To each: one personalized Hell

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the second Fall semester I won't have to care about on an educational level. It's interesting to have my professional life divided on the same basis as my academic life had been for the previous decade, but I'm not going to complain. While I may end up doing the same thing year in and year out (so far not the case; see below), I do at least get to experience a different day sometimes. The summertime was a welcome break for me, despite the fact that a great deal changed while I was doing ordering and inventory stuff:

-Jen is no longer working in Classroom Support. She was second place for longevity of people who weren't there from the beginning.
-I am now doing personnel for CSP, strategic vision stuff, and, as time allows, the day-to-day schedule. I am also our resident filemaker brain and will still be responsible for entry of data into state's inventory. I don't think I'll be doing the day-to-day schedule all that often.
-In a bizarre twist of fate, we now have a person hired to do exactly the same thing I was originally hired to do before Jen decided she needed to be half time to make life with child easier. Apparently, my position was important, despite all of the changes it underwent.

I've actually had to talk so much in the last two days that I'm not even sure my voice is going to work tomorrow. So very, very unnatural.

Recap of the first year overall, though? Hired right before a paid holiday, converted to exempt status just after my six month probation period ended, recieved a job title change to go along with that; polished up the academic year with a few trips out of state, and returned to what seemed like a relatively slow buying period. President Mote approved my pay increase for this year, I moved into my own office and got my own nameplate and business cards.

Why do I say it's possible I won't end up doing the same thing forever? Well, it's been made apparent to me that my job title might end up changing once again in the next 12 months. I don't think any moves or changes in responsibility will occur, but with the front desk position being a contract, we've given ourselves the chance to identify whether or not what we've developed is a working formula. I guess if it turns out we've done well, I'll change title again. That would mean more business cards and probably not a whole lot else.

Do you know why I have trouble believing that? I thought for the whole first 6 months I worked for the university that nothing that was happening to me meant a whole lot; meanwhile, I've gone from financially "oopsed" to "oh look, now I can afford to take leave constantly to make the world a better place." I can go out and see movies when I want, and I don't even have to do that at the crappy theaters in Columbia. I can think ahead to December, about what that trip to Utah will hold for me.

I do know what all of the above means outside of the work context, though - I can consider myself content, if not happy, and being able to say that makes me smile somewhere on the inside.