One week off down, one more to go.  I wish I could say that I was looking forward to going back to my job, and certainly there are things I enjoy about it, but overall the level of stress that piles up daily just burns me out.  Yet I can't imagine starting a job search all over again or landing another job that pays as well and lets me work with such a great department.  It's a nice little Catch 22 with a bow; the best thing would be to look around but I don't have the energy or time to do so.

I remember my previous job searches.  Despite being incredibly competent and with tons of untapped potential to learn the job, each search took about 9 months, and that was PRE-recession.  While the economy is improving, it's still a far cry from my searches in 2004 and 2006.  Granted, I now have a lot more experience to bring to any job since I've been working in my field for 10 years post-graduate school and have almost 8 years of experience in my current job, but the prospect is still daunting.

The other thing to consider is whether it really would be that much different elsewhere in terms of the stress.  Businesses have embraced the "do more with less" philosophy with a vengeance, so being short-staffed has become normal, even when the final product suffers.  It's a take it or leave it attitude too often where as an employee you have no power to push for proper coverage, proper salaries, or any sort of concession from the company.  Particularly in my field it's taken for granted that everyone is constantly overworked and that we're expected to just deal with it.

Still, looking forward to my last week and trip to Miami, then it's back to the grind.  I'll try to keep an open, positive mind, and try not to hit burn out world again.