Friday, July 28, 2006

The future's bright, the future's... Orange County?

After my recent Longest Post in History world record attempts, you'll be pleased to know I'm keeping this one short (or at least trying to). It's time to put that unpleasant business behind me and look instead to the future. As Andrew points out, I can and will bounce back - I've done it plenty of times before, although I'd rather roll with things than go bouncing around too much.
Right now, the focus must be on my exams which take place in November. There's a lot of studying to be done before then, so the next few months are likely to be fairly uneventful as I get down to work. It's very important that I pass; although I'm technically entitled to a second attempt under my contract, it would actually expire before I get an opportunity which leaves me vulnerable as there's no precedent for such a situation. I'm sure it'll be fine, but I do need to make sure.
As I anticipate little in the way of personal "news", this blog is going to focus on two areas: firstly, I'm going to start writing a few posts about current issues and affairs, particularly the current oil/environment/economic paradigm. Secondly, I'm also going to talk about the future and what it may hold for me.
With that latter point in mind, I've recently given more thought to my direction once I qualify. Florida is still a strong contender, if I can put it like that; regular readers will know the extent of my love for the people and place. However, it appears increasingly likely that almost everyone I know in Orlando will have moved elsewhere by that time, which reduces the appeal of going to all the effort of moving there. Plus, as Andrew points out, if Al Gore (the Inventor of the Environment, as he was described in the Futurama episode in which he appeared) is correct, most of the state may soon be underwater.
The other option, and one which appeals greatly, is to spend a year or two doing a "100% travel" job. Many multinational organisations employ recently qualified accountants from various countries to travel the globe, performing internal audits of their branches and writing reports for consideration by regional or even global boards. Dull as this may sound, this type of work is exactly what I enjoy doing the most, and combined with the prospect of travelling the globe, all expenses paid and with a generous tax-free salary it seems ideal. The main fly in the ointment is the moral issues it presents - multinationals and air travel are among the least ethical things at present. On the other hand, someone would be doing that job if it weren't - a cliche I know, but true nonetheless.
Those two ideas (with, of course, the variation to the first whereby I settle elsewhere in the US) are definitely top of the list. I definitely don't want to spend too much longer in London, I want to advance my career and also spend some time outside Britain. Another EU country is possible - no immigration or work permit problems, easy to get to from England and I have reasonable French and Spanish. That option just doesn't grab me right now. I guess it'll be a case of wait and see when I get there. I can hardly complain about having too many options! Any suggestions?

3 comments:

Fr Andrew Petiprin said...

Jack, the glob-trotting idea sounds like a good one in theory, but I wonder how fulfilling you would find it in actual practice. I love travelling too, but I'm not so sure that I would find it totally enriching to be on my own and working while travelling. I went around German and Switzerland one summer by myself and I nearly went crazy. On the other hand, I was pretty immature then and didn't find much enjoyment in solitude. Anyway, maybe the travelling job wouldn't be like that. I don't know.

Fr Andrew Petiprin said...

Sorry, that should be "globe-trotting"

Jack said...

Thanks Andrew, that's good advice. The solitude aspect of it is obviously my main concern, although it's likely that I'd be travelling as part of a team, so would have companions with me. But I take your point - I guess I could always just give it a try and quit if I didn't like it.