Today marks one year since I left my job at the Office of the Public Defender and entered the private sector! Can you even believe? For the most part, I loved my previous job as Community Outreach Court Coordinator. I conducted weekly outreach; constantly spoke with clients about their needs, personal and legal issues, and celebrations; walked clients through the specialty District Court process; built connections with service providers and stakeholders; and led court days. The job was emotionally fulfilling, I enjoyed the team I worked with, and I had my own beautiful and perfect office space (remember her? I miss her!). However, after realizing there wasn’t any upward mobility in my program/position and knowing I was being paid around $20,000 less than my most similar colleague encouraged my interest in new industries. After scouring TikTok enough, I thought I’d find a private tech job and work in customer success or sales. Another part of me desired a sportswriting or copywriting position for an online form like The Athletic. Lofty dreams for someone with no ambition, eh? Ultimately I found the position I’m in at a larger company at home. I wrote about what the first six months of my position in the private sector were like and what I learned during that time back in February. And while I’ve done a ton of work and learned a lot, here are some of the accomplishments I’m most proud of:
- August 2022 — started a new job with a better title and doubled salary in a different industry
- March 2023 — gave a presentation to an 80+ person process area meeting in person
- March 2023 — gave a presentation to our company CEO in person
- June 2023 — moderated my first panel in person
- June 2023 — attended my first work conference solo
- June 2023 — gave a presentation to a 200+ person process area meeting
I’ve gone back and forth between feeling extraordinarily overwhelmed and content in my position over the past year. Learning the ins and outs of an entirely unfamiliar industry is quite difficult and I still learn something new every week. And while sometimes I feel like I’ll never be an expert in what I do, I’m truly lucky to have a strong support system in my supervisor and coworkers. I’ve never worked with a kinder, more supportive collection of people who actively encourage me to succeed. My major accomplishment list may be small, but I hope to do even more and connect with more colleagues in the next year and beyond!
