Transitions--A New Job, A New Career

On Thursday, I quit my job. After 5 years of working on a project that recently came to a close, I quit my job. And part of me knew that everything would be okay, and that my boss would be kind and courteous and wish me luck, but then there's the irrational paranoid anxiety crazed part of me that was really, really scared. But like most everything else I tend to have unnecessary meltdowns over, it was okay and easy. I walked in, said how much I had enjoyed working there and how much I would miss my coworkers, and gave my last day. She told me how much she appreciated what I had contributed to the company and that she would miss me, and then I exited her office to tell my fellow editors the news as well. That's the sad part of this post.

The good part of this post is...I got a new job! Irrational paranoid anxiety crazed me is paranoid that typing that will somehow take it all away, but I like living on the edge, so I'm going to type it again--I got a new job! Some of you who have been reading a long time know that I have been living a marathon of a professional life. For the past three years, I've been working full-time and going to graduate school part time to complete my MLIS (Master's in Library and Information Science) to be a librarian (yes, librarians needs master's degrees!) This schedule has taken its toll. I have little time on weekends, I don't get to do as many fun things, and all my creativity is zapped from writing and reading for school. I've got the words "burnt out" stamped to my forehead.

With the economy in the crapper, libraries being consolidated and closed left and right, I was not counting on anything. I figured that after graduation (t-minus 6 days until my last assignment is due! oh. em. gee.) I would start job hunting and polish my e-portfolio, maybe volunteer or take another internship. I never thought I would be so lucky to have a job lined up right after graduation. Since I've been absent from our blog circle of style-savvy, creative, supportive women, I've been lurking at library school and library job hunting blogs (and the occasional HR blog) to read about career advice. Reading about everyone's experiences was driving me to new heights of anxiety because my future career outlook looked damn right dismal.

So I feel VERY lucky, and I think (and truly hope) this is going to be a good fit. I'm really thankful, but nervous. And I'm ready to celebrate.