Anyone who's known me the last few years knows that while I've been content working in welfare, the one thing I've really wanted to do in the county where I work is work in the Fraud Unit. I interviewed for it last year but did not get the position. There were two available openings, and I did not come in Number One or Number Two. Getting that letter of rejection was... painful. For one, a LOT of things had gone wrong between August and October of last year for me. It was just a brief period where I couldn't catch a break to save my life, and it culminated with having Copernicus' teeth removed. The worst part about getting that rejection letter, though, was this: When people go to work in the fraud unit, they don't tend to leave. For many people it's an ideal position, and because every case is different and requires a new way of thinking, most people get sucked into it and just don't leave; they're happy there. Getting that rejection letter told me that window of opportunity had closed, probably for good, since the new hires would likely stay there until they retired, and no one else was slated to retire soon.
As it happens, last June one of the investigators unexpectedly had to leave, which of course meant a new position was open. I was really frustrated in my old job; I'd hit a rut and felt like I was going nowhere, and for an ambitious individual like myself that's a poisonous feeling. I'd long since stopped looking at the job postings because the only thing I'd ever wanted to do other than my old position was work fraud; instead, I was starting to look for jobs outside the county. My comics aren't paying the bills (yet), so I've got to make ends meet somehow, some way. It wouldn't hurt to be happily paying the bills, and I was pretty unhappy. One of my coworkers was paying attention, though, and saw the ad pop up. When she told me about it, my first instinct was: "Screw it, I've been stuck here so long there's no way it'll happen." Remembering how bad it hurt getting that first rejection letter was enough to make me pause... but after pausing I thought about it and realized I would never forgive myself if I didn't give it a shot, and I applied the same day.
The interview came and went, and I've always been good at interviews. I gave it my best, left all the cards on the table, and left feeling pretty confident I'd wasted my time.
About 5 weeks later, around the time they'd told me they would make their decision, I got a call on my cell phone. I was at a bridal shower for a coworker, and the person on the other line instructed me to find somewhere private to talk. I ended up rushing into a stairwell. And, sure enough, the call was a job offer for the Fraud Investigator position. After a fair amount of stammering and tripping over my tongue, I accepted. We ended the call, at which point I sat down in the stairwell and cried for a bit. (And for the record, I never cry. Like, ever.)
On September 8th, 2014 I moved into my new cubicle. I now work much closer to home; my commute has been effectively cut in half. The promotion came with a raise in my paycheck, and while it's not much I can now live more comfortably; more importantly, I'll be able to afford more online advertising for my comics. (Part of what's held me back in that department is the lack of funds.) I have great new coworkers, and awesome new supervisor, and the job has met my expectation in pretty much every way. I look forward to going into work, I like puzzling over the cases I get and digging through the records for minute details. I have a heckuva lot to learn, but I'm loving every bit of it.
Most other aspects of my life are going well too; no more sinus infections, I've taken up rock climbing, and even the cats are happily munching on each others' heads. There's still a few things I wouldn't mind seeing work out, but all in all I'm very grateful for the spot I'm in now.
Coming up with that sound effect was easily the best part of this comic.
There are not one, but TWO new gallery images up! Lunch Break and The Investigator!
Some even bigger news I would like to share:
I got promoted. I am now a Fraud Investigator.
Anyone who's known me the last few years knows that while I've been content working in welfare, the one thing I've really wanted to do in the county where I work is work in the Fraud Unit. I interviewed for it last year but did not get the position. There were two available openings, and I did not come in Number One or Number Two. Getting that letter of rejection was... painful. For one, a LOT of things had gone wrong between August and October of last year for me. It was just a brief period where I couldn't catch a break to save my life, and it culminated with having Copernicus' teeth removed. The worst part about getting that rejection letter, though, was this: When people go to work in the fraud unit, they don't tend to leave. For many people it's an ideal position, and because every case is different and requires a new way of thinking, most people get sucked into it and just don't leave; they're happy there. Getting that rejection letter told me that window of opportunity had closed, probably for good, since the new hires would likely stay there until they retired, and no one else was slated to retire soon.
As it happens, last June one of the investigators unexpectedly had to leave, which of course meant a new position was open. I was really frustrated in my old job; I'd hit a rut and felt like I was going nowhere, and for an ambitious individual like myself that's a poisonous feeling. I'd long since stopped looking at the job postings because the only thing I'd ever wanted to do other than my old position was work fraud; instead, I was starting to look for jobs outside the county. My comics aren't paying the bills (yet), so I've got to make ends meet somehow, some way. It wouldn't hurt to be happily paying the bills, and I was pretty unhappy. One of my coworkers was paying attention, though, and saw the ad pop up. When she told me about it, my first instinct was: "Screw it, I've been stuck here so long there's no way it'll happen." Remembering how bad it hurt getting that first rejection letter was enough to make me pause... but after pausing I thought about it and realized I would never forgive myself if I didn't give it a shot, and I applied the same day.
The interview came and went, and I've always been good at interviews. I gave it my best, left all the cards on the table, and left feeling pretty confident I'd wasted my time.
About 5 weeks later, around the time they'd told me they would make their decision, I got a call on my cell phone. I was at a bridal shower for a coworker, and the person on the other line instructed me to find somewhere private to talk. I ended up rushing into a stairwell. And, sure enough, the call was a job offer for the Fraud Investigator position. After a fair amount of stammering and tripping over my tongue, I accepted. We ended the call, at which point I sat down in the stairwell and cried for a bit. (And for the record, I never cry. Like, ever.)
On September 8th, 2014 I moved into my new cubicle. I now work much closer to home; my commute has been effectively cut in half. The promotion came with a raise in my paycheck, and while it's not much I can now live more comfortably; more importantly, I'll be able to afford more online advertising for my comics. (Part of what's held me back in that department is the lack of funds.) I have great new coworkers, and awesome new supervisor, and the job has met my expectation in pretty much every way. I look forward to going into work, I like puzzling over the cases I get and digging through the records for minute details. I have a heckuva lot to learn, but I'm loving every bit of it.
Most other aspects of my life are going well too; no more sinus infections, I've taken up rock climbing, and even the cats are happily munching on each others' heads. There's still a few things I wouldn't mind seeing work out, but all in all I'm very grateful for the spot I'm in now.
Life is good.