More background: Work

For a little over four years now (the longest I've ever been with a single employer), I've been working as a web developer for a video rental company. The tiny bit of actual web development that I get to do is fairly interesting and enjoyable, but that actually takes up less than 25% of my time... some weeks even less. The rest of the time consists of muddling through the insanely convoluted layers of bureaucracy and illogical red tape standing in the way of getting anything done, dealing with or avoiding juvenile office politics or incompetent coworkers, or trying to find ways to seem busy when there's nothing for me to do.

It has been a pretty sweet situation for me... I feel really fortunate in a lot of ways. I'm getting paid more than I ever have before, my schedule is fairly flexible, I'm salaried but almost never have to work extra hours or weekends, there's a very casual dress code (e.g. I doubt I will have worn anything on my feet this week besides flip-flops), and, overall, there's really not that much that's required of me to keep my boss happy.

This will all be coming to an end very soon. I have been very clearly warned by several people that I won't be able to work much if at all once I start my nursing education proper. The "several people" includes my friend and fellow nursing student Krista, who is a year ahead of me in the same UP program into which I'll be diving in a few short months, and about whom you'll almost definitely read more in future posts: she has been incredibly helpful by letting me know what to expect based on her experiences there so far. By the time January comes around, I may be the most informed and forewarned new student in the whole cohort based on Krista's info.
Anyway, she has mentioned that most of her fellow students are not working while they're in school, and the ones who are are pretty much hating life right now.

I haven't completely given up the idea of working part-time during my time at UP, but my current employer doesn't really have any part-time positions. Besides, if I am able to work at all, it may have to be a job where I can use downtime to work on homework etc. That wouldn't go over very well here.

So anyway, I'll be quitting this job in less than four months now, and I'm getting more excited by the day. I can't wait to leave the mind-numbing tedium and blood-boiling lunacy of office work to embark on the last and most important leg of my journey toward a career where my actions each day will mean something, even life-or-death, for many people. I'll be saying goodbye to a company I don't care about in an industry that is obsolete (who really thinks people will still be driving to a store to rent a dvd in another decade??) in exchange for a role where I'm truly needed.

That will be a very welcome and long-awaited change...