You Take the Good With the Bad
May 20, 2013 at 10:09 pm | Posted in Career Moves, Life and Living | 1 CommentTags: challenges, happiness, job transitions, moving, obstacles
Anyone who knows me well enough knows that it is rare for me to say I am happy. It’s not because I’m not a happy person. I have a certain paranoia when it comes to saying things are going well, and for good reason. Literally every single time something goes right it is accompanied with something going wrong. It is the great paradox of life — you take the good with the bad.
So with the happiness of finally moving and dealing with that happy stress, I have now learned that my assistant of the past two years has accepted a new position, his last day being the week I am moving. Everything really does happen all at once. While I am really truly happy for him, I’m terrified for me. I have come to rely on him heavily, and with our busy season gearing up at work, I can already feel myself getting overwhelmed. So between the stress of moving and the stress of things heating up at work, I also have to deal with a major loss. My assistant has not only been helpful in easing the workload and furthering the work, he has been a shining light in my day. It’s really a stretch to call him my assistant. He’s my colleague and more importantly my friend. I am seriously going to miss laughing with him every day.
It’s not the first time this has happened. I’ve seen many a close co-worker move on, and it’s never easy. But things change and people get better opportunities that they can’t pass up. Careers aren’t what they used to be. People just don’t stay at jobs for as long.
But I can’t help but feel as though so much is coming to an end. I’m 30 years old and I feel the change that I couldn’t predict. I knew leading up to 30 was one thing. But now I am 30 and I feel the transition. I feel the change in perspective. I am reflecting on what I want next from my life, what goals I want to achieve, and I am dealing with the obstacles that go along with it. This is just another set of obstacles on my path.
So when the dust settles, maybe then I’ll be able to confidently say I am happy without fear.
Back to School!
April 12, 2013 at 8:59 pm | Posted in Career Moves, Life and Living | Leave a commentTags: college, grad school
It’s an idea I have been toying with for a long time. I was told that I didn’t need to go, that it wouldn’t help me further my career. I, of course, worried about the cost, and going back 9 years later, but here I am. The time seems right, and I am proud to say I have been accepted to grad school!
I didn’t want to say anything. I didn’t want to jinx it. I only applied to the one program, so if I didn’t get in, it wasn’t going to happen. I studied really hard for the GREs (I am so out of practice in studying, but the GREs were still one of the hardest things I have ever done). Those who knew I applied were certain I’d get in, but I know nothing in life is certain. I am confident in my experience, but, just like a new job, you don’t know who is making the decisions and if they will agree that you are a good fit.
But here I am, ironically sitting in an industry conference learning when I get the news. I got in. Altogether I am proud of myself, super happy and super nervous. But it’s something that I want and I will make it work.
I don’t know what I will learn when I go back to school, but I know it will be a challenge. It will be an adjustment, and at the end of the day, I have to believe that the investment will pay off.
I may find that I am the oldest person in my classes, that the other students went straight from college to grad school, never truly experiencing the industry. I learned so much about the industry on the job, that learning how to learn in an educational setting will be like new for me.
So that’s what’s next for me. A thirty year old going back to school. I am sure I will have plenty to share with my loyal readers. I look forward to taking you on this journey with me!
Funemployment
April 3, 2013 at 9:07 pm | Posted in Career Moves | Leave a commentTags: being unemployed, funemployment, having a job, hump day
You did it. You survived another hump day. You did what you were supposed to do. You went to work. You produced something (or at least pretended to) and came home exhausted as usual. Maybe you complained about your job today. Maybe you complain every day. But really, it isn’t that bad. I mean, you are lucky to have a job, right?
Right. Lucky. Because you didn’t work your ass off to do something you love, because you were told to do something you love, because you will have to work for a long time. And for the current generation of young workers, the time spent working gets longer and longer. So you should sort of like what you do, so that one day, when you are super old, you can retire and do all the things you wanted to do when you were young and exuberant.
The work/life balance in America is more like work=life. You work to live, and at the end of the day, you are supposed to be rewarded with some peace and excitement. You worked hard. You earned it.
But seriously, who wants to wait until they are old to hit their bucket list? If you pace yourself, you should be able to work and experience life. That’s why we have vacation days, right?
So when I think of my friends who find themselves enjoying unemployment, I get incredibly confused. I get the idea of living the dream, or taking advantage of time spent not working, but it frightens me. The idea of not working frightens me. Not because I’m a workaholic, but to be honest, I have no idea how long I could last without a job, financially speaking. I don’t have much of a savings, or family support to fall back on. If I were to ever be unemployed, I would immediately panic. I just can’t do funemployment.
The flip side is that I know that I can’t do what I’m doing forever. It would get really boring doing the same thing for 50 years. I’m a creative soul. I need to create. When things become routine and not challenging, I need to find a way to have fun and get paid for it — that’s my fun-employment.
I don’t know how long I’ll continue on my current path, or what my next path will look like. I know that people switch jobs like, 5 times by the time they are 40. I also know that there may come a time when I do find myself unemployed, and I’ll have to find a way not to panic. I’ll have to find a way to enjoy every day, whether it’s hump day or Monday, or the ever awesome Friday. If all else fails, a good meme will always put a smile on my face.
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