the wonderful world of veena.: 44 of 52: i got a job!

10 November 2014

44 of 52: i got a job!

So you know how I have been mostly unemployed for the last year-and-a-half? Well, I am unemployed no more! As of last week I have been offered and have accepted a position as a Schools Implementation Manager with Zaya in Bangalore. Yes, that's right, my job includes a move back to Bangalore! I can't wait.

I first found out about Zaya through a job alert, and although I knew I was underqualified for the position of Director of Academic Content, I also decided to go ahead and apply because the organization sounded cool. And lo and behold, a few weeks later I received an email from a Zaya staff member asking if I had time to speak with him. Of course I had time. I had nothing but time.

We had a great chat, discussing my past experiences and what kind of work environment I was searching for. When I said I liked a combo of office work + being in the field, he mentioned a position with Zaya that fit perfectly into that description: the Schools Implementation Manager. I was intrigued.

Following our initial conversation, I was sent a case study to complete. A few weeks after I sent it back, I received an email from a different person asking me for times when I was available for a second interview. Now we were on to something.

The second interview also went well, and almost immediately after I was asked to provide my references, complete an online assessment, and schedule a third and final interview with another staff member.

After the third interview, my mind start spinning. After months of sending off resumes and cover letters and receiving too many emails saying thanks-but-no-thanks, finally it seemed like there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Here was an organization in India working in education and blended learning that seemed to want me. Me! It was too good to be true.

To tamp down on my expectations, I convinced myself it would be at least a week before I heard anything back. My final interview was on a Thursday, and with the weekend looming, I figured it would take some time for them to make their final decision. Rather than drive myself crazy waiting, I promised myself I wouldn't think about it until at least the following Wednesday. And with a busy weekend coming up, I managed pretty well to put it out of my mind.

So imagine my surprise when I woke up on Monday morning and discovered an email in my Inbox with the subject line "Offer Letter". What? Was this really happening? And it seems as though it really was.

After some deep thought on the subject...wait, who am I kidding, I hardly had to think about this at all. About 5 minutes after reading the email and offer letter I messaged both Maggie and Britney to tell them the news, and at that point I knew I was going to accept the position. It's back in Bangalore, it's with a really cool and fast-growing company, and it's working in education without actually being a teacher. I'm finally going to be earning a steady paycheck again, and I will finally have the opportunity to set up my own home and live on my own. It's all happening.

Here's the kicker: I START ON DECEMBER 29th. That's right, December 29th. I fly out the day after Christmas, spend a week in Bombay for meetings and training, and then head to Bangalore to hit the ground running. And although 7 weeks sounds like a long time, with Thanksgiving and Christmas and already-existing trips to Green Bay and Little Rock in the works, it's really not long at all. I've already added visits to Nashville and Baton Rouge, and my brother is coming home on the 13th, so it's going to be a crazy last few months in the States.

But I will take it, because I. Have. A. Job.

the gist of the job: Zaya is committed to changing education in India and run a variety of programs, from blended-learning curriculums to teacher training and development, to accomplish that mission. My role will be as a School Implementation Manager, so I will be working directly with some of the schools in Bangalore to make sure the program is being implemented properly and to work with headmasters and teachers to troubleshoot any problems. I'll have much more information once I get on the ground, so be on the lookout for an update in a few more months.

[namma bengaluru, here i come!]

other highlights included: I GOT A JOB! [I felt like it needed to be mentioned again]; Tuesday Night dinner at Lafayette's; celebrated my mother's birthday with an awesome dinner at Seasons 52; a mother-daughter weekend; Cajunfest and a Rhodes Senior Day victory over Hendrix; Sunday Indian feasting at home [that resulted in a lot of requests for our stuffed okra recipe]