In the mid-1990s (I'd been working as a bus driver since 1992) whichever company was running the trains round here at the time came into our canteen and started recruiting. Offered me a job as a trainee driver there and then (about a dozen left en-bloc to be drivers or guards), so I asked the building society if I could have a year off mortgage payments to cope with the trainee salary. Being 25, I couldn't see any problem, I'd still another 40 years to pay it off, but no. Tried a couple more, they wanted thousands to move my mortgage (which, if I'd had, I wouldn't have needed the break from the mortgage). In the end, because I had a six month old son and was trying for another child, I chickened out and turned it down. I regretted that within a few months, and always did.
About 3½ years ago I saw an advert for Northern, and with the kids being old enough to cope if things went wrong, told the wife I was going for it. Found this place, took advice from it, some good, some bad, leading to me getting a borderline pass on the reactions test and being binned, and being sifted by other TOCs as a result, which was fair enough. Without going into too much detail, a couple of FOCs accepted the pass during the summer of 2013 and despite being utterly convinced I'd got the job with one, having comfortably the best interview of my life, I ended up missing out (although they did say they'd keep my details on file and contact me when they wanted more trainees). Having been unable to make assessments and an interview with the other FOC due to work commitments I'd given up on it, when out of the blue they called me up one day and asked if I was still interested. They sent me to Watford for the structured interview (as it was then, I hadn't been allowed to take it with Northern following the borderline), I passed, went for DM interview a few weeks later and despite being told I'd hear in a fortnight, got a call three days later offering me the job. It felt like I'd righted the wrong of 1996.
Training took a while, but they upped the pay significantly halfway through it to make up for the delays (and despite taking the job knowing I'd have to relocate 230 miles away, a few months into my training I was asked by a DM if I'd mind staying where I was instead as the business needs had changed and they needed more up north - JACKPOT!), and I've been happily chugging about on my own for 12 months. Never been happier in my work, and I was lucky enough to enjoy most of my previous roles.