#ThinkKit11 Day 17: Well, now I know ...

So now that I'm caught up, let's look at today's topic:

Saturday, Dec 17: Choice
What was the wisest decision you made this year?

This one, just as many topics in #ThinkKit11, required me to do a little thinking, but for the right reasons. I'm going to remember 2011 for some good reasons, but interspersed with some not-so-good reasons as well. It's been a rough year, with high highs, and low lows. But in the end, it's still going to be a year to remember. However, if there's one decision I'm going to look back on and say it was my wisest decision, I'm going to go back to August, and say it was the decision to accept the contract-to-hire position in Chicago.

Now, I can see a few of you raising an eyebrow in curiosity, especially when I've stated in past entries that I'm unemployed. Let me explain.

When I started my first full-time professional position, I worked with several consultants. In fact, I was the only person in my little group that wasn't a consultant. Thus, for all intents and purposes, I worked a consultant's life - work hard, work long, but play & party hard. For who I was at the time, life was pretty good. I got to see how consulting life was a lot of work, but also would provide a good variety. I really fell in love with the idea of becoming a consultant. Lots of travel, lots of variety, lots of everything.

Life has a funny way of changing things on you.

The decision to accept the contract-to-hire position for becoming a User Experience Consultant position worked out great for a number of reasons.

• First, it got my foot in the door to entering a full-time UX position.
• Second, it proved to me that, while I was entering the next phase of my career, my education at IUPUI was well spent, and the knowledge level in HCI & Usability were very comparable, if not exceeded, to peers I was working with.
• Third, it demonstrated to me that, while I might enjoy the role of traveling consultant, my life - or perhaps more in particular, the desired lifestyle at this point in my life - is probably not suitable for doing such.

Right now, I think I lead a good life, even if I am unemployed. I have a great family, even though I'm still hopelessly single. I have a great dog who is loads of fun to have around my feet. I have this innate passion for golf and IndyCar racing. I have a truck that's 12 years old with balding tires, yet it still gets me from Point A to Point B with minimal complications. I have some great personal challenges ahead of me that I want to accomplish, such as losing weight, eating healthier, and prepping for the 2012 Indianapolis MiniMarathon. If I were to enter a full-time position as a worldwide traveling consultant, it would be not just chaotic, but many of the things I personally enjoy, I might have to give them up altogether.

The opportunity in Chicago made me also realize something I hadn't seen before. My paternal family roots are 100% Southside Chicago. My great-grandfather built a house on the southside that survived The Great Chicago Fire. My grandfather was born in the living room of that same house, and he lived there for over 80 years. My father's eyes light up with glee each time he gets the chance to return to Chicago from Southern Illinois, and I make no bones about it - Chicago is one of my favorite cities in the world to visit. However, I also realized that while my family roots are clearly Chicagoan - my personal roots, well, they aren't. They're Indianapolis. And you know what - I'm good with that. And I really think my entire family is good with that, too ... so long as I settle down there, too.

The decision to end the contract after seven weeks was mutual, although both sides may seem as though they were the ones whom initiated the severance. I wasn't happy about the direction and vibe I was feeling, even though I wasn't letting that trickle into my work. But now, I have a deeper appreciation for those whom have this lifestyle and can make it work, juggling family and travel demands along with work. I needed to see that for myself, firsthand and up close. Now that I have, I'm a better person for it.

I know I am.