With several post-graduation months under my belt, I am repeatedly reminded of how quickly time passes these days. (My parents assure me that this phenomenon progresses with age.) That said, where the heck have I been?
I apologize for the sporadic and negligent posting. A lot of things are changing these days, and it seems that I am still getting adjusted to everything. As I explained to a friend of mine, the funny thing about being out of college is the inconsistency of time—I go through long, static stretches and then here and there are sparks of big change. For example, my last posts reflected on the unshakable restlessness I’ve been experiencing since June. By the end of September, though, I was offered a job at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business (Durham, NC). Alongside a job, I finalized plans to move into a new apartment around Cary; I move there next week.
Although I spent far too many days putzing around in new-grad-unemployment-glory, I started commuting and working full-time at the beginning of October. New co-workers, new desk. New place to go to every morning. I am still adjusting to my work, but I am very grateful to have come across such a great opportunity.
So, what am I doing? I am a Research Associate for one of the professors in the Department of Management at Fuqua, and I am basically supporting the research for one of his National Science Foundation (NSF) grants. The research deals primarily with the use of cyberinfrastructure in team science collaborations. (If you ever want to know more about the topic, I can definitely go into more detail…but I’ve found that people are happy enough with that answer to move on, ha.) My position is completely funded by the grant, so it’s limited to nine months; I’ll be at Duke through the end of June.
I will revisit all my job hunting later in the wintertime with the hope of landing a full-time position for after June. I really hope I can find something at one of the publishers around the area, but I’ll have to see what happens.
In addition to work, I also mentioned a new apartment…
After moving back to NC, I started apartment hunting on the side, not ready to commit to a place (because I didn’t have an income) but knowing that I would want to make the move soon after I found a job. I ended up finding a complex in Cary that I really liked (I like my hometown, and I wasn’t up for moving closer to Durham since I don’t know what I’ll be doing after my Duke job), and within a week of my job offer, an affordable one-bedroom unit opened up in the neighborhood with a late October move-in date, so I jumped on it.
Living at home has been a comfortable change but not necessarily an easy one, as I’ve mentioned before. I am itching to have my own space, privacy, and independence again, so I am very excited about moving into a new apartment. As my mother says, it really is my first “adult” place. I have to be at work Tuesday morning, but then my parents, grandparents, and a good friend will help me haul everything to my new apartment. I’m excited.
I know that a lot of my updates over the summer have discussed the change and complexity of that change. I don’t feel settled yet, and I can still feel everything shifting; however, I do believe I am on the upswing of it all. Getting set up at my new apartment will finally give me a chance to establish a routine, and I’ve recently made more efforts to reconnect with friends nearby or at least make more attempts to build my social network. I still miss my friends up in Chicago, but I know that I need to get out more and have friends to rely on and spend time with down here, too, so I’ve tried to make more plans and see more people when I can; that kind of support and company has really made a difference in the last couple weeks.
Long stretches and sporadic sparks of change.
I don’t know how time manages to pass so quickly, but I do know that my update was long overdue. I mean, I was so clumsy with time that I managed to receive my first paycheck today before I even filled you in about about my new job…c’est la vie.
