Gig, Landed
July 24, 2014
I started a new job this week. On Monday, actually, but it took me until today to get over my fear of jinxing the whole thing enough to talk about it. I started to update my LinkedIn profile and promptly freaked out over my presumptuousness that I'd last more than a week.
I lost my "big" corporate contract job back in March and have been some degree of underemployed ever since. What was supposed to be a few weeks of a temporary budget hiccup turned into months of waiting to get called back in, then eventual (overdue) acceptance that I was going to have to start over and find something new. I did some short-term stuff, wrote lots of extra Smackdowns, took endless calls and meetings with leads and promises of awesome long-term gigs coming right around the corner, followed by silence or procrastination or lowball offers. All with three children home and underfoot full time, because I couldn't justify paying for summer camps or sitters until I figured out what to do work-wise.
If I've sounded particularly grumpy or not funny during the past few months, that's why. I am sorry. I did not have my shit together and not having my shit together makes me unbearably cranky.
And then, in the space of a week, everything fell into place. Four different leads officially turned into viable offers, all long-term, flexible, and primarily at home.
I took the one that scared me the most. The one with the most responsibility, the most risk, and probably the biggest odds of me flaming out spectacularly. Which I don't intend to do, at all, of course, but you try telling that to my panicked squirrel brain at three in the morning.
(Okay, I actually accepted two of the jobs. The big one and a smaller, low-pressure writing gig for a client I've worked with before. Eggs, baskets, omelets, etc.)
The funny thing is this job did not come about because of blogging or a connection I've made from blogging, but from someone I used to work with at my old job. My old old old job, the one I quit a few months after Noah was born, right as the blogging-as-bubble-industry was set to take off. Just someone who remembered me and reached out at precisely the right moment. So after walking away from writing about finance and investments and retirement strategies over EIGHT YEARS AGO, I'm back in, all full-circle like. But with a few new Internetty/marketing skills up my sleeve to make things interesting.
And crippling self-doubt aside, it feels really pretty great.
(Although ask me again when the reality of three kids and like, a 50-hour work week sinks in. There will be some flailing. Expect that shit.)
Congratulations!
Also, you're going to do great, so cast aside that doubt RIGHT NOW.
Posted by: Stacy | July 24, 2014 at 12:10 PM
Congratulations! Also, you never stopped being funny. :)
Posted by: Chi | July 24, 2014 at 12:23 PM
You have not sounded grumpy or anything, so stap wid dat sheet! Congrats on BOTH new gigs. You're gonna do just fine.
Posted by: Sue W. | July 24, 2014 at 12:40 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Melissa | July 24, 2014 at 12:44 PM
Congrats! You'll be awesome :D
Posted by: Cait | July 24, 2014 at 12:59 PM
Awesome! That's great! I was wondering if there was something in the works!
Posted by: Margaret | July 24, 2014 at 01:09 PM
Congratulations, Amy!
Posted by: MariaV | July 24, 2014 at 01:37 PM
Congratulations! You'll do just fine! :)
Posted by: Judy | July 24, 2014 at 01:39 PM
Is it wrong that I "almost" hope for something to go wrong, just so I can get a laugh out of it? Yeah, it's wrong, so wrong... I'm sorry... you're funny when shit happens!!!!
Posted by: Myriam | July 24, 2014 at 01:41 PM
Like a commuting to an office type of job?
Posted by: meredith | July 24, 2014 at 01:50 PM
Mazel tov!!
Posted by: liz | July 24, 2014 at 02:05 PM
Congrats, you are very ambitious!
Posted by: Jocelyn | July 24, 2014 at 02:26 PM
Congratulations! You'll be fine! Stop worrying:).
Posted by: Sarahd | July 24, 2014 at 02:38 PM
Congratulations! I am also starting a new job next week and I am a basket case. So I totally relate. You will be awesome in the new jobs! Have faith!
Posted by: Susan | July 24, 2014 at 03:44 PM
Congrats! I probably would have taken the one that scared me the least, so good for you.
Posted by: Suzy Q | July 24, 2014 at 06:21 PM
Good for you! You go girl!
Posted by: Sue C | July 24, 2014 at 06:40 PM
Yay! It's really, really great when things work out for the good. And also boo, because I have been really, really enjoying the extra Smackdowns :)
Posted by: kimc | July 24, 2014 at 06:54 PM
Congratulations! Sleep is always easier when shit comes together.
Posted by: DontBlameTheKids | July 24, 2014 at 07:14 PM
Congratulations!
Posted by: Jill | July 24, 2014 at 08:25 PM
Rock on, Rock Star !~! I'm v happy for you and hope that it all falls into place. Altho 50-hour work weeks are hard as hell, I have faith in your ability to juggle like a wild woman.
Posted by: Lynda M Otvos | July 24, 2014 at 08:55 PM
Congrats!!!! You'll do great!
Posted by: PattM | July 25, 2014 at 08:37 AM
Congratulations Amy. Bet you'll kick arse.
Posted by: Laura | July 25, 2014 at 09:57 AM
Congratulations!!
Posted by: Demery Ryan | July 25, 2014 at 01:44 PM
Love this. Love that you took the scary one. Love that things are all coming together. Promise to keep us posted?
Posted by: -k- | July 25, 2014 at 03:42 PM
Whoo-hoo! for you! It's awesome that you took the scary one.
I appreciate your remark about flailing, because I'm about to start an intense internship and don't know how I'm going to hold together my family and my life meanwhile. I take comfort in knowing we'll be "flailing" together as we embark on awesome, challenging new projects.
Posted by: Marie | July 26, 2014 at 11:19 AM
Congratulations. You'll do great.
Posted by: Whimsi | July 26, 2014 at 07:15 PM
If you keep up with these posts, we'd all love to hear how it's going as it's happening. It's a shame you feel like you have to wait til everything works out in the end to write about the process. Your experiences, not just your successes, are what we keep coming back for. Thank you for sharing, best of luck, and congratulations!
Posted by: Alicia | July 27, 2014 at 09:49 PM