Tuesday, March 22, 2011

How do you know when you've arrived?

I've always thought that the epitome of being a responsible adult was having a security pass to a building that was attached to the waistband of your pants via a yo-yo cord, a health and dental plan, and my very own workspace. My sister Elena has always thought it meant having real business cards that you can hand discreetly to people, like they do on TV. I guess that although I've had some jobs that definitely had their perks (like the practically free clothes when I worked at The Gap and getting paid to take kids to the library as a nanny) and others that met some of my grown-up requirements (being a receptionist for Dad meant my own desk, while my internship last summer gave me a snazzy key card complete with yo-yo cord), I never had the full package, until now.

In late January, I got a call from my previous boss from last summer. I was hoping to hear great news about them having a full-time position available for me, but unfortunately that didn't pan out. However, she did have good news. Through some industry networking, she had passed on my information to the Market Services Division at the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO), and from what she had told them about my summer internship with her, they were interested.

Over the past few months, I've had lots of opportunities like this come up. It seems like all over the place, people have leads for me on the job front. I've even had an interview come from them. But until recently, none of them came to fruition. I went to two interviews at the AESO and from what I heard about the position, it seemed like my dream job. I tried to stop myself from getting too excited about it, but it was in vain. I remembered my previous disappointments and prayed that this one, finally, would work out. Not only would it allow me to support Benjamin through school and pay off my student loans, it was a great job in the industry I loved. I got the call from HR at the AESO just a week before my wedding and started as soon as I got home from my honeymoon.

It's been an interesting challenge to catch up and try to learn everything that I need to know to function in this position, and I've gotten frustrated once or twice as I struggle to understand what exactly VArs standards are. Whenever I need a little pick-me-up, I look down at my security pass and for some reason it's so exciting to think that I'm a grown-up now! Friday morning I was having a particularly boring morning as I ploughed through technical and regulatory documents, trying to get some context for the work I'm going to be responsible for, and even my key card couldn't stop me from feeling like I was going crazy. Just then, I got an email from reception, telling me that my business cards had arrived. I went down right away to pick them up, and as I looked them over, I thought to myself, "That's right, you're Janine, Market Rules and Policy Analyst. Not just a student anymore!" And I knew I had arrived.

9 comments:

Nenzie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
reddy said...

This is an excellent post. As I said before, practice your skills. Not only do I expect to be impressed, but I will need you to pass on your wisdom and skill when I arrive.

Jane said...

Haha...oh Janine, you're the best! This post made me smile from ear to ear. Good luck!

nkrause said...

Hey Janine, hope this message finds you well. Its me Nick, the kid from down the street. I just wanted to pass along my congratulations on your recent wedding and I hope that you're doing well. I'm sure you're pretty busy these days but I'd love to catch up sometime. shoot me an e-mail at fuzzy_bunnys@hotmail.com.

Katey said...

Nothing like dreams coming true...Especially once you've reached adulthood!

Eileen Young said...

Congratulations - what an interesting 2011 year has been to you thus far. Are you Janine Still or are you keeping Janine Redd as your professional name?
Happy for you
Grannie

Janine said...

I'm Janine Still at work. I haven't built enough of a professional reputation on Janine Redd to make it worth keeping. It's kind of exciting to see "Janine Still" on my business cards.

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