a post where i will bury the lede

folks, i have a job.

exclamation points everywhere!!

it was an emotional road - great interviews where schools seemed to love me, punctuated by long stretches where i felt invisible.  over the past 5 months i applied to about 40 jobs, had about 20 phone interviews, got invited to final round interviews on campus at 2 schools (in houston and seattle)...and got neither of those jobs.

womp womp.

then i spent 36 hours lying in my bed and feeling bad about myself and my life (punctuated by going to class and eating and being a wimp on the phone to my sister).  both of the positions i didn't get went to internal candidates.  internal candidates are the bane of my existence.

i imagined my life if i didn't get a job.  there were a couple alternatives.

option 1: live in my parents' house and work at the dairy queen.  except there is no dairy queen in town and the little dipper (our version of dairy queen) closed this year.  see, i don't even have a place to work.  woe is me!

option 2: live in my sister's guest room and pay rent by cleaning the apartment and preparing cocktails for my sister and her boyfriend when they return home from work every day.  watch lots of tv.

option 3: move to hawaii and sleep in a hammock on the beach and practice yoga every day until my savings runs out.

i miiiiiight have been a little dramatic about this whole "can't find a job" thing.  people tried to remind me that it was only march, but i was in a funk and just wanted to mope for a while

then i emerged from the funk and was a normal person again.  i applied for more jobs and sent follow up emails to some schools i'd applied to but hadn't heard back from.

then the houston school called me again.  turns out when they said "everyone really liked you, BUT..." they meant it!  everyone really did like me, and when a different position became available at the school they didn't want to interview for it.  they just wanted to hire me.  and in truth, the position is a great one and after working out the details i have accepted it - i'm moving to houston!  i will be one of six deans (my job will be very similar to my last job: i'll do academic advising, discipline, communication with parents, and look out for the general welfare of kids), and the deans at this school are also the college counselors (i have no experience in this, so major professional development will be coming for me in this area!).  i really like the other deans that i'll be working with and i loved the school when i visited.  the job is a new challenge, and moving to houston will be a new adventure.  i'm so excited!