My New Life....

I am now officially a resident of Dallas, Texas...well, Irving, Texas to be exact.

To make a long story short, I was miserable in Little Rock, Arkansas. Don't get me wrong, it's a great city with some of the greatest people I've ever met. However, I am just not a small city kind of girl. I moved to Little Rock, after Hurricane Katrina and initially, everything was great because it was new. But, over time as I got to know more and more about the city, the more I learned that the choice of my locale was a mistake. I realized that when you move, as a single adult, to a city where everyone gets married straight out of high school, and definately no later than straight out of college, to their high school or college sweethearts that another relocation is imminent--that is unless I wanted to die alone.

To make matters worse, I was in a job that caused me to dread going to work. I was employed at a local college as a Program Director for a program that prepared high school students for higher education. The program involved a summer residential component that allowed the students to simulate college life for 6 weeks. The job involved exceptionally long hours in the summer, as I was required to be on campus with the students until 10pm when they would report to their dorm rooms for final roll call for the night. Additionally, working with teenagers, while can be rewarding, involves taking a lot of teenage attitude and back talk. Add in the fact that the program was federally funding, which means the salary was not exactly anything to write home about.

I decided that I would have to leave Little Rock, and just like when I desired to leave New Orleans, the prospects for an out of of town job candidate was slim. So, I decided that I would probably have to leave my job to relocate. I could only imagine the flack I would receive for leaving a job in this economy. But given the fact the program is never guaranteed to be funded past the current grant cycles, the state of the federal deficit has forced the future cuts of approximately 300 programs nationwide, and my college was strugggling through re-accredidation issues, I figured my decision to leave was not a huge risk. As a result, I got busy with the business of saving a year's salary.

The current fiscal year for the program ended on August 31st and I gave a month resignation with August 27th being my last day on the job. When I put in my resignation, my plan was to rent my house, move to Dallas and stay in an extended stay hotel until I found temporary employment. Well, a random search on Craigslist under "Education" jobs landed me an interview for a Program Delivery Specialist to target elementary schools in Dallas. The interview was scheduled for the day before my last day at work (perfect timing, I know.) The interview was on a Thursday and my last day on the job the following day on a Friday. Since I had such great luck with the job search on Craigslist, I decided to do a housing search just to see. Low and behold, I found a studio apartment that was being advertised by a student who was moving back home and needed someone to take over his lease. It turns out the rent would would be cheaper than the extended stay hotel.

So, I drove to Dallas early Thursday morning (a 4.5 hour drive from Little Rock) for the interview, waited until the tenant got off from work and looked at the apartment, then drove back home--all in the same day. I got back home after 11pm, then attended my last day of work the next day. Then I went on a one week vacation to San Diego...ahhhh. While on vacation, I got the call that I had gotten the job!!

So, while everyone thought I was crazy for leaving a job in the state of the economy, I followed my heart because I knew I could not stay in a life that was not working for me any longer--especially for a job that was not guranteed anyway. Although the job is part-time, I'm OK with this because: 1. I was burned out from the previous job and need a little break; 2. My low consumption and debt-free lifestyle allows me to be able to pay my minimum bills from the salary; 3. I have no pride and would have taken any job to pay the bills, if need be; 4. As long as the job is in education, I am still doing what I love.

So, that's the story of my new life and also why I have been absent from the blog. I still do not have my internet set up and am typing from the complex's resident business center, which also explains why the post have no picture. As a result, my posts may be a little scarce until the end of the month, so bear with me.

Oh, and so far, so good in Dallas....I start my new job today at 2pm. Wish me luck....

11 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    Woo Hoo! Congratulations! I am so happy for you!

    I don't think you're crazy for making a change, it sounds like a completely rational decision to me.
    Serendipity said...
    Wow. So much has happened in such little time. I think everything seems to be working out for the best. I can't wait to hear the rest about your new journey. :) Best of luck!

    Serendipity
    Karin said...
    That is so exciting! I'm very happy for you and it's obvious it was all meant to be. Good for you for having the courage to follow your heart.
    Believe me, I can relate to the annual funding issue and constant threats of layoffs. I can also relate very well to the "teenage attitude" :)
    I like the way you described life in Little Rock ;)
    Anonymous said...
    Congratulations. Just because the economy is in the tank doesn't mean we all have to stay where we are unhappy. Sometimes everything just lines up perfectly for us.
    Divine and Debt Free said...
    exciting!!!!!! I am very proud of you and this is a beautiful example of what getting out of debt can do for someone!

    Love it, can i come visit? lol
    FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com said...
    Congratulations!!!!

    Hope it works out in Dallas for you. We're thinking of moving there, so this will be a great thing to hear from a new resident's perspective
    Cash Only Living said...
    Wow! What an exciting change! And I missed your blog posts while you were in transition so hopefully now that you are settled we will be seeing more great posts from you. Congrats on your new job/home!
    Anonymous said...
    Good for you. There is no reason to stay where u are unhappy.
    Willow said...
    Congratulations on your new job, new apt and new life! I hope you meet many likeminded peope there. Best of luck!
    Everyday Tips said...
    Congratulations on your new life! Moving can be so exciting, although I have never moved more than 15 miles (outside of college).

    You will be going through a lot of change, so make sure you take care of yourself!!
    Anonymous said...
    Congratulations!

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