Finally Leaving

Tomorrow will be my last day at my current job. I will be moving on to a new job that I am extremely excited about.

For the past 14.5 months I have been employed at a public sector non-profit organization. During that time I have worked in a 10' x 6' cubicle in (what amounts to) a secretarial position. I wasn't hired as a secretary, but it quickly became apparent that I was simply going to be assigned the stuff that other people didn't want to do. Consequently, I have had no direction in which I could focus my energies.

Despite the fact that I have been working for an "educational organization," the institution that I have been working for has demanded unconditional support for its policies. Unfortunately, the underlying goal of those policies is to bring "modern economic development" to Yates County, New York. By "modern economic development" I mean franchise-based sprawl ("a Starbucks on every corner" etc.). To me, the most cherished aspect of the area in which I live is its rural character. That rural character, and the land-rich/money-poor people who make up that rural character, will be destroyed by modern economic development. In short, I was working for an organization that was dedicated to destroying what I hold most dear.

You might ask why I didn't leave sooner. The reason? Student loans. I finished my Master's degree in June, and it left me with many thousands of dollars of debt. I could not have continued to support my family unless I had another job to go to.

Now I have found that job, and I can not wait to start. I will look back at the past year with fondness for my fellow co-workers, but with frustration and mistrust toward the organization that is spending my tax dollars in an attempt to destroy my lifestyle. I believe that I know more about government after working here, but it's information that I almost wish I'd never learned.

"Everyone benefits from tourism and development (but the locals)."