Above - the Wallace Building. I work on 5th floor
I've been on the job now for nearly a year. I know - hard to believe huh? It was the first week in December last year that I interviewed for my job at IDNR. While finishing up a grant-funded project for Prairie Solid Waste, I'd been lobbying for a job at DNR for several months.
Last year wasn't the first time I applied at DNR. I had decided by 2006 that I was no longer happy with what was once my dream job. While I still enjoyed many of the things I did, the politics of the transition from landfill to transfer station did me in. Neither did I like the operations part of running a landfill. Life is too short to hate your job!
So in December 2006, I applied for a job at DNR and even had an interview lined up. Then Dad and Kay (his lady friend) came home for Christmas. Dad became ill - they thought it was the flu, and he was hospitalized. On Christmas Day I got a panicked call from Kay saying Dad had taken a turn for the worse - by the time I got to Atlantic he was being rushed to an Omaha hospital.
Dad was really sick, but the docs weren't quite sure what was wrong. He was comatose. Kay and I stayed the night at Methodist. It was bleak. I called for the troops - Cindo hopped in the car and drove all day Christmas Day, staying overnight somewhere in Nebraska - truck stop food for her supper. Susi and Betsy flew in the next couple days.
My interview had been set up for that week, but I couldn't deal with it. So I called and withdrew my application at DNR. Dad had emergency surgery - they discovered part of his colon had died and it was poisoning the rest of him. He made it through the surgery but never came out of it. His kidneys shut down. My sisters and I made the decision to turn off life support, and just like when Mom died he waited until I was gone to quit breathing. My parents always did try to protect me.
Living through Dad's death reminded me that life is short. I did not want to waste more time being miserable at work. I told my board of directors at Prairie that I was quitting. I wanted to give them plenty of time to find a director. In April we found out that a USDA grant I had worked on was funded - which would allow me to do all the things I liked at my job for 12 months starting October 1, 2007. Yahoo. Boy that year went fast - but I was ready to be totally done at Prairie by then. I spent 12 years of my life there and it was time to walk away and let someone else take over. I was busy as executor of Dad's estate (that was a tough job - thank goodness the Poolboy helped).
So by the summer of 2008, I was starting to think about my next act. I'd heard rumors that DNR was looking at a new initiative - Environmental Management Systems. I wanted to be a part of that. I began to lobby a couple of the supervisors at DNR - "keep me in mind when you have an opening." In early October I ran into Brian, our Bureau Chief at the Fall Conference. He hit me up about a new position. I was thrilled he thought of me (even though that's what I'd been aiming for).
I got my application all ready and when the opening was posted, I was all over it! I interviewed for the job on a Wednesday. I nailed it. I felt really good about how I answered all the questions and got good vibes from the interview team. I was thrilled the next day when Al (now my boss) called to say I was the top candidate - he and Alex wanted to talk with me again just to firm things up. I met them for lunch that Friday. I started a couple weeks later on December 19th.
It's hard working in a town 65 miles from from home and my beloved. But I love what I do!
Last year wasn't the first time I applied at DNR. I had decided by 2006 that I was no longer happy with what was once my dream job. While I still enjoyed many of the things I did, the politics of the transition from landfill to transfer station did me in. Neither did I like the operations part of running a landfill. Life is too short to hate your job!
So in December 2006, I applied for a job at DNR and even had an interview lined up. Then Dad and Kay (his lady friend) came home for Christmas. Dad became ill - they thought it was the flu, and he was hospitalized. On Christmas Day I got a panicked call from Kay saying Dad had taken a turn for the worse - by the time I got to Atlantic he was being rushed to an Omaha hospital.
Dad was really sick, but the docs weren't quite sure what was wrong. He was comatose. Kay and I stayed the night at Methodist. It was bleak. I called for the troops - Cindo hopped in the car and drove all day Christmas Day, staying overnight somewhere in Nebraska - truck stop food for her supper. Susi and Betsy flew in the next couple days.
My interview had been set up for that week, but I couldn't deal with it. So I called and withdrew my application at DNR. Dad had emergency surgery - they discovered part of his colon had died and it was poisoning the rest of him. He made it through the surgery but never came out of it. His kidneys shut down. My sisters and I made the decision to turn off life support, and just like when Mom died he waited until I was gone to quit breathing. My parents always did try to protect me.
Living through Dad's death reminded me that life is short. I did not want to waste more time being miserable at work. I told my board of directors at Prairie that I was quitting. I wanted to give them plenty of time to find a director. In April we found out that a USDA grant I had worked on was funded - which would allow me to do all the things I liked at my job for 12 months starting October 1, 2007. Yahoo. Boy that year went fast - but I was ready to be totally done at Prairie by then. I spent 12 years of my life there and it was time to walk away and let someone else take over. I was busy as executor of Dad's estate (that was a tough job - thank goodness the Poolboy helped).
So by the summer of 2008, I was starting to think about my next act. I'd heard rumors that DNR was looking at a new initiative - Environmental Management Systems. I wanted to be a part of that. I began to lobby a couple of the supervisors at DNR - "keep me in mind when you have an opening." In early October I ran into Brian, our Bureau Chief at the Fall Conference. He hit me up about a new position. I was thrilled he thought of me (even though that's what I'd been aiming for).
I got my application all ready and when the opening was posted, I was all over it! I interviewed for the job on a Wednesday. I nailed it. I felt really good about how I answered all the questions and got good vibes from the interview team. I was thrilled the next day when Al (now my boss) called to say I was the top candidate - he and Alex wanted to talk with me again just to firm things up. I met them for lunch that Friday. I started a couple weeks later on December 19th.
It's hard working in a town 65 miles from from home and my beloved. But I love what I do!
No comments:
Post a Comment