New Job, New Career Direction

I'll be starting next Tuesday in a new job. Tuesday because I really wanted to go to the Iowa State Fair with Mom and Dad on Monday, and why not start out with a four-day week? Gotta ease into these things after two months of a life of leisure.

I am really excited about it, which is a good thing because it's the only interview I ended up getting after all those resumes and applications and essays. (Seriously, that email I got from the US Geological Survey telling me I wasn't qualified pissed me off - if anything, I was OVERqualfied for that job.) But that's pretty par for the course for my major life decisions: I only have one or two options, but they always turn out to be a really good thing for me.

It's in the Treasury Department of the University, which is the University's equivalent of the University of Iowa Foundation - the Foundation is the preferred vehicle for donations, but the University takes donations, too and the Treasury Department is responsible for investments, as well as the banking and debt service. My title will be Investment Compliance Manager, and I will be responsible for monitoring, analyzing, due diligence and reporting on the University's investments. My priority project to start out will be developing a system of metrics to evaluate the alternative investment portfolio, which I am very psyched about.

I'm also looking forward to working with my new co-workers. I've met several so far (some were involved in the interview process) as well as my immediate supervisors, and I'm impressed with everyone so far. I really, really liked the head of the Department, and my conversation with her during the second interview sealed my interest in the position. I think she'll be a fantastic person to work for, and I'm going to learn a lot from her.

It's been so long since I've started a new job. Learning how things work, who does what, establishing a schedule, is there even a refrigerator? Lunch is important, people.