A New Chapter

March 9th, 2015 marked a momentous occasion in my young adult life. After many years of searching and interviewing and protesting perhaps a bit too much, I’m happy to report that all my effort finally paid off and I’ve officially started a new job.

Although I must say, it’s not really accurate to call this job “new”. You may or may not recall, but for several years I had a student internship with one of the California State agencies, working on their web team. When I eventually graduated from Sacramento State, I could no longer hold that position, and thus began my Slacker Period. I’ve been trying to get another job with the State ever since, and as luck would have it, in January my old team was hiring. The rest – as the saying goes – is history. It may not exactly be a “new” job for me, but I couldn’t be happier to have it.

Getting this new job is the beginning of a new era in my life. For the first time in nearly four years, my weekday mornings are no longer punctuated with a feeling of dread about the day ahead of me. My commute time is about the same, but I’m walking to work now instead of fighting traffic on the freeway. I have enough time in the morning to make my own coffee and breakfast as well as pack a lunch, which is better for my pocketbook and my health. My work is interesting and challenging and – best of all – I no longer spend a big chunk of my day cold-calling injured workers about their claims. Actually the best part is that I’m actually using my English degree, but I really did loath all those phone calls.

In many ways, I feel like the prodigal son returning after a long absence. Or perhaps the prodigal employee would be more appropriate.