Hey there, buds!
I don't want to hog this thread, but I had a really positive experience tonight that I thought I'd share. I'm feeling ever-so-much better about things.
First, I had a call from a recruiter asking me about a position that would involve getting back into physics. We spoke for awhile, and it reached the point that he wanted me to send him my references.
I have my references all tidy in their own Word document, but because I've only notified the software types that I'm seeking new work, I thought I should give those from the physics era fair warning that they might be getting questions about me.
I called Jeanne, who was my project manager for GOES, as well as a good friend, and we had the *best* conversation. As a rule, we email and talk a few times a year, see each other more rarely, but in past years it's been purely a social connection because we weren't in the same fields anymore, though we'd always catch up on colleagues we had in common.
She was thrilled to hear from me and even more excited that I'm interested in getting back into technology and willing to come back to Boston. It turns out that she has a pile of open requisitions and wanted my resume sent to her immediately. It was such a great conversation. I guess, I knew theoretically that going back might be possible, but I didn't realize at that visceral level that I was actually missed and remembered for doing good work.
I don't know how it will all turn out, but part of me would love to get back to Boston. I've never pursued it because I wanted to get some experience in the private sector, and this will mean going back to defense work....I guess we'll see.
The moral of this long story, tho, is seek out people you used to work with, see what they're doing now. Even if they can't put you back to work, it may provide much-needed encouragement and self-confidence.
