Today is my last day of work after almost five years at this job.

Working here has been a great experience. My skills have grown exponentially — I started as a copyeditor with few computer skills, and now I’ve just wrapped up a half-year project leading a team rewriting a 1,000-page course on Internet marketing.

And yes, that really is my desk.

So in that way, this job has been a bit like the scene in The Matrix where Keanu Reeves gets new skills loaded directly through a jack into his brain as he twitches in his chair, and then his eyes flutter and snap open and he mutters in wonderment, “I know Kung Fu.”

I know Dreamweaver. I know Photoshop. I know Wordpress, RSS, Premiere, Camtasia. I know HTML, CSS, and just a little PHP. I know copywriting, advertising, book publishing, email marketing, podcasting, search engine optimization, affiliate programs, press releases, project management, and lots and lots of keyboard shortcuts. Thank you, day job.

And now that I’ve filled my brain, it’s time to change it up. Skills are great, but so is riding an elephant or swimming with manta rays. Or so I’ve heard.

So on the morning of my departure, I figured I’d spend a few of my last salaried moments listing just a few of the things that I’m going to miss about working here. (Check in after I’m gone for a list of things I won’t miss…)

• Spending my day with creatives. The team has shuffled over the years here, but what’s remained consistent is the fact that I work with writers, editors, and designers. We creative types are generally weirdos, so it’s hard to describe the joy and solace we find in one another’s company. Walking into a den of these freaks every day has been like coming home, and when I leave I will miss them like I will miss my family.
• The commute. Really. This might sound sarcastic, but really, it isn’t. I live in Kitsilano and commute about 20 minutes by bike or bus down tree-lined streets past heritage buildings, past Kits Beach, and over the Burrard bridge, often with sunshine lighting up mist over the Pacific and the snowcapped North Shore mountains. I never get tired of the view.
• Using gear I didn’t pay for. I’ve spent the last few years working on a dual-monitor setup with a laptop that’s loaded with great software. Recreating this kind of work environment for myself is going to require some time and serious money.
• Working with experts. This place is a hive of great talent. There are people in here who push the boundaries of what’s known to be possible every day, and just being around them, you can’t help but soak up some of that excitement and energy and knowledge. I’m sad to be turning off this particular tap — I figure I’ll be feeling thirsty again soon.
• Routine. This one’s a double-edged sword, and like the commute, not one that’s likely to make most people’s “things I’ll miss” lists… but I am a creature of habit. When I am on my game, I long to break the routine. But when I’m tired and bored and not feeling up to much, I actually find it comforting to crawl through the old routine for one more day without being burdened with too many decisions.
• Downtown Vancouver. This is a beautiful city. I’ve cycled around the seawall on my lunch breaks, eaten world-class meals, and gotten loaded at some truly fine bars. Sometimes on a Friday night, there is a truly magical hum of anticipation in the air that seems to blanket the entire city — especially in July. I’ll miss walking two minutes from the office to eat lunch on a park bench watching seaplanes land in Burrard Inlet and snow falling on the mountains where I’ll be snowboarding that evening.
• Money. I pick up my last paycheque today. I’ll miss those. Thanks for the money, day job.

So what comes next? No routine. No commute. No gear, no downtown, no paycheque. Day after day after day starting and ending with no job, no alarm clock, nowhere to be unless we have a plane to catch.

Yes, I will miss these things. But not for a while.

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