Just sent a resume...

[Lindsey]

I am feeling so sick. Everyone here is being so nice to me. My boss this morning was all smiles and asking how I am and talking about what a beautiful day it is. We just had a drafting department meeting where the engineers were saying "If you get too stressed out don't hesitate to come talk to us and we'll get everything sorted out amongst the engineers so you don't need to worry about prioritizing your work" and she finished off with "But you guys are doing a wonderful job and we're thankful for everything you do for us!"
My friend just told me "It's like cheating on your boyfriend, except it's your company"

[Lindsey]

Okay I honestly don't think that went very well. I got home a half hour early and plugged my cell phone in so it wouldn't go dead during the interview. He called and after about 5 minutes I LOST SERVICE. Sitting in one spot right beside my window in my bedroom, it just went dead. He called back and I aplogized. He was asking me questions about designs and water main fittings and stuff and I just felt so dumb. I didn't know. But I kept repeating that design is the direction I'd like to go in and I really would like to learn.
He also asked about salary and I used the recruiter's advice and told him I don't know the going rate in the engineering community around Vancouver so I couldn't say for sure. I gave him my current salary and said I would expect a raise from that to be switching jobs. Anyways, then he told me a bunch about their projects, and about the area. He also asked what my plan is and when I'd be out in that part of the country next. I said I have no idea, I've actually never been to that side of the mountains, but if this job turned into a real possibility that I'd for sure go out there and check out the area. And basically he said I would need a lot of training and he'll have to talk this over with other people and he'll call me back in about a week.
Oh yeah and he wants me to also send him some drawings I've worked on so he can see what I can do.
Ugh this is stressful. Maybe I should just be happy where I am.

[Janet]

Lindsey, it sounds like you're just second guessing yourself or like getting cold feet. You can always follow through with your plans...visit the area and check it out and decide from there. I hope whatever you decide, it makes you really happy and content.

[Lindsey]

Thanks Janet. I know it's seeming all a little too real now and it scares me. The problem with me just going to check it out first is that it would cost me $600 to fly out there, or it would be 18 hours to drive. I'd like to know for sure that I could get the job before I just go look.
And I sort of got a "mean" vibe from the guy I don't know, maybe he was just being really serious but when I interviewed with my current company everyone was so happy and always talked about what a fun environment it is to work in. He was all business and it felt like I wasn't good enough for him.
I guess with a phone interview it's harder to get a job just 'cause I'm cute j/k

[Lindsey]

I don't know if I should go with my gut feeling, or if my gut feeling is just nerves.
The recruiter tried calling me at work again and left a message to tell him how the interview went. I think I will write him an email tonight instead of leaving work early as I have been doing all week to speak with him and the guy who interviewed me. I actually have work to do at my job and I don't want to put it on hold anymore just for these people.
The direction this company leans towards is the area I have absolutely no experience in. If it were something like land usage and environmental studies, I would be all over that. I guess working at my current job I've really gained an appreciation of the environmental side of things and I think I'd like to stick there. I LIKE DIRT. I don't care so much about pipes and manholes and sewers and all that stuff. My interest lies in soil
And on top of that, I am great at what I do. I don't mean to sound concieted, but I am really really good at drafting. I pick up computer programs so quickly, and I can easily imagine 3D structures and build 3d models on a screen. It's not something everyone is good at. And I wonder if it was just coincidence or fate that today was chosen to have a spur of the moment meeting at work to let me and my coworker know that we're doing a great job and we're very appreciated. It made me feel so good about what I do for the company.
And finally, my trip to NYC is something I've wanted to do for almost 10 years. We have basically been planning this trip for 10 years! In BC, there are only 2 weeks of holidays a year, and I definitely wouldn't get paid holidays after only a few months of work. I would need to take about a week and a half unpaid vacation, and there would definitely be no way I'd make it home for Christmas. If I stuck it out at my current job until at least after NYC, I'd keep my paid vacation time, plus almost 2 weeks off for Christmas when my office shuts down.
When I talked to my dad tonight he thought it might be a better idea to think it through a little more and apply for jobs later. Just in my one search tonight I found offices throughout BC and Alberta wanting civil technologists to draft. That's where my specialty lies. I'm very nervous about going a totally different direction. Right now drafters are in high demand almost everywhere and I don't think that trend is going to stop anytime soon.
Okay well that was a very long and drawn out ramble. I think I just needed to get that all out If anyone has the patience to read it all, let me know what you think.

[judy]

Lindsey,

I'm so glad you got a great response, but....

"If it were something like land usage and environmental studies, I would be all over that. I guess working at my current job I've really gained an appreciation of the environmental side of things and I think I'd like to stick there. I LIKE DIRT. I don't care so much about pipes and manholes and sewers and all that stuff. My interest lies in soil "

I might consider waiting for an opportunity to come along that I would love. To leave just because ?????, move, and learn skills I wouldn't be that interested in, doesn't sound like I would find it worthwhile.

You are very talented and very good at what you do. Do it in an area you're really interested in.

But....

[Lindsey]

Thanks Judy. That's the response I was hoping for I just sent out one resume to see what kind of response I'd get, and it just got really overwhelming really fast that I could have another job and be living halfway across the country in a month. I think that if drafting starts slowing down, I might ask my office manager if he thinks it would be okay if I followed someone doing a phase 1 environmental site assessments... we get a ton of those and apparently they are really easy to do. It might be good to get experience into that kind of thing while I'm here.