This is it!

Today is the last day of my HR career. It's been interesting, but not very fulfilling. I am planning to write a longer post, perhaps an article, about why I'm leaving? I was telling a consultant acquaintance, who currently has a cover article in current issue of the Harvard Business Review, the story of why I was leaving HR and he suggested I turn it into an article and try to get it published. Sounds kind of far fetched, but the idea is intriguing.

Anyway, I am disappointed by the profession. As a young b-school undergrad I had high hopes, I has assumed the employee were important and those position tasked with getting the most out of employees would be a value add to their organization. They aren't, not usually at least. I think the profession bears a lot of blame for it's ineffectiveness, but so does management. Regardless, I'm out.

I need to pack up my cubicle and delete the personal stuff off my laptop and get a few more things out the door before heading off to this new challenge. It's a little intimidating for sure. I've got a good thing here. My wife keeps reminding that I make a lot of money for what is apparently very little effort and that I won't find that in law (I might make a lot of money but it will only be with a lot of effort). But, I'm bored and I don't like being able to excel without trying, this is not making me happy and I doubt it ever will. People have low expectation of HR, it's easier to astound when the bar is so low, some may want that environment but I do not. She says I'm nuts and that most people would love to me in my shoes, but she supports me anyway and will let me do what I want in order to be happy (besides, she concedes, that she finds it easier to picture me as a lawyer than an HR guy anyway).

It is tough leaving my coworkers. Management has been great to me and I feel a little sheepish leaving them (I gave them three months notice but they have yet to find anyone qualified) short. I’ll miss several people that I really like, we spend a lot of time together, and it'll be tough leaving them behind. I've left other jobs with the intention to stay in touch, but it's never quite the same when I contact old coworkers, everyone moves on.

Well, I suppose I should get back to work. I am wasting my employer's money, they don't pay me to blog, and I really should get back to my job (for the last few hours of it, at least).