It's been a good ride

Tomorrow is my last day on my current team. Starting on Monday, I'll be part of a new team, in a new division, working on a new product. Today, my team took me out to lunch, and we had a great time. Tomorrow night, they're taking me out to a local Irish pub for dinner and drinks.

I have very mixed emotions about all of this. For the most part, I am excited about all of the new things ahead of me, and the opportunity make an impact in another division in our great company. But, I'm also sad to leave behind all of the great people that I work with on my current team. I've been blessed to have worked with such smart and fun people, and I've had some of the best opportunities on this team. And I've made actual friends here, which is something I can't say about every team I've been on. We all really try to pitch in an help one another when someone needs something. Recently, when one of the PMs I work with had knee surgery, everyone chipped in to bring him meals, take him to appointments, and give him rides to and from work until he was well enough to drive again. After my divorce, I had a huge support group in the women that I work with, and they included me in all kinds of activities, and my manager even helped me move after C. and I sold the house. And we all celebrate each other's birthdays, weddings, babies, etc. in a very special way. These are the kinds of things that make our team really special, and I'm going to miss that kind of interaction on a day-to-day basis. I'll still keep up with everyone, but it's really never quite the same after you leave, even though you vow not to let things change.

The other thing I've had on this team is an opportunity to really grow in my career. As a technical writer, you don't always get a ton of respect, but somehow I actually managed to figure out what I was doing and become valuable to the people I work with. Not only did I get to write documentation for my product, I actually got to be part of the product development process and even designed parts of the user interface for our product. I was published in a book about our product, in addition to the numerous online content that I've written. And I was chosen to attend a technical conference in Boston with other people from the team, and we got to talk with all kinds of customers and people working on different products. At night, we all got together and experienced the city. Not to mention, I got to stay at the Ritz Carlton with one of my best friends on the team, which I'll probably never get to do again or at least not any time soon.

I really will miss all of those things. On Tuesday, I went to a team meeting with my new team, and everyone seems really great. I have no doubt that I will have good opportunities and make good friends on this team as well. But, it's always hard to leave something behind that is really dear to you. I knew that it was time, though, and I am still certain of that decision. Sometimes the things that make us grow the most are the things that are slightly uncomfortable, and make us stretch ourselves. I tend to need new challenges every so often to keep myself sharp and to keep learning. And this new product will definitely bring me a lot of challenges, and I will definitely feel uncomfortable for awhile. Going from an expert on one product to a newbie on another product is a pretty difficult change. But, with time, I'll get to know this new product, and I'll meet new customers, and I'll figure out new ways to get information to the people who need it. And I'll always know that what I've had with my current team is priceless.