I started my new job with the government last Tuesday. I have survived a week! Yay for no breakdowns too (like I had at my last job that I was only at for a few months - we'll call it "TL").
When I first accepted the position at TL they sent me a little notepad in my welcome package. There were maybe 100 pages in said notepad...just the other day I used the last one as I wrote a grocery list. It's ironic - it's like that part of my life is completely forgotten. But I'm okay with that because I was only there a few months. I met some nice people, but it wasn't the best fit. A lot of people thought I was crazy to leave that job - I was making great money, reporting to a very senior person of a world-renowned organization, and had a brand new office that was huge (and overlooking the harbor) in a brand new building.
On the other hand, I still have tons of notepads with my name and info. from the job I was at for five years (we'll call it "KN"). I left KN to go to TL in February/March. As corny as it sounds it makes sense that I still have all of those notepads because I was with that company for so long and it's been harder for me to let go. Leaving the private sector in general has been hard, but leaving a company after five years...ouch! I made such wonderful friendships, learned a ton, and had amazing responsibilities...but the good thing is that the friendships can be preserved.
Do I miss the private sector? Yes. Am I happy with the government? Yes. Do I miss being downtown around all of the excitement of a city - being able to go to lunch anywhere, go shopping, go to happy hour, go to my awesome gym? Yes. Do I miss my commute? Hell no.
My close friend/old boss that was at KN also left the private sector for the public sector - but he left a year ago. He has been a wise source for advice during this transition. He sincerely loves the government. As he said, the government is not worse, it's not better...it's just different. But as he points out, getting your life back via the government has to be one of the greatest things. The stress levels and environments are key to this. He has also pointed out that yes, the transition is very humbling. Checking your ego is important even if you never had a huge ego to begin with. It's easy to remember all of the good times (unlimited snacks and drinks, my own office, a brand new building that was envied by many, working with numbers and liking it) and not the bad times (the layoffs KN had, the "facetime", the "business comes first" mentality).
Stay tuned as I continue my journey with the government!
No comments:
Post a Comment