Day 146 – Back in Motion

5

146/365 (May 26, 2011) – Very excited today. I received the call I’ve been waiting for, the job offer is being drafted, we just needed to agree on a start date, which we did. June 14th. Also found out that I am being offered a significantly higher than normal starting step following my pitch to enter at a different level than most new Federal employees. Massive Happy Dance!

So June 14th i enter the Federal Government work force as a Senior Support and Assessment Biologist for the Salmon Enhancement Program. It is a job I’ve been after since 2005. I’ve contracted with them since then, and made it through a competition two years ago only to end up in a pool, that then was extended, and for which I am eternally grateful that it was since I was ultimately hired because of that competition two years ago. I refused further contract work from them last year since they didn’t seem to want to commit to me, yet still wanted what I offered. I finally got fed up and said no, and basically didn’t work (other than my Distance Education teaching for UBC) for the past year. But it seems to have paid off in the end because they now desperately need someone to do what I was doing, and they get to hire someone who already knows how to do it. So coming in at Step 6, a stage that would have taken six years employment to reach, is in recognition of the years of contract service that I provided. Am I ever glad i actually asked and pushed the issue because apparently it’s not all that common to be offered such a jump-start.

I feel like I’ve gone from standing still to once again being in motion!