I have a new job!

[professionalhenchman]

So, those of you who have seen me in person know some of this already, but as of today, I finally have a new full-time, permanent job.  It was a rather eventful end of the week last week - I got a phone call Weds. afternoon from one of the temp agencies I'd been regularly in contact with, they apologized for it being much less than what I was looking for, but wanted to know if I'd be interested in a part-time, short-term temp job washing glassware at one of the local biotech companies, starting the next morning.  As it was decidedly better than no job at all, I accepted it, and went about my first day there, ending up being kept for 7 hours rather than the offered 4 because the person I was working for really needed the help.  So, I got home, checked my phone messages, and found a job offer from a lab in the Vet school's medicine & epidemiology department, which I really hadn't expected to be  offered based on how I felt the interview went.  Still, I was pleased at the surprise, and played phone tag, leaving a message that I'd be glad to accept, and would be available Monday.  Then, I called the temp agency, told them I'd be done after Friday, and why - they took it in stride.  Friday, I go back to the glassware washing job, tell them, get congratulations and some sadness that they wouldn't get to keep me, work another almost full day, and come home.  Then, I get a call that evening offering me a job in Plant Pathology working on a Biofuels project.  Having accepted the other job just the day before, I tell them that I'd just accepted another offer, and am promptly asked if I'd signed the paperwork yet.  "No," says I, and they tell me that they were going to offer me a raise over what I'd been making when I was laid off at the previous job (and what I'd be making again at the new one), and that if I changed my mind, the offer'd be open until they interviewed more candidates and found someone else.  I thank them, and hang up, then send an email (as it's seemed to be the best way to reach these people) to the vet people, asking if they'd be willing to match the salary offer, as I'm leaning towards that job from what I remember from the respective interviews.
        So, this weekend, I found myself in the surprising position of getting to choose where I'm going to work next, from two options that were both quite interesting and each of which offered different opportunities for growth in my chosen career path.  I was understandably excited, and in between dancing at Faire and splurging a bit on stuff I'd been wanting all season, but couldn't afford at the time, I pondered options.  This morning, I went in and talked with the vet school first, found that they wouldn't be able to match the salary offer, and got the tour of the labs there, something which had been left out of the interview.  After that, I wandered off to think for a while over a cup of chai.  In the end, what decided me was my impression of the people I'd be working with, and I ended up accepting the Plant Pathology job, though when i went to sign papers, they got a call from HR informing them that they weren't actually allowed to offer me more money, causing a brief awkward moment as I had to reassure them that I wasn't going to change my mind because of this. 
         I spent most of the day getting to know the people in the lab, and helping pack up the lab as we're moving to the recently-renovated Robbins Hall.  It's a large (~20 people) lab, but it feels very comfortable, and I think I'll get along well here.  I found out that one of my former co-workers from the lab next door to my old one was here and is good friends with my new boss - apparently he put in a good word for me.  Also, I talked with the person I'll be replacing - also named Brian - and found that he's taking a job with Arcadia Biosciences, which is one of the companies I'd been thinking it'd be really cool to work for, so I think that this job will be good for my career advancement too.