6 Months!

Today is my 6-month 'workaversary'. It is basically the longest time I have had a 'real' job. Summer does not feel like summer. To me it seems like summer is 3/4 of the way over and I am sitting here, working. All day. Every day. (Besides Sunday.)

But I am so proud of myself. One reason I could not see myself going on shlichus for a year, (helping out at a Chabad house with programs or teaching in a pre-school) is because I have a problem with commitment. I cannot fathom agreeing to a job for a whole year. What if it turns out horrible? What if I hate it there? What if I don't get along with my boss or my co-workers? Then I am basically stuck there for a year because of a contract.

But this job, I kind of just eased into it. In my mind, it is temporary, until I figure out what I really want to do with my life and move away from here. That is the plan.

But for now, I like my job. I'm good at it. I like my boss, I like my co-workers, I look forward to going to work and I never thought I ever would. Yes, sometimes I come home tired and stressed with a headache and annoyed at all the idiots I had to deal with that day. Yes, sometimes I deal with nasty people. But sometimes I deal with pleasant people who are so grateful for the 2 second conversation I had with them, claiming I was "pleasant and helpful" to deal with.

And I can't help feeling accomplished when I turn off my computer at the end of the day, everything I had to do completed, clear off my desk, push in my chair, and walk out the door.

This job may not be forever, it may be a for-now-till-something-better-comes-along job. But it is helping me in the long run to integrate into the real world, and to learn valuable skills that I can take with me wherever I go.

So now for the most important question: time to ask for a raise?