This morning, I had another Hill interview. It went well and I have a follow-up interview tomorrow. It's for a Staff Assistant position in a Member office. I hadn't anticipated actually having to working as a Staff Asst but given that this particular office can serve as a fast-track to bigger and better opportunities, I'm open to it.
The problem is pride. I had imagined that I'd leave my current position for an environmental LA position with a great office (like the one I interviewed for 2 weeks ago…). The ideal position, if it really was the right fit, could have been so great that I'd defer PC just to be amid all the action in 2009. But now that the reality of Hill employment and my PC dream have hit me, I've become more open to whatever comes my way. In particular, this Staff Assistant position, though I'd be doing nothing but answering phones all day long, would be the perfect 9-month Hill position that would beef-up my resume for any future Hill job and not be a position that I would feel bad to leave after only a short time.
So if I am selected, I must swallow my pride. In a way, it will be a demotion but something that will have significant value on my resume if I ever decide to come back to D.C. and try the Hill again. In a way, it's not a demotion, and that's the crazy thing about the Hill. There are PhDs serving as unpaid interns and staff assistants while others without advanced degrees are serving as LAs and LDs. It really is all about who you know and as a Staff Assistant in this office, I'm quite sure that I'll get to know quite a few important people who can help me out later.
But, is this what I really want and what is best for me right now? Though there are a few special "pet" projects that I love at my current job, I am ready for a change. But I am also scared of change, and how this decision will impact all my other 2008 plans of moving to DC, learning Spanish, getting ready for PC, etc.
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