Ingalish has been quiet for the last few weeks but for good reason. Last week I started a new job for a big player in film distribution. Although it's still in entertainment (an industry I've worked in for over a decade), it's a far cry from the kids' promos I was producing for the last 7 years.
Funny that when I started my old job, I never imagine that I'd be there longer than a couple of years, a sentiment shared by many who work in television and film. But also like so many others - I got comfortable. And the problem with comfortable is that while it's safe and reassuring, eventually it evolves into boring and stale.
I needed change.
I don't want to discredit all of the awesome experiences I had at my old job. I really enjoyed what I did and I did it well. But there was no real next-step-up for me. So a few months ago I started scouring the internet job sites looking for jobs, the first time in 7 years. And it wasn't easy. Partially because there were slim pickings, partially because the competition was so high and partially because admittedly, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.
I had a few job interviews, some for places I could really see myself excelling and other places where my gut feeling was telling me it wasn't the right move - but hey - at least I got to practice my interview skills. But no bite. And trust me, after a while I started to feel discouraged in looking anymore. If not for the gnawing feeling inside telling me that I had to move on, I probably would have given up and stayed with comfortable.
And then *poof* suddenly all the pieces came together. I landed an interview for a very cool job and it went well. And then the following week they called me in for a second interview, and it went even better. And then before I knew it I was negotiating salary, vacation days, and start dates. Weird how it can go from nothing happening to everything happening at once.
And the minute I signed my agreement, I felt this sudden wave of calm and I knew I had made the right decision. My last two weeks went by and surprisingly without any tears. And the following week (last week) I was the "new girl." It was weird not taking the same route in the morning, walking down different halls, and sitting in my own office (I had a kinda-cubicle before).
I'm on week two and I'm getting use to the change. I'm learning a lot of new things in general which I think my brain is grateful for. If there's any advice I give to those starting a new job - ask questions. The worse thing you can do is pretend you know what people are talking about and admit 3 years down the line that you had no f'n clue what P & A stood for (Prints & Advertising, as I learned). There's still a lot yet to be learned and practiced but I'm ready for it.
Goodbye comfortable.
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