The reason for my trip, again, was because my job asked me to come back. They didn't give me much notice this time, emailing me about 11 days before they wanted me to be in town. While Lesley was originally thinking of flying back with me, her lack of time off of work and the cost of airfare prevented that from happening. My job actually wanted me to come in the office for a full week, like I did, and for Monday and Tuesday of the following week. However, they really didn't need me there that long and I didn't want to be away from my new home and from Lesley for that long, or have to block out my interview calendar for that long in case I had any requests for interviews. So, I ended up booking my return flight for Friday.

I was actually needed at work this time, moreso than I was needed last time, as one of the people working on a project with me was out of town and since they did not want to let the project stall for a week, they wanted me to come in and work on-site doing some things I couldn't do remotely. That part went okay, and while the first part of the week started slowly, it got busier toward the end of the week. I got a decent amount of work done and enjoyed seeing some people and saying goodbye to a friend whose last day was on Tuesday.

However, it's been time for a while for me to find another job. I've learned alot, had some accomplishments, and gained a lot of valuable experience, but all of that has been much reduced since I've started working from home. The things I've been working on haven't been the same things I've been working on for weeks, and none of it is particularly interesting. I'd much rather work somewhere else where I could learn more, be challenged, and actually get to see people during the day. Plus, considering how poorly my company plans things and how understaffed we are, while I've been relatively unaffected by the numerous major crises and issues in the office during my stint working from home, I expect to be pulled into some more stressful crises if I keep my job for too long. While getting free trips back to see family and friends is a very nice luxury to have, it doesn't warrant me trying to hang on to this job as long as possible, though it does put me in a good position so that I don't have to accept the first job offered to me. My boss has already mentioned that he would like me to come back next month. Aside from the fact that there's no good business reason for me to come back, I don't like leaving Lesley alone so frequently and keeping myself from fully settling into life in Seattle. I don't know when I'll end up going back for work next, but I intend on it being the last time.