I worked at Prudential through June, 2024. At that point, I took a break and made hardly any effort to find a new job last summer. But after Labor Day it was time to act on the job search process. Prudential provided placement support, which really helped me since the last time I seriously looked for a job was in 1998. Steve - being a Human Resources professional and a wonderful husband - was incredibly supportive to me, offering advice & answering many questions. And getting me through some depressing periods when there was minimal activity in spite of my efforts.
One of the companies I had identified as a target employer was Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. It has many similarities to Prudential; they are publicly-held companies, have strong credit ratings, have been in business 100+ years, are headquartered in the NYC/NJ metro area and have historically been life insurance companies. After 6 interviews, two weeks ago I was thrilled to get an offer from MetLife for a Compliance position. It will be a challenging job (seems like director-level) and comes with excellent compensation & benefits. Plus will be "virtual" working primarily from home, with some days at a Clarks Summit office and occassional travel to other locations. Truly, this is a fantastic opportunity at a Fortune 100 company. I'll start next Monday, and expect to feel comfortable with culture (and probably overwhelmed, since starting a new job is tough). I know several former Prudential colleagues working at Met, and look forward to getting reaquainted with them including a friend Pam who thoughtfully reached out to me about this job.
Overall, it's a big relief to know that I'll be employed again - which is hugely important since I had not planned to retire early. Income and benefits are necessary for a few more years until, Rob, you are out of college and started in your own profession. I'm looking forward to being intellectually engaged and adding value to an organization. My photo at the top of this posting, at age 60, was taken by Steve yesterday. I'm feeling boyant and expect to be satisfied in this (likely) final stage of my working life. I think you, too, will enjoy your careers and make important contributions.
Now I can say (knowing I have a job), I'm happy I had the past 10 months off from work. Since starting my career at age 21, this time has been a preview of full retirement. Last summer was lovely, with plenty of time to help you Rob with preparing for ESF and moving to a school apartment. Went blueberry picking with Aunt Pam. Had extra time with the Grammie & Grandad and Rivers family, and made a couple trips to Webster, MA to help since Edie McCausland's passing. So much work for Trinity Church, which included setting up financial recordkeeping in QuickBooks (introductory Accounting classes I took in college were vaguely helpful). I am caught up on house cleaning, including especially yucky projects like cleaning the basement. Last December, Steve and I dealt with temporarily moving out of our bedroom so it could be painted. Tons of baking around Christmas. With rare exceptions, I haven't set my alarm clock in the mornings. There's bonus kitty play time that I know Grimm will be missing soon. Maybe best of all, I feel well since I've been routinely walking around town (love getting outdoors), except for mid-winter; also started balance and strength exercises with dumbbells.
And much more interesting than work stuff... Alex, you and I went guitar shopping last weekend. I bought a small acoustic Martin guitar - while you bought a black Fender Stratocaster. Below are pics of our new instruments, along with your current guitar collection.
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