I had a “proper job” for 20 years.  By which I mean I was employed full time on a salary by an organisation.  During yet another organisational restructure and cost-saving programme, I decided it was time to leave.  Not just because I’d been through the cycle too many times and had lost faith in its ability to deliver long-term change, but because I felt that if I was going to make a career out of organisational development and change work, I needed to experience it in more than one organisation.  I was technically redundant as a result of the restructure, and although I could have taken another role, I decided this was my moment to leave.