Leaving Freelance For Full-Time Work

Big announcement in the world of Dena: I have accepted a position as a communications specialist (fancy phrase for "writer") with The Sales Factory, a research-based strategic marketing firm in Greensboro, NC. 

"What?!" you say. "Is it the apocalypse?"  

Nope. The stars simply aligned to bring everything together in what, looking back, is an amazing fit of various pieces of the life puzzle. 

You know we've moved to Greensboro. What I haven't posted is that we moved into the new home on a Wednesday and I started my new job the following Monday. House, job, life... boom. It was quite a week. 

Friends and family expressed concern over my abandoning (for the most part) the freelance life. My second week of work, best friend Trisha texted me at 6 a.m. and said, "You do realize they expect you to show up again, right?" (My reply: "No one said anything to me about it.")

Here's the great part: I am LOVING the desk job. It's 30 hours a week, Mon-Fri, 8:30 - 2:30. Enough time to still fit in workouts, home life, cooking, some freelance jobs and work on my next book. But beyond that, I am having more fun then should be allowed on the job. The pace is fast, the work varied, and I'm surrounded by smart, motivated people.

I was kind of dreading that awkward first week/month of work, where you're not really sure what your role is or where you fit in. There was none of that. From day one, I felt a part of the team. Every day when Blair asks how my day was I answer, "Great!" I have yet to not mean it. 

That being said, I will admit to experiencing a sense of loss of personal time. I thought getting off at 2:30 would leave me with these wide open afternoons but it hasn't worked out that way. Part of it is we're still getting the house settled. I'm running a ton of errands, meeting with plumbers and lawn services and spending more time at Target and Lowe's then any individual should. Once all that calms down, I'm hoping to become more productive in my afternoon hours.

Meanwhile, I could not be happier with my decision to join thesalesfactory. What's interesting is that I walked away from the first informal breakfast meeting not just thinking but knowing, "Yep. I belong there." Ever have those moments of clarity?

The blog posts may be sporadic for a bit until I find my feet, but no doubt there will be some "Life of a working girl" posts in the near future. 

Cheers,

Dena