If you didn't know, I'm in the medical field. I've been on both sides of the field; clinical and administrative. For the past 5 years, though, I was a medical biller. I had steady hours of 8:30AM-5PM Monday through Friday...it was a typical "medical billing" job. I had my cubicle, a window, and worked with a bunch of really cool girls who made our monotonous job enjoyable. We came from all over the place...we jokingly referred to ourselves as working on "the island of misfit toys" but we were okay with that. We all had our own personalities and got along great together. Still...I yearned for more. I really wanted to get back into management.
I had absolutely NO plans of leaving my girls at GSU...they were family to me and my whole world outside of my home life with my husband, dog, cat, fish and nieces. I figured it was time to spruce up my resume and update it on Monster, Indeed.com and CareerBuilder so if anyone was interested they would contact me.
About a week or two later I received a call from a doctor on the Upper East Side in Manhattan. I called him back, not thinking anything would become of it because of the location (not to mention the amount of applicants he had probably received) and feeling a bit down about the previous failed attempt of moving up into management within my company...I would be leaving for vacation in Aruba in about a week anyway so I figured I would just call him back and talk to him. I had a phone interview with him and to my surprise he liked me! He asked me to come in for an interview the day before I left for Aruba...once again, I said to myself "ehh, why not?" So that Friday I hopped on a bus to NYC for the interview.
The interview went EXTREMELY well...I was able to make the doctor laugh and I had a really good vibe coming out of it.
So, I left for vacation...and on Thursday I found out I got the job! I was so excited but so sad at the same time...I knew this was a good move for me but NYC?? Leaving what I've known for 5 years? I didn't know if I would make it without my T-Rex, LWeiss, DJ, Emott, HC, JB, Angie, Sam, Monique, AlbertaV05...such mixed emotions. As much as I knew I would miss my girls, I accepted the job. My husband cheered me on 158%...as he always had. I wouldn't have taken this chance if it wasn't for him cheering and pushing me on to keep reaching and climbing higher...I wish I could be more like him. I wish I could be so optimistic...so ready to "jump" as he always is. He's my parachute...always ready to catch me after shoving me off the ledge :)
Now, I'm a Practice Manager on the Upper East Side, Manhattan, NYC. I've learned a couple of things in my first week commuting to and from NYC....
- Get the EARLY bus. Unless you want to be stuck in traffic on the turnpike and only make it to the office with 10 minutes to spare.
- WEAR HEADPHONES. Even if you have no WIFI and there's nothing playing...you won't be approached by tourists asking you how to get to X-street, etc.
- WEAR SNEAKERS. I still have blisters on top of blisters from wearing my flats and trying to run through the tunnels to the shuttle from Port Authority. NEVER AGAIN.
- Don't make eye contact. Stare at the floor, the ceiling...just don't.make.eye.contact. Unless you want a stalker.
- Make friends with the bus driver. He will wave you onto the bus and let you skip the lines as long as you're polite and say "Good Morning!" and "thank you so much!" when exiting the bus.
- NYC is incredible...learn the grid. Learn the streets. It's much quicker walking above ground than through the underground tunnels.
- Look around. There is so much to see and hear! Every day when exiting my train there is a band playing in Grand Central Station...it's amazing. I've never experienced anything like it!
- There is no such thing as personal space on the subways...everyone is packed in the trains like sardines.
- I don't think I'll EVER get tired of seeing the characters walking around Times Square...Cookie Monster, Elmo, Mickey and Mini Mouse, IronMan....I smile each time I see them!
- McDonald's in Times Square looks like New Years Eve...with a walk up window! Crazy!
- Lots of people are on drugs. LOTS. Once again, don't stare.
- RUN, don't walk. Otherwise you''ll end up as road kill. Those cabbies are reckless.
So, thanks to Marty and my GSU girls for believing in me. Thanks for all your support, friendship and pushing me off that damn ledge into the unknown. The unknown...so far...is pretty awesome :)
~JL.~
