I got a new job. (Finally.)

This past Tuesday, I gave my notice at the Courier-Post after 8 years of awesomeness. (Note: I’m there for 12 years…do the math.) I accepted a position in the membership department of…TNP. That’s short for The New Place, because I’m not naming company names yet out in the open. TNP is a non-profit trade organization for a certain specialty of doctor. I’ll be working closely with their database of members and non-members, making sure that it’s accurate and growing.

I’ve never done work quite like this before, but I interviewed with 10 people there, and made it through so they think I can do it. I choose to believe them.

So on Monday, January 23, I start my new job. It’s in Philadelphia, so I get to ride the train in every day. My apartment complex runs daily shuttles to the train station, and the office complex runs daily shuttles from the train station. There are even food trucks outside the building! I bought a messenger bag! Right now this all sounds thrilling but I give it 4 months before it starts to get old.

This is truly the end of an era in my life, because I’m also leaving behind “web work” as my day job. My internet love will have to be satisfied by doing jobs on the side, which I’m already looking into doing. And I’ll really miss about 90% of the people at the C-P. But after all of the layoffs and furloughs, it’ll be nice to get into a place that’s actually growing and thriving.

Here’s the ugly part: It’s taken me a year and a half of searching for me to get a new job. Only in the last six months have I really received responses from my resume. I’ve been interviewed and rejected by “Plucky Local Newspaper Company,” (phone interview, in-person interview) “Big SJ Hospital System Who Loves Numbers,” (phone interview, 2 in-person interviews; resubmitted my resume for a related position and got no calls) and “Evil Cable Company” (phone interview, in-person interview). For TNP, I had an informal lunch, a phone interview and 2 in-person interviews, one that consisted of my meeting with 7 people over the course of 2 1/2 hours. I also never would have found the TNP position without knowing someone who already worked there who tipped me off about the job.

That also explains why my blogging has been sparse. Because when your employers are constantly making lists of who to lay off next, blogging that you’re taking another day off to go into Philly to interview isn’t very smart. This has been an 18-month non-bloggable issue.

This coming week will be sad. There will be a cake for me on Wednesday morning, a happy hour for me Thursday after work, and my exit interview at 10am Friday, during which I’ll hand over my access badge. Then at around 11:30am Friday, I’ll walk out the door.

In 2012 I will start a new job, get married, and turn 40. If that doesn’t convince you that it’s all going to end in December, nothing will.

Grab your juggling balls & unicycles, for the end of the world is nigh*. REPENT!

*originally spoken in my 20’s as I flushed a colony of sick and dying Sea Monkeys down the toilet