WEVerb: Choose

For the month of December, I’ll be participating in #WEverb11. Each day gives a new prompt, each of which is a chance to reflect and look forward.
Slowly but surely, I'm getting on the WEverb bandwagon.  Still not at the point where I can use the hashtags or insert badges, but here's today's topic:

#8: Choose

What was the biggest choice you made in 2011? What caused you to choose what you chose?


Contributed by Melissahttp://www.53blonde.com

Ah, this one is easy for me!  The biggest choice was on Valentine's Day when I got an offer for my current job and decided to accept it. 
 
I'd left my last job early that day (you know, Valentine's Day, trying to go home and change into something pretty for dinner).  I heard my cell ringing but couldn't get to it in time.  Pulled into a gas station (I seriously have this entire thing frozen in my mind, I can picture exactly where I stopped my car, what the sky looked like, etc.).  I listened to the voicemail from the VP with whom I'd interviewed and he asked me to call him back.  So I did.  He was there (having worked at a big firm before, I didn't get at all freaked out by the fact that this guy was still at work at almost 7:00 on Valentine's Day) and he offered me the job.  I already had a good feel for salary and benefits since we'd discussed before.  I knew right away I was going to accept, but of course I wanted to discuss with hubby.  Well, by Tuesday morning, I'd made the call to accept the new job and given my notice. 
 
As for what caused me to choose, well, it was complicated.  Let's just say I was NOT loving my last job.  As a lawyer, I worked first at a very big firm doing insanely interesting work, getting paid very well, and working absolutely insane hours.  I couldn't stand the hours.  It left me with no life outside of work.  Way too many all-nighters, and looking at the more senior people, those jobs where my career path was supposed to lead, it didn't look any better.  Few people really seemed happy, and absolutely none of them had a life I wanted.  So I jumped ship, following a colleague to the opposite of the big firm -- a very very small firm.  With that came boring unchallenging work, a pay cut, and better, livable hours.  And in a very small office, some major drama and some absolutely horrendous personalities.  The office manager was very young and initially I thought above all of it, and then it broke my heart one day to hear she'd said something very not nice about me behind my back.  I was done with it then.  It was just a matter of time until I could find the right fit elsewhere, I was checked out.  I couldn't stand that drama, but even without that, the work just wasn't interesting or challenging. 
 
When I interviewed for this job, I was insanely excited.  I'd done a couple other interviews and gotten one other job offer, but I didn't want to leave just to leave, I wanted to leave to go somewhere I really wanted to work.  The other offer just wasn't the job of my dreams.  This might be.  The list of things I don't like about my new job is short -- of course I'd love more vacation (first and foremost).  I wish there were an on-site gym or even just a shower facility -- the office is about 5 miles from my house and it would be awesome to be able to run there or run home sometimes.  Wouldn't say no if they quintupled my salary, but I can't really complain because I feel well-compensated.  There were a couple other complaints (a constantly running water fountain really irked me, and I missed having a phone timer), but those have been remedied already!  But really, the work is so interesting (though some cases are disturbing, that's part of what makes it so interesting), the work is challenging, my co-workers are awesome, the office is located fairly close to my house (and in my house on Fridays!), the pay is good, there is vacation, the support is good, the resources are good, the work is steady.  I LOVE IT! 
 
The best indicator that this was a good choice for me -- one of my least favorite job tasks now is something that used to be the best part of my job before -- online legal research.  It's fun and interesting to me, but now there are so many things I like doing even more!  Far and away the best choice I made in 2011.