Last day as a public employee . . .

"When I stepped out . . . into the bright sunlight . . ."
-The Outsiders

I can't avoid trying to find some insightful quote that encapsulates the feelings I'm having as I prepare to ease out of the career I have enjoyed over the last dozen years. Despite the stereotypical public employee malaise, I feel like I have made a difference in the lives of others both professionally and personally; with co-workers as well as clients. I know public employees get a bad rap from anecdotal experiences that have become folklore; although DMV workers in New York City probably fit the stereotypical persona.

I have always tried to treat my clients the way I'd like to be treated. Being involved in people's personal lives (I've been a child support officer) has been at times trying, tragic, and depressing. However, have had some moments in "the bright sunlight" and have received compliments from the clients I have served.

Now it is time to turn the page and I'm horribly nervous. I knew I'd never make a million bucks as a public employee, but I have had the security that comes from a solid, middle-class job with union protection. Today, I give that security up to pursue the dream of earning a PhD in political science.

Southern Illinois University is my future for the next four to five years.

Immersing myself in the science behind politics (while politics is certainly an art, the STUDY of it IS science, despite what Sen. Tom Coburn might think) IS my life's work; now I'm just going to get the credentials so I can spend my workdays analyzing and interpreting the intricacies and minutiae of how things work in American Politics.

As a non-traditional student, the transition to full-time student will be daunting , to be sure. I am excited, nervous, and anxious at any given moment. Today's milestone is bittersweet; as I begin my new chapter, I must close the old one and that is NEVER easy for me.