I Got A New Job

This week I received pretty great news.

I got a job offer. But, not just any job. The job.

The job that's a career-changer. The job that makes you feel like a "real" grown up.

It’s a position as part of the leadership team for a very popular and successful charter school network in NYC and NJ that works to close the achievement gap. I’d be working in an elementary school, directly with the principal and other school leaders. And I’d be supervising the teachers, observing them in their classrooms and providing them with feedback/suggestions to improve their classroom management techniques. I’d also be developing, implementing, and maintaining school-wide programs in order to sustain a positive school culture. Pretty warm-and-fuzzy.

The position combines my love for (and experience with) urban education/teaching and counseling. (And the paycheck makes me smile. A lot. #ImJustSaying)

I was so excited when I got the call from the principal offering me the position that I may or may not have said, "Get outta here! Really?!"

But I digress...

This is pretty much my dream position. So much so that when I finished grad school last May, I added this exact position as something to accomplish while I was putting together my Five-Year Plan. I figured I’d work really, really hard for the next five years or so, hone my leadership skills and all that jazz, and then apply for the position. But, if I can’t see my greatness (even right now), how can I expect others to see it?

FOUR rounds of intense interviews later (one that included me teaching a lesson to a class of summer school students while the principals and school leaders watched from the back of the classroom, taking notes) and here I am.

Success.

I didn’t tell anyone that I was applying for the position. I wanted to trust my own intuition on this one and follow my own instincts. 

So one night, I filled out the long, extensive application. Quietly. Confidently. 

When I had a moment of doubt in my abilities after the first round of interviews, I told one friend: L. Over margaritas at happy hour (there's always a happy hour involved), she encouraged me. She's a Heaven-sent.

And the bottom line is this: I worked really hard to get to and through Columbia – as an undergrad and in grad school. I worked really hard as a NYC public school teacher and as counselor. And the shindigs that I had in between only helped me to hone even more skills.

Proper preparation.

As the saying goes, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

I don’t share all of this to toot my own horn. That's not really my style. I share it to show you that dreams really do come true and hard work really does pay off. Always.

And… there’s no time like the present to buckle down, grind through, and pursue your dreams. There's no time like the present to be purposeful with your time and lead a fulfilling life, in every way possible. 

And to think that just 2 ½ years ago my life was like this.

Game over.

Aiden and I are moving onward and upward. 

[A and I walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Symbolic, in so many ways.]

And walking into our season.