Making Moves: 31 by the 31st

 It's time for me to make some serious moves with my professional life. At work, I've become little more than a glorified baby-sitter who gets blamed when things aren't perfect (also known as: a convenient scapegoat). 

So here's my pre-New Year's resolution:* 

31 by the 31st. I'm going to try to apply to 31 jobs, fellowships, volunteer opportunities, basically any and everything that might possibly get me out of here by the end of the school year, hell maybe before then. I'm scheduling to take the GMAT and looking into business schools. And I want it done by the 31st. People may be predicting that 2012 is the year the world ends but if it does I will not still be at this job when it happens. 

When I think about my time at this job, I don't regret it. I definitely grown as a professional. I've learned to advocate for myself. I've learned to communicate with a variety of people and it's tested my patience, my professional abilities and most of all, my inner strength. I've had to go without, I've had to ask for help even when it was the last thing that I wanted to do. I've also really enjoyed a lot of the experiences I've had especially the students. Some of my current advisees I've known since they were in the 8th grade and next year they will be graduating and heading to college. But as much as this job has shown me what I enjoy and love it's also given me a lot of clarity around what I am unwilling to put up with. And that is invaluable. 

*I don't really like New Year's resolution's anyway so I'd rather get a jump on setting and achieving my goals