Where He Is Now: Twelve Years Later

Me on my first day in Florida, April 2023.

Today is Commencement Day for the Yale School of Management's Class of 2023, making it 12 years since I graduated from their MBA program, and one year since last I posted an annual update.

The pool at my apartment complex.

The past year has been full of change and upheaval, most of it within the past two months. After 10 years together, my boyfriend, James, and I decided to go our separate ways. This was an amicable, mutual decision that we both think is best for both of us. Subsequently, I decided to relocate from Forest Hills, NY, where I'd been living since 2013, down to Fort Myers, FL, in early April. And that decision meant saying goodbye to my home of 10 years, my dog, my community of friends, my tennis club, my church and, well, basically everything about my life! Why Fort Myers, in particular? For one, I generally wanted to get out of the Northeast for weather reasons, as I was growing weary of struggling through winter blues every year. Financially, given that I have the option to live anywhere, I thought it made sense to be somewhere with no state income tax, ultimately choosing Florida because of proximity to family. My parents moved to this area in 1999, and my father passed away in 2021, so my mom is now here alone, and I thought it would be nice to be closer to her and perhaps be of some help. Coincidentally, my brother and his wife moved from New York to Orlando, and my niece (my late brother's daughter), who grew up in Michigan, happens to be attending college in Daytona. So my closest relatives are now all within a couple hours of me, which hasn't been the case since I was 11 years old. 

With my mom's apartment still in post-Ian
recovery, my brother shows her how to use
the iPad he got her for her birthday.

Although it's still early days here in Southwest Florida, I'm feeling confident it's the right place at the right time. I love my apartment; it's got more than enough space for me and my belongings, including new furniture, and has a relaxing lanai overlooking a lake and palm trees. And, nothing personal against my ex whatsoever, but I'm enjoying the autonomy and privacy of living by myself again. And it's been really nice to spend more casual, regular time with my mom, who's 80 and lives less than 10 minutes away now. I've also joined a new country club and am starting to meet some friendly fellow tennis players there, and am looking into opportunities to sing in another choir, although I'm not sure that will end up being with a church. Mostly, my focus is on my financials, because this is a great opportunity to save money and accelerate annihilation of those burdensome MBA student loans. (My current payoff date is in 2036; my plan is to wipe them out in 2025, a goal that wouldn't be achievable in an expensive city like New York.)

Deloitte colleagues during a rare co-location,
this time in the Miami office.

I am still at Deloitte, focusing on bringing our Workforce Ecosystems integrated offering to market, and primarily working with Tech and Media clients, although broadening into other industries a bit. The process to transfer was easy. In this post-Covid world, they understand that people need to be where they need to be. Technically, I am out of the Tampa office, although that's two hours away, and I primarily work from home just as I did before. There is a small community of Deloitte colleagues here in Fort Myers who apparently get together somewhat regularly, so I look forward to meeting them when the opportunity arises. I'm approaching the two-year mark since I boomeranged back to the firm, putting my total nonconsecutive tenure at about 8 1/2 years, which is remarkable to me (where does the time go?). I'm still proceeding as if my goal is to make Principal or Managing Director -- if they'll have me, of course -- but I still have a couple years before I need to make that decision, so for now I'm just focused on what's directly in front of me.  

At the Glyndebourne Opera in England,
summer of 2022.

As usual, I did a bit of traveling over the past year. James and I went to Riviera Maya in June for his friends' wedding, then to Tulum. Then in July, we went to England primarily to attend Wimbledon (thanks to some generous, well-connected friends), but we also managed to pop into Lewes, a town we love and have visited a few times over the years. Near Lewes is the Glyndebourne opera house, which is gorgeous both inside and around the property, where patrons picnic before each show during the summer. We also had a nice trip to San Diego over Thanksgiving to visit some of James' family; I had never been there (aside from a brief trip ages ago to Sea World) and really liked it. And I made a few work-related trips, not to anywhere particularly exotic (Dallas, Miami).

My friend Debi and I at the
Museum of Broadway on my birthday.

In all, I'm glad I made the decision to move to New York after business school. I first lived there during my summer internship at the Associated Press and had such a blast (well-documented in this blog) that when I got the full-time offer at Deloitte and had to select a preferred office, I deliberated for all of maybe 15 seconds. I knew, even back then, that it may not have been the most prudent choice financially, but you only live once, and not everyone gets a chance to live in a world-class city. Obviously, over the 12 years I was there, the thrill started to subside, and I took less and less advantage of all the things there are to do there. I still managed an occasional visit to a museum, or a show, or a cool restaurant. But by and large I was pretty nestled in suburban Forest Hills and content there. That's part of what's made this adjustment from New York to Florida a little less jarring. When I tell locals that I moved from NYC, they assume I must be experiencing culture shock, but so far I haven't. Perhaps that's, in part, because I'm not a native Northeasterner and spent two decades in the Midwest followed by one decade in the South before migrating up to New Haven.

Business school friends on 
a Zoom in January 2023.  

Since the purpose of this blog is primarily to talk about business school and its aftermath, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the friends that I made there have been among those who've most shown up for me during this time of personal transition. Despite all of us being busy with work and family, we've made a concerted effort to stay connected over text, group chats, occasional Zooms and visits when possible. Sure, a few friendships have faded a bit, but a majority have stayed steady. I've been particularly grateful, over these past few months when I've needed emotional support, for the relationships that've endured so far. Point being that even though this blog focuses a lot on business school as a career accelerator and learning opportunity, it also produces long-term friendships, not just short-term acquaintances and additions to your professional network (although it produces those, too).

See you next year!