Jumping Ship

One of the biggest issues that has been perplexing me and causing a very interesting emotional response is my acceptance of a new job. You’ll notice I list UF MSE in my friends list in the left column. That is the department I currently work for. When I came here back on December 14th, 2007, I had gone through a very trying period of unemployment after a mutual separation from my first post-college-graduation job. Luckily, my boss saw much promise in my résumé and called me in for an interview. Whereas usually having a family would be considered a flaw, it was a common interest — my boss’ middle child is a month younger than my middle child, and his wife was nursing the little one as well. My obligations to my family meant I was likely more responsible than someone with no familial responsibilities, and I’m glad my boss made that assumption about me because it was absolutely accurate.

During my time with the department, I have taken on responsibility for the newsletter, coordinating events, and the daily secretarial tasks. I can see how some people make a career of this, and I almost could see myself doing this sort of thing for a living in order to afford moonlighting as an author. Unfortunately, I was hired during a budget crisis, so benefits were not an option at that time. My plan was to hang around for two years to build my résumé and then hunt for a job with the university that came with benefits and higher pay to afford the benefits. Of course, I also held out hope that the budget would allow for my current position to be given higher pay and benefits, but that wasn’t possible due to many, many circumstances.

I applied for a position with UF’s Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering knowing full well that my boss knows the chairman of that department quite well. He knew I was trying to do what was best for my family, and he put in a good word for me. Not surprisingly, I actually got called in for an interview — and the opportunity to showcase my portfolio. There always seems to be a candidate (or two or three or four) with more experience than me who gets called in. In this case, I don’t know who my competition was, but she did not bring in a portfolio. Guess who got offered the job? After negotiating a starting salary, I accepted the offer.

Obviously, I knew the day would come when I would have to leave this department to pursue my own career advancement. That hasn’t stopped me from feeling like I’m going to be leaving something special behind — like moving out of home and leaving family behind. I’ve grown attached to the people I work with on a daily basis. The familiar faces greet me with smiles and waving hands. I could always tell when a string of students all needed the same time of assistance. I’ve grown into a routine. I’ve made my desk my own personal space. However, it has come time to move onward and upward. Fortunately, my new office will only be in the next building over, so it’s not like I’ll never seen anyone here again.

So here’s to the place that give me the chance to build upon my experience. I’m so very grateful for the opportunities I got while working here, and I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve forged. I look forward to making a smooth transition and becoming just as comfortable with UF ISE.