New Job!

I haven’t posted a blog in quite a while, but it’s not for lack of interesting things to write about. Let’s see: In the past few months, Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and the Governor of Massachusetts all came to speak at my university, I went to Seattle, discovered a love of blood oranges, and went on a diet and have lost 5 lbs so far. But one thing in particular has dominated my time and interest this winter: my job search.

Up until this week, there wouldn’t be much to write about really. I’ve been applying for jobs since January and had a few phone interviews and one on-campus interview. But weeks passed with no prospects, and few jobs were being posted in my field: sometimes only one or less per week for the entire country. Needless to say, I was getting concerned and started to really doubt my abilities. In fact, I spent several hours last weekend coming up with a backup plan for what I would do if I didn’t get a new job before my current job ends in June.

Well, talk about timing! Just when I was about to give up hope, my supervisors let me know that someone had called them to check my references on Tuesday. Not only that, but by the end of the day, I had a job offer! And it wasn’t just any job offer, it was my top choice at a great school near downtown Seattle!

(And in a stinging dose of irony, once I received that job offer, invitations for phone interviews started streaming in. In fact, I’ve had 5 such offers since Tuesday! I guess that saying “When it rains, it pours” is true!”

Anyway, things since then have moved at light speed! I formally accepted the position on Thursday and will start my new job on April 28: just a few weeks away! Already, I’ve started packing, repainted my apartment (sigh), and found an apartment in Seattle! It’s a great little place right in the heart of the city and just a few blocks from downtown and my office. It’s a large studio in a nice brick building and comes with nice hardwood floors and a separate sleeping area and kitchen/dining area. I was hoping for a 1 bedroom, but this is pretty close and is a lot more affordable.

Even with those things done, I still have a zillion things to do to wrap up my job here, pack, and get ready to move into my new place and start my new job. The hardest thing will definitely be saying goodbye to some really good friends that I’ve made here. But, I’ve got a job, an apartment, and a one way plane ticket to my new home of Seattle, and I couldn’t be more excited!