On July 16, I sent off a last-minute job application for a position at
a nearby college that had piqued my interest a few weeks prior. As I was struggling with my cover letter, Tristan read the job description and said "Wow, it looks like that job was made for you." I sent my email to HR, and when I didn't get any response beyond the typical "If we like you, we'll bring you in for an interview" form letter, I put it out of my mind. "Oh well," I thought. "I didn't really expect an interview anyway."
A month later, I got an email from the director of the department telling me she'd like to further discuss my qualifications and career goals during a phone interview. As I stared at the computer screen, baffled, Tristan said "See? I told you that job was made for you."
After discussing the position with L over the course of our phone interview, I was psyched, anxious, and hoping. L had explained that she had narrowed the applicant pool down to 15 people for the phone interview, from which she would be narrowing it down to 8 for a face-to-face interview. From there, she would bring 4 people in to meet with her colleagues, and from there, she would make her hiring decision. So it seemed like a long road ahead. I told myself that it didn't matter if I didn't get the job, because I already had a decent place of employment.
(But I really wanted the job.)
Over the next four weeks, I interviewed with L, 3 of her colleagues, HR, and L's boss. Last Thursday, I was officially offered the job, and I officially accepted! I am ridiculously excited. This is the first time since graduating college more than three years ago that I've been offered a full-time job for which I interviewed. (I'm not counting retail or temp-to-hire.) This was also the first time that I felt like I was truly and completely qualified for the position, and I actually had experience to back up my claims of awesomeness.
Plus, not only is it basically my dream job for this point in my life (I'll actually get to write and edit on the clock! And be involved in the production of all the college publications! I'll be getting paid to do interesting things at which I excel!), but the benefits are also freaking amazing. I get 4 weeks of vacation to start. Can you believe that? 4 weeks!!! And that's not counting the week off between Christmas and New Years when the college is closed!
It still feels a little unreal.
I gave my notice at work yesterday, and while I'd spent all weekend hyperactively claiming that I couldn't wait to give notice, I felt all nervous and hesitant calling my supervisor aside for a private meeting Monday morning. He was really, really cool about it. He just nodded, smiled a little, and said "Okay." Then we told HR, and then I told my team. They all looked a little distressed, which, to be honest, made me feel well-loved. I'd been feeling guilty for the last month for sneaking out to go on the aforementioned interviews (and since my office has a casual dress code, I couldn't wear my fancy interview clothes to work. I kept them in my car, lightly covered with papers and a random t-shirt so that no one could look in my windows and make assumptions about what I was up to.) and it was nice to know that nobody resented me for my decision.
I start my new job on the 23rd. In the meantime, I'm putting together a cheat-sheet for whoever takes over this job after I leave, and I'm thinking about the things I will and will not miss about RMS. In case you are interested, they are as follows:
I'll miss the 11-minute commute and the free, delicious coffee-by-the-cup. I will miss reading
TWoP recaps while drinking said coffee in a leisurely manner. I'll miss smirking as the young frat-boy types discuss the latest sports stats in the kitchen and call each other "buddy." (More on them in another post.) I'll definitely miss being able to throw on jeans and a t-shirt and stumble tiredly into work. I'll even miss the energy on high-sales days.
And I'll really miss the coworkers on my team. I'll be damn lucky to find such cool, fun, and witty coworkers again. (When I told them I was leaving, I explained that I was embarking on my dream job, but that I'd already found my dream coworkers. I almost teared up as I said it, too. I'm such a sap.)
And conversely, things I will not miss:
I will not miss the mandatory sub or pizza lunches for new hires. I'm an adult, not a middle-school student. I will not miss the boring, mindless aspects of my job that a slow-witted monkey could do. I will not miss being considered "tardy" if I punch in at 8:01. And I am downright giddy about not having sit across from the Gum Popper anymore. I also won't miss having to shell out $3 practically every other week for someone's wedding/baby/birthday shower. Similarly, I won't miss leaving cheerfully insincere messages in the birthday cards of people I barely know.
Overall, though, this has been a pretty cool place to work. I've stayed here the longest of all my post-grad jobs, and I was content the longest (7 months, maybe?) as well. So, kudos and farewell to you RMS. Keep on selling those reprints, even though nobody really needs them.
And hello, liberal arts college campus. How I've missed you. I hope we're friends for a long time.
