Mood: Thrilled!
Song: N/AUnits of Caffeine: 8 Gah! Has it been five months since my last blog? Has it seriously been that long? Well, what a difference five months make. (I know, I know… the beginning of this blog doesn’t sound all that different from my last blog, written in January, but that’s the only similarity… oh, and that I’m writing about a new job.)
Yes, I was only at the University of Washington for about six months, but two things happened:
(1) The job at the UW wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.
(2) I have finally gotten a job in theatre!
You know, actually, the job at the UW was exactly what I thought it would be – it was the people I worked with who made it unpleasant. After a while, it became very apparent that they thought of me as nothing more than another office monkey. After I applied for a position within the office for which I was extremely qualified and was told that “interviewing me would be a waste of everyone’s time,” I knew that it was time to put the job search back into fifth gear. I can’t tell you how much I didn’t want to do this. Searching for a job is exhausting. I know because I felt that I just got done doing it – Hell, I DID just get done doing it! Of course, I was keeping my ear to the ground for some theatre work, but I really didn’t give it the time it deserved until this unfortunate event occurred at the UW. So, I applied for the typical admin positions that I always go for – although, admittedly, I had absolutely no interest in them. I also applied for a few more positions in higher ed. Again, though, after my experience at the UW, I really wasn’t looking forward to doing this shit all over again. Yes, I know that I spent five glorious years at an amazing department in a university in Texas, but I think I was just worn out.
But then I found a position at a local theatre that looked tailor-made for me. It did not pay as much as I was making at the UW, but this wasn’t about the money anymore. It was about leaving a position that had no future. It was about getting away from jobs that did nothing more than pay the bills. And it was about finally getting focused on my career.
K and I spent a few nights tweaking, refining, and glossing my theatre resume. I sent it out and, my god, I actually got a call for an interview! My first theatre interview! To say that I was nervous was a severe understatement. I prepared myself for this interview in ways that I had never done before: I researched the theatre and found out the history of the company, the artistic staff, budgets, vision statements, etc. I spent a few evenings going over potential interview questions and rehearsed some key points I wanted to bring up.
The morning of the day of the interview, I did not do any research or anything. I briefly looked at my resume again and then relaxed and focused on myself, as I would prior to an audition. As I was focusing, I remembered my theatre model that I created for my theatre management class and grabbed it as I left my apartment for my interview.
The interview was a bit strange. I wasn’t asked any of the questions I had prepared myself for. In fact, I was barely asked anything at all. The interviewing committee did most of the talking. I was VERY happy that one of the interviewers asked me what, out of all my graduate studies, I felt was the most important and why. I seized the opportunity to show them my project, and felt that may have sealed the deal. I think it was a great example of “show me, don’t tell me.” Although, I still left the interview not really knowing what to make of it. I didn’t think that I really had the opportunity to truly sell myself. It actually felt a lot like the interview I had with my former boss at the university in Texas – and we know how that turned out!
A couple of days later, I got the call with the job offer! I was thrilled! I took great delight in turning in my two-weeks notice to the UW. For two weeks, I was in great anticipation, fearing that, at any moment, someone was going to wake me up and tell me that this was all a dream.
But here I am – Today was my first day working at a professional theatre. I’m walking on clouds right now. I feel like my biggest wish in the world has just come true.
