Yesterday, I had the formal graduation ceremony for my fellowship program. Technically, I’ve been done with the program since October, but the deadline for the entire fellowship class to complete was this past week (I think), so we had our ceremony yesterday, in order to get the most attendees possible.
It was really interesting to talk to the other fellows and find out what everyone was up to. It was especially interesting to people who accepted fellowships at offices where I turned down fellowships (I was offered four positions). I definitely ended up jealous of one of the people. Her job sounds absolutely incredible. But when I accepted the fellowship, I wanted to move to D.C., and this offer was elsewhere in the country. Plus the pay wasn’t as good, which I realize now shouldn’t have been as big of an issue as it was for me. I know that I made the best decision with the information that I had before me, but that doesn’t make it any easier to not have regrets.
The speaker at the ceremony as well as my conversations with others have definitely renewed my dedication to finding a new job. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very thankful to be employed and to have a steady paycheck, but I have a job. I would like to be in a career. Even if that means more hours for less pay (though I’d rather not work more hours, to be honest – I like having a life!), I need to make a change.
Of course, for now, that means nothing. I expect to hear back soon on a job I applied for in November (I expected to hear last week, but that’s another story). If that doesn’t go where I hope it goes, I will be polishing up my resume and sending out applications throughout the month. Big fun, I tell you.
