Done #9: Have my first post-graduate, degree required, job

Well it is now official: I have a job!

After 7 years of school (8 years if you count my year off, 20 if you count since kindergarden) and 3.5 months of looking I have finally entered the working world.  For me this is pretty exciting, and such a big step.  To finally leave the world of academia and be thrust into the career world, it is such a different world, but I was so ready for it.

With work comes a consistent schedule.  No more studying at night or on weekends.  I now feel like my life has such a good balance, which is so refreshing!

But enough ramblings, more about the job:

I am working for Travelers Insurance in the California Sports Workers Compensation Division.  Here I will not only become trained as an insurance adjuster in both CA and TX, but I will get the opportunity to negotiate settlements for our claims.  This is the main reason I wanted this job; it has my favorite part of lawyering (negotiation) with 9-5 hours.  It also has a lot of upward mobility potential (which for someone who wants to be a career woman, is really important).  They offered me an awesome salary + a great benefits package (why hello 20 days paid vacation, where have you been all my life?!?).  All of this added up to perfect job for me.  Challenging + work-life balance = exactly what I was looking for.

It may not be the traditional lawyer job, but I think it is just what I wanted.

I am currently three weeks in and it seems like it is going to be awesome.  Plus Chris and I are thoroughly enjoying everything that comes along with our newfound DINK (double income no kids) status.  We eat out, we plan fun vacations, and we have time to actually hang out with one another!  It turns out living on one salary for almost four years makes having that second salary so much sweeter.

So #9 done.  I have my first post-graduate, degree required, big-girl job.  Yay!