January
I got an iPad 2 for my birthday
I was promoted to a new position at work
February
My Betta fish, Bonzai, passed away
April
We helped my sister-in-law move back to Illinois
May
We took a mini-vacation to Wisconsin
July
We had to get a new HVAC system installed
August
We organized the garage
September/October
We took a 10-day road trip to the East Coast
November
I had a kidney stone attack
December
I decide to resign from the place where I’ve worked for the past ten years
I didn’t get the job. :(
I heard back from the hiring manager via email yesterday. It was very nice of him to send me a personal email warning me of the impending rejection letter and also explaining why I didn’t get the job. Basically he liked me but someone else has more experience. I get it, but I’m really sad even though the job was part-time, and while I don’t know what the pay was, I’m certain it wasn’t what I currently make. However, I was alright with that because I would have been working at a local library in the computer services department. If that isn’t the perfect role for me, I don’t know what is! I adore technology, I understand it and serve as the unofficial tech support for my colleagues, and I’m happiest at my current job when writing process/technical documentation or helping someone with their computer. Not to mention the fact that I have always loved the library. While I haven’t spent as much time in the library lately due to my work schedule, I love going there and always have. Even as a kid I would get so excited when we visited the library on weekly basis. As I got older I would still visit the library frequently, sometimes just to sit and enjoy the quiet, relaxed atmosphere.
So yeah, I’m extremely disappointed not to have gotten the job. It has brought to light how much I want to work in a role that serves the community while utilizing my talents. I want to have a job I look forward to going to every day; not just something that pays the bills and/or pads someone’s bottom line. Plus it would be nice if the job wasn’t go-go-go all day every day with lots of meetings and conference calls thrown in.
I’m trying to stay optimistic about my employment future but at this very moment I feel quite down. I guess it’s better to end the year feeling this way than starting it off depressed, right? Tomorrow I will pull myself together, work at my current job until my last day on Friday, celebrate my birthday on Monday, and then get to finding a job that gives me a sense of fulfillment. That’s the 2013 plan because life is too short to spend it unhappy 8+ hours a day.
I know, I know – I totally failed to keep this blog updated every day in November and then I dropped off the face of the Earth for most of December. I have a good excuse though – I’ve been working long hours on a big project. Normally I would completely resent spending 11 hours in the office on a daily basis but I haven’t minded because I could use the extra moolah (I’m hourly) since I submitted my resignation at the beginning of December and my last day with the company, January 4th, is quickly approaching.
I wanted to give my boss a month’s notice because I really respect her and wouldn’t mind working together again some day in a less hectic environment. I’m just burnt out and need a break. I’ve been having trouble sleeping and have been taking too much Xanax to starve off middle of the night panic attacks. After ten years with the organization it was time for a change. Ideally I’d like to work somewhere that involved helping the community in some manner.
In any case, I have no time to really look for a job while employed so after much deliberation and agonizing I decided to make the leap. I’m very lucky that Joe is so supportive because we are going to be short on funds on a monthly basis without my income. Luckily we’ve got money saved up thanks to our frugal lifestyle. My manager has been amazingly supportive – she even encouraged me to use her as a reference. I already had one interview recently, but I don’t want to get into the specifics right now as I want the job so so bad and don’t want to jinx it. Once I find out one way or the other whether I got the job I plan to write about it since it ties into what I see myself doing with my future.
Anyway… Christmas was good. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents’ and then Christmas Day at home with E and my SIL. Joe and I didn’t really exchange gifts other than some stocking stuffers. I attended a fun Christmas party thrown by my employer at Bahama Breeze and they had a photo booth up; I got a nice memento of some of the members of my team (which I can’t post for privacy reasons, sorry). I’m going to miss many of my coworkers so this decision is definitely bittersweet. I’ll probably be posting a bit more often after the 4th since I’ll have so much time on my hands (although I hope not too much – I’d like to find a job sooner rather than later).