Translation: Many congrats

I got the job!

The official announcement was released on Thursday and almost immediately, my inbox started filling with congratulatory messages from colleagues that I had been working with for over seven years. Effective February 18, 2006, I am a bona fide Federal worker and not just a contractor.

The only down side is that I won’t be working in my chosen field, which is Information Technology, but rather as an Executive Secretary. Although I can’t say that it’s my lifelong aspiration to be a secretary, it is a great foot in the door and a very challenging post to be assigned to. (Of course, I do not disdain administrative assistants in the least, because we all know it is they who really do all the hard work. It’s no wonder they get a special day of recognition. Speaking of which I will be expecting at least a free lunch and a pat on the back come Administrative Assistants’ Day. >.< ) It is my hope to eventually work my way back into IT sometime before I retire. (Well, that gives me at least 30 years to work on that goal.) In the meantime, I'll just take it a day at a time and see what the future holds. Who knows, I may actually end up enjoying the work as an Executive Secretary. With COLA, the pay isn't half bad.

The fantastic thing about getting the job is that now I finally feel like I have a "career" job. Although I loved my job in IT, I always felt like a "temp" since I was contracted through an agency and never had any hope of earning any semblance of benefits beyond the 5 days of paid vacation and 6 paid holidays. Certainly, there were intangible perks that I enjoyed such as travel, experience gained, and friendships forged; however, it will be nice to enjoy such benefits as sick leave, annual leave, and a matching retirement fund. Oh, and that little issue about job security is nice, too. As a Contractor, the end of the fiscal year was a constant source of consternation and anticipation to see whether our contract funding would be renewed for another year or not. As long as I can make it past the 6-month probation period without getting canned, I'll be in good shape. (We'll have to throw a "Past Probation Party," too!)

After a 3-day new employee orientation, I start in my new job on Friday. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it!

My Roots, where it all started.
Lori, Lindy, me, Susan

On Friday night, we celebrated my promotion at Shokudo Japanese. We had a wonderful time as we always do when we get together. I posted some pictures in my Flickr photo set and below is a short video of the evening. Lindy was kind enough to share the photos she took on her Flickr site, too.

Thanks, friends, for making it an event to remember!

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