my managers office yesterday morning to give him the news, but it went very well. I showed him the transfer request and his words were, "oh sh^+", then "nooooooo". He wasn't angry, he seemed genuinely worried about how this would affect the department.

I told him that I wasn't even looking for a job, and even mentioned the fact that I'd been given an opportunity three weeks ago for a fantastic job but wasn't at all interested because I love my job and I liked working for him very much.

I then told him how this all came together and how much I enjoyed doing this kind of work I was now going to do. I added that it also fits perfectly into my retirement plans because I plan to be an online training design contractor after I retire in 10 years (give or take). I have a special niche that I feel nobody else could offer, and I know that I will be very successful.

We then discussed transition plans and I casually mentioned the snake, saying very sincerely, "well, I suppose you could just allow [the snake] to do what he's been trying to do all along, and then let the rest of the pieces of my job get absorbed by the centralized groups".

Then I said the one thing I really wanted him to understand, " And you know, he's part of this decision, right?" He nodded his head and quietly said, "yes", adding, "I guess he's going to have to put his money where his mouth is."

And that's all that was said about the snake, because although he was a factor, I'm making this move because it is a good career move for me.

Announcements have been made, the news has buzzed all over the division, and I'm excited to forge on to this new path in my life. I'm also very excited to close the chapter on the snake. I've looked through my blog and I've seen way too many entries about the havoc he's created on my emotions. It makes me sad that I've allowed him to affect me like that. All I can do is learn from the situation. Hopefully, management will also learn from the situation that one person can have a ripple affect, good or bad, and situations like this need to be taken a little more seriously.

As excited as I am about my new job, I was very sad yesterday. I felt the tears welling in my eyes several times. I was sad on many levels. Sad that I was giving up a job that I adored and planned to keep until I retire. Sad that I was letting my manager and division down. Sad that I won't be there for my clients anymore. I was especially sad that I couldn't resolve the situation.

I'm still sad today, but I think that when I am able to see my clients taken care of, I'll feel better. I'll also feel better once I can start producing something that makes my new manager happy. For the next two weeks, my job will be shutting down the business that I loved so much and saying goodbye to the joy that this job and my clients gave me.

I don't like goodbyes.