Wish You Were Here ?

One of the questions I am frequently asked is some form of "do you wish you were still in the markets?"

Former colleagues that I speak to assure me it is pretty hellish, which makes sense. I'm sure morale is very low, and making lots of people redundant is never fun.

I have not really missed work, as such, since I left. I do miss the people, and I don't like being out of touch with what all those people are doing now. I am loosely in touch with quite a few, but it's not the same as being in daily contact.

But, even though I loved what I was doing for nearly 20 years, I'm not pining for the actual job itself.

I think if I had still been in situ when the worst hit, I would have felt compelled to stay aboard for the sake of the rest of the team (if I wasn't fired !). Since we are not remotely near coming out the other side this would have led to many months of long hours and hard work for (relatively) little reward. It would have been less painful for me than for many people, of course, and I think I would have come to terms with the "game change".

It would have been / is pretty miserable out there, but there is definitely a part of me that would have found it exciting to trade through these historic conditions.

A lot of people, when I left, assumed that I intended to come back fairly quickly. This was never my plan, although I equally never ruled out a return. Of course, the situation has changed so much that it's not clear what I would return to !

Overall, I would say 1 part in 10 really regrets not being there for the show, but actively seeking to get back in would be another matter altogether !