April 19th, 2010

I’ve been very hesitant to talk about this because I don’t want to get too excited before I get into it and find myself disappointed. I have a new job, and right now it feels awesome.

I’ve been working for IHC for the past four years. I got my AS degree in laboratory technology because at the time I was interested in the medical field and this was a secure job. And it has been. While some industries have been suffering and laying off people, the clinical lab has been adding jobs. People always get sick.

I got my BS degree in organizational communication because I actually loved that field. It was about teaching adults and technical writing and as most of you know, I love writing. I want to write for a living. So I’ve been applying for various jobs when they ever pop up. My problem has been a lack of experience.

So I was very excited when the chance to work somewhere other than IHC turned up. Of course I had my reservations. While a lot of people have lost their jobs or taken pay cuts, I’ve held steady. The lab has security. It gives me a convenient work schedule. I like the quirky people I work with. I even like the normal people I work with. It offers better benefits, decent pay, and it’s closer to my house than my new job will be.

But the new job offers something else: opportunity. At IHC I have none. They want people with bachelor’s degrees in lab technology to do their managing, writing, and training, even though as far as I’ve seen, they suck at it. I have a degree and am talented, to various levels, in those areas but they won’t consider me. They effectively turned this into a dead-end job.

The new job has opportunities. I get to learn things I really want to learn. I get to be challenged in ways I never have before. There is an actual corporate ladder, pay raises, lots of things. I will be writing and working with web pages beyond my present skill. It won’t be easy, but it will give me experience in the field I want as my career. More time at IHC will not do that for me.

Among the challenges are some that you might not expect. I’ve never worked in an office before, and I’m a little nervous about that. I’ve never worn “business casual.” I’ve always done manual labor of some sort, and this is computer-based and really different from my experience. So I have worse jitters about this than any other job I’ve ever had. I hope everything works out.

Wish me the best of luck!