A Piece Of My Heart

More on the job

So here's a little more about where I'm at with the job situation. I received the call on Wednesday morning that the grant was FINALLY signed! So I quickly showered and got into work just as fast as my little feet could carry me

The reason I am so excited about this position is that it is a perfect blend of everything I'm interested in. I get to be a nerd about sciency stuff like water and biology and rocks and pollinators, but also interact with the public and encourage their exploration and curiosity of the natural world. I love, love, love seeing someone's eyes light up when they observe the wonder of the world around them for themselves and I'm so thrilled to be able to be the one to bring that feeling to people.

But (there's always a but...), before I can do that fun stuff, I need to do the nose-down work of meeting with all the partners in my county and getting their input on what audiences/topics are most important to reach. I did a bit of this last year, but now as the new official Coordinator of the program, I need to be more official about it. I need to be firm with the likes of city administrators and make them make decisions about what they need me to do. It feels a little beyond my current capabilities and experience, but I grew so much last year, that this year I expect to grow even more and further entrench myself in this world.

Anyone who works or has worked for government knows the pace at which things tend to happen. For those unaware, the answer is slow. Which is another consideration I need to keep in my mind. I need to meet with all stakeholders, draft a workplan for myself, get the workplan approved by all stakeholders, AND get the workplan approved by the source of the funds before any project related work can begin. Then I have to prove the program is valuable within a year so that stakeholders can include it in their budgets for the next year after the current funding source expires (on Dec 31st 2021). Until then, I have a job, but the hope is to continue this journey long into the future, which means I'll need to secure new funding, which (due to the government) means I need to get long term funding in the budgets of a bunch of cities ASAP.

Anyway, I'm super excited, but it's a lot of pressure. And ... I'm going to be trying NaNo this year as well O.o October Prep month is upon us ...

Wish me luck!
Emily