Moving on from here

Four years ago next week will be when I first started my job in the Design Program as a temp. I was a naive college graduate who was certain my time as a UC Davis employee would only be temporary until I found a "real job" elsewhere. Little did I know how much I would enjoy going from UCD student to UCD staff member and woul remain in the same department four years later. While the pay isn't great (pay decreases are actually happening next month due to the state budget), there are certainly other benefits. I get a generous amount of paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time. I have been able to audit many classes that I wasn't able to take during undergrad. I can walk to the Arboretum or view an exhibit or go to a free music performance during my lunch hour. But most of all, I have been in the company of such great co-workers, faculty, and a boss who have become my work family. Sadly, my boss, Andrea, retired on Tuesday and I couldn't help but become emotional thinking about how our department will no longer have her optimistic presence and steadfast leadership on a daily basis. Four years ago, Andrea took me under her wing, probably because I was so relatively young, and in these years she has become a mentor. Cheesy as it sounds, she really did encourage me to believe in my true career potential. I attribute my current position as an undergrad adviser to her since she was the first person to ask me 2 years ago if that was a field I would be interested in and then urged me to jump at the opportunity. And since working as an adviser led me to realize my ultimate career goal, which led me to apply for the master's program in counseling that I will begin in the fall, I can also attribute my pursuit of my graduate education partly to Andrea as well. On a personal level, Andrea was very compassionate and truly wanted to know how all her employees were doing emotionally. She was always willing to take the time to listen to any struggles or triumphs I was going through--whether it was health issues with my mom or talking about a wedding I had just gone to. It will be hard to compare any future bosses to Andrea since I really think she is irreplaceable and embodies the qualities that a good manager should have. I'm so thankful for the mentoring role she has played in my work life these last several years, which I know will impact me as I move forward in whatever path I pursue in the present and the future.