New

So many changes in so little time...
New car, because of the only car wreck I've ever had! I still miss my Vibe.
New phone, upgrade available due to car insurance money left over from buying cheaper car.
New job, where I occasionally feel like a sellout fraudulent asshat. Some of this will go away once I learn more & gain all the experience, and some will be there till the end.
I'm trying to make long-term plans for my life begining with grad school decisions, all the way up to 5 &10 year plans. Its rough. And complicated. And there are still too many questions and options out there for me...
I really love making all the maps in this new job. Its fun & I like the ones that are more difficult and need detective work to figure out. Challenges are good. They keep it interesting. The people I work with are really nice.
Oh, and I finally found the refrigerator, its in a little room across from my office! Everyone likes my superman lunchbox!

Coffee & GIS my first 3 days

My new job...from phone call to job in exactly 2 weeks...
Day one was pretty fun. It was obvious how fast everything happened because my computer was not set up. It took forever to sync the dropbox files. Nate, the boss of GIS, took us out for coffee at Starbucks.
Second day was wrought with GIS authorization code nightmares. Turns out Esri's server that handles authorization codes was down. I ended up spending most of the day fighting with the large format printer. Damn thing just won't continue to work.
Day three I finally got to make maps! I have mostly made maps with point & line data, so the change to polygons is nice, but I am having to relearn a lot. Also their filing system is quite intimidating. I'm taking lots of notes and asking tons of questions.
Getting to know the other employees is also fun. They are a pretty great group of people!
I still dont know where the refrigerator is...
I've attached a picture of my desk so you can see my desktop image! It came with the computer from Texas!

Stressed

"I have another job interview on Monday. This is a good thing. However I am realizing I dont want to kind of job I'm interviewing for...they are not bad jobs. I wanted to save the planet, but the jobs just aren't there, or they want someone with a masters degree."
I wrote that on Monday.
Tuesday brought a call from the first job interview, offering me the job. I told them they would have to wait till after the other interview. Then I called back Thursday & took the job. I start tomorrow.

I'm so nervous.

I'm going to learn a lot.
Does one's job define them? If it does, I'll either need to chage or change jobs.
The kinds of jobs I want are just not calling me back, or they want someone with more experience, or a master's degree.
So I'll get experience at this job. Maybe I'll go to grad school in the fall, or next year. By then I'll have learned the job well and be more settled.
I hope I'm not making a huge mistake. Its all happened so fast.

...in the beginning

I was having a difficult day. A lost day. Feeling so stressed about my career prospects. I have some pretty wonderful friends. Two specific friends that are really supportive that I met in college. Jon ( I call him Dr. Jamison, tho he does not yet have his PhD) and his beautiful wife Cheri, are two of my favorite people. Well I was having the kind of insecure day that made me feel like I was worthless, stupid, & friendless. Then Jon & Cheri called me. I love & respect these two. They helped me vent out my frustrations while reminding me that I am capable of all that I dream. I'm not sure that they will ever know the depth of my gratitude.
They have also inspired me to not only write this, but to continue writing (hopefully I will remember) about my job search & career prospects. As I know, writing is a way for me to organize my thoughts. I have a lot of decisions to make about my future, now and in the next couple of weeks.
Some of those decisions include: Going back to school, for a grad degree, a certificate program, what? where? Continuing to apply for jobs, what kinds of jobs? Previously I hadn't been picky, because I believe gainful employment is unnecessary for my well being. I am a hard worker with a diligent work ethic, I do not abide this continued idleness. Its unnerving me.
So it doesn't matter if anyone reads this. In fact, it may be better if no one ever does.
It will just be a way for me to remind myself that I am working toward a goal.