i thought i'd use this post to give you all a short update on how the job is going, particularly since many of you have had to deal with me (whether it be in real life or virtually) freaking out about 1) not having job, 2) going for the interview and being told i'm over-qualified, and 3) getting the job and thinking i'm no good at it.
true to form, i'm still sort of freaking out, but it's of a more positive nature than it used to be. you see, i'm doing well at my job. really well, in fact. i was hired on as an organizational assistant, meaning i did the grunt work for everyone. but then, a few weeks into work, i was moved up (i may just be imagining that it's a vertical move instead of a horizontal one, but let me have what little i can get, please?) into the executive assistant position. this came with pay bump that they're applied retroactively to my start date.
then this week, during my check-in meeting with our ED, he tells me that he wants to meet with me on thursday to specifically discuss my "position and related issues." so, naturally, i freak. and while i'm certain he didn't know i was having a nervous breakdown and snowballing out of control, he reassured me that it was all good things. apparently, he's so impressed by my writing skills (yes, i'm patting myself on the back, and then telling myself to not be such a self-satisfied boob), that while he'd like me to continue on as his assistant, he'd also like me to move into the communication assistant position. what this would mean is that i'd be in charge mainly of our community outreach and publications, doing a lot of the writing and editing of the pieces we send out to our network and partners.
this is wonderful! this is, actually, the position i originally wanted but was too under-qualified for. and it comes with another pay bump! (happy dance!). we'll iron out the details during our thursday meeting, and there will most definitely be a trial period in which we see whether i can handle these new responsibilities while still juggling my old executive assistant responsibilities, but it's still very exciting.
however, it's made me start to think about my future here at my little non-profit. the plan has always been to only work until fall 2011, and then go back to school. and going back to school is, right now, the one thing in my life that i am absolutely positive i want to do. but is the timing right? when all of these good things are happening for me at work, when my ED says that he just sees so much potential for my growth here, is this the right time to jump back into school?
yes, i realize that 2011 is very far away and a lot may change between then and now, but when that time comes i'll only have worked here for a little less than 2 years. that's not very long in one job and, if i'm completely honest with myself, there is definitely some guilt involved here. i'd feel guilty leaving. i already feel guilty leaving and i'm nowhere near that yet!
but more than the guilt about leaving is the fear of not leaving. i hear my thought process in my head and all i can think is "this is how it happens. this is how people 'take breaks' from school and never end up going back." i don't want to be one of them.
anyhow, that's the long-term worry. for right now, things are good at work. i'm planning on tabling this little problem for the time-being, taking my GRE's and applying for grad school for 2011 no matter what. a lot can happen before i have to make this decision so there's really no point in me letting it get to me right now. but i'd love to hear your thoughts on it, or some advice or similar experiences, if you've got any!
January 26, 2010
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we talked about most of this but i feel the need to tell you that i think you have a big misconception about how long a "long time" at a job actually is. around two years at one job is actually a very respectable amount of time. especially for your first job. i don't know what you think a long time actually is, but ESPECIALLY in an assistant position. i mean to some people in that sense, two years could be construed as TOO long.
for the record, i was an official employee at my first job for a year and four months. the girl who worked next to me, who i still keep in touch with is on her fourth job in five years. sure, there are people who keep their first job for years and years and years...those people are still assistants at age 30. just relax dude, nobody's going to judge you for how long or how short you are at a job when you've only had ONE job. that is not an identifiable pattern of unreliability.
you're one of those people who meticulously plans everything and so you end up looking way, WAY further ahead than you need to. just learn while you're there and do what you can. things will work out how they should.
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