Friday, May 24, 2013

Bringing Home the Bacon—Almost

 

I wasn’t going to say anything about this until I had a few moreEmployed 5-23-13 pieces of information, but what the heck—might as well share:  I got a job!  That’s right; you’re chatting with the newest paralegal/legal assistant in OKC!  Well, okay, I’m not quite a paralegal yet; the job doesn’t start until June 3rd, but I figure that’s close enough.  Anyway, it’s been a couple of months since I mentioned that one of my classmates was going to recommend me for a position at the firm where he works, long enough that I’d decide nothing was ever going to happen, but I’m glad to be wrong about that.  He definitely got me the hook up, networking at its finest.

Image courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But, the excitement of renewed employment does not stand alone; there’s plenty of anxiety and uncertainty to go along.  I mean, don’t get me wrong; I am truly glad to have a job.  As I told you before, I’ve worked for the vast majority of my life, and being without a job—especially unwillingly—can be a big drain on the ego.   But a brand new job, in a brand new field, might turn out to be a smack upside the ego, too.  Plus, these are real attorneys, practicing real law, with real consequences, and I’m still just a student.  What if I screw something up?  Yeah, there’s some anxiety there. 

And school is another concern all its own.  It’s important to me that I be able to maintain a focus on my studies, learn well the lessons my instructors have to teach, and—hopefully—keep up the grades that go with that.  There’s no denying that will be more difficult with a full-time job.  Today I started into my reading for summer classes, hoping to get a bit of a head start so I can stay on top of things. 

But, even with all those worries, I still can’t deny being excited about rejoining the workforce.  It has been 15 months since I lost my job—not quite the longest time I’ve ever been unemployed, but quite long enough.   Somehow, having a job makes me feel like I’m contributing something, and it will be nice to feel that again.  And, for whatever reason, a job makes me feel more complete.  I honestly don’t know why that is; I’m fully aware that no job should really define a person, but somehow it does, at least in part.  And, lastly, from the purely practical side of things, it will be nice to have a second income again; that’s the kind of contribution I will be very glad to be making again. 

So, that’s what’s going on here.  I’m sure I’ll be telling you more about the new position once I’m actually in it and back in the daily grind, but for now I just thought I’d share the good news.