For the past eight months, I have visualized over and over again what it would be like to quit my job. My current place of employment is not a bad company per se, but it was never a great fit for me. Shortly after I came on two years ago, there was some internal shake-ups and I was shifted around. Then the economy went down the tubes. So, since about this time last year I have assisted our COO, something I like, and been a research assistant, something I loathe.

My skill set lies in organization and harnessing my type A personality for the good of an office. I love scheduling, coordinating, and being up in everyone’s shit. One of the nicest things a former boos, a Senator, said to me was “Lexa, the thing about you is you can tell someone to jump off a bridge with a smile on your face and they will do it.” That seems about right. In a city like DC I am also serviced by the fact that I am completely unimpressed by ego and men who feel the need to swing their dicks around. I am not saying I am unintelligent-there is a brain in here-but I would probably argue that my personality and work ethic have helped me more than my smarts.

The solitary work of a research assistant is awful for me. The unending hearings on arcane topics that require hours of write up are torture. The people here are nice enough, but with a few exceptions, no one is friendly. Office morale is not great and no one socializes outside of work. I have been looking for a new job in earnest since Christmas and it has been quite the ordeal.

I have been lowballed by tens of thousands of dollars, had hiring freezes enacted the day I was to receive an offer and been beaten out by people ten years my senior willing to take the same title and salary. I have probably been on 15 interviews. When people asked me about the search I just started replying “I don’t want to talk about it.” I had to bottle it up and tamp it down because there were so many close calls, I was being driven mad. I started to question myself, my capabilities and my intelligence. The unhappiness with a job I hated and a search that was going nowhere began affecting everything.

Well, yesterday I got to finally live out my fantasy. I quit my job.

I quit my job for a much better one. It is a job with a great company, doing what I love, working for a seemingly very cool guy. The atmosphere appears lovely, my commute won’t change, and I get my own office.

I quit my job for a much better one…and in this economy, I somehow managed to land a raise that I could only imagine in my dreams. I don’t know if it is maturity or what, but while I am absolutely thrilled by the raise and the much better benefits, I am happiest about the job itself. I am so ready for a change and more money is just some gold laced icing on the cake.

I quit my job and yesterday, I felt a huge weight lifted off me. I cannot believe my luck after such a long and hard search. I am so thankful for all the friends who supported me during this shitty time and pushed me along when I was ready to scream (I am looking at you Cindarella, Irish, LiLu and Maxie).

Holy shit, I quit my fucking job. I feel awesome.