Back at work

So early in the year other's made the decision that 2026 was the year of a professional change for me. 

I spent the last 8 months at home searching for a new job with the aid of outplacement coaches. And I've been crazy busy because jobhunting is a full-time activity.  
It's an emotional roller-coaster since for each job application you emotionally invest in the future image of executing that job in that company.  A few times I was very close and you believe you might start working there in a few weeks. You picture your future. And then it doesn't work out after all. 

It takes a lot of reflection on yourself , your achievements, wishes etc. It takes reflection on compromises you are willing to make or not.  

I spent most days from around 9-5 behind my desk, preparing, researching,  training interviews and assessments with AI agents, publishing content on Linkedin and reaching out to people, having "digital coffee breaks" with old colleagues (in HR or management positions), ... I participated multiple times a week in workshops and group discussion sessions from "colleague job hunters" so it didn't feel so lonely. 


When I feared that the summer the whole job activity would dry out, it was for me rather the contrary.  One of my posts on LinkedIn got quite some visibility and I was contacted by multiple companies.  End of July one of my acquaintances who manages a business unit in an IT company invited me for a day in the office.  While there was no existing job vacancy, we discussed how I could fit in and add value in his company.  Ironically I had spent months defining and fine tuning my job offer and what I was looking for...but here I was forced to think ouot of the box and wonder if this could also be an interesting opportunity.

They materialized very quickly just before my vacation period. While multiple other opportunities had just closed down and the other interesting opportunities would only have first interviews at the end of the summer, this was a bird in my hand with only other birds still looking interesting but high in the air.  So I signed from a distance during my vacation break.   And I "started" to work on paper during my vacation break since I had arranged to start during my vacation by taking vacation.   That was a win -win since I still must take by HR laws in Belgium 25 days before the end of the year while next year I'll struggle having sufficient days to spend vacation with my family like I'm used to . ugh, stupid vacation day concept in Belgium. 

But anyway, September 1st wasn't only the back to school moment for the boys. It was also my actual back to work moment for me. And I started to commute again (sometimes by car, sometimes by train & blue-bike).  Big changes, big adjustment, big agenda puzzle.

Right now it's still overwhelming and tiring. I chose a new work sector where I don't know anything about so I must learn everything from scratch again.  Challenging, scary and exciting.  I wish I could skip a few months where hopefully all starts to become more routine.