Fortune Passes Everywhere

Fortune passes everywhere. When my former employer closed the Madison office in September of 2012, I thought I would roll pretty quickly into a new job somewhere. I am nothing if not an optimist. It did not work out that way. I did not want another job doing quality assurance, though I am capable of it. I hoped to return to a business analyst role like my favorite role from years past. However, my work experience does not make sense on paper, and consulting firms do not quite know what to make of me. I have a ton of valuable experience, yet because it was part of a 19 year stint with the same company, and we did not use the latest greatest tools and methodologies, I was tough to assess against a checklist (Use ClearQuest? No. Discard resume). Get me an interview and I am fine, but first the employer has to understand why they want to take the time to interview me. So it is with great delight that I have landed a new job, in a role that is similar to, if slightly lesser than, my desires. I think it will be a good fit, and if I am as good as I think I am, then I will earn a promotion in due time.

It has been three years since I had to wear any of my dress clothes for a job. In those three years I have been rigorously training in aerial dance, including some physically demanding pieces. Consequently my shoulders and arms are noticeably more muscular than in 2009, and I have less roundness in the butt (to my wife's dismay). I recently pulled out my finest dress shirt for an interview and not only did it not fit, it was not even close to fitting! I do still have shirts that fit, but I wanted to update my look a bit and have some new duds for the new job.

I am frugal and hate paying full price if there is a deal to be had. Reena and I headed out to Savers, a decent second-hand shop, to search for some shirts and perhaps a new pair of khaki pants. I know from experience that it is possible to find brand new shirts there for a fraction of the original retail. This trip was no different. I scored four new(ish) shirts and a pair of pants for $35.00. While Reena went elsewhere I popped into Kohls department store and found a fun dress shirt shot through with metallic silver thread. It delighted the performer in me so I splurged and bought it (for 50% off) as well as three new pairs of socks (alas, full price).

So another extended vacation comes to a happy end. The new work crew appears to be warm and welcoming, and the work itself promises to be interesting and challenging, with lots of room to learn, grow, and eventually, hopefully, to shine. But fear not, the photo projects will continue!