4 months later and things changed drastically...
A couple weeks after I posted in December, the company I worked for did a reorganization and let the CIO go. The IT Department was split into reporting to two different VP's.
Just when most companies are trying to move away from Siloing, they went and silo'd their own IT department
Then on March 1st another Reorganization happened... The position that was created for me a year ago was determined to be not needed and I, along with about 200 employees, were laid off.
Almost 11 years and just like that gone.. :(
I've spent the last 6 weeks applying and interviewing for many, MANY positions.
When I was first laid off I thought "well, I have a desired Skill set in SharePoint and Office 365 this shouldn't take long"..
It was quite the eye opener to see just how long of a process it is to find, apply, interview and get a new job.
But I am happy to announce that I was offered,and accepted, a new position as an Office365 System Analyst which I start on, of all days, Tax day.
In the end I did get a decent raise, cheaper Health premiums and 4 weeks of vacation a year.. Oh, and for the next 6 weeks, double paychecks!
Onto my new beginning!