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(This is cross-posted at BlogHer.)

I gave two-weeks notice at my job last Friday. I’ve been working at a nonprofit in DC for over two years (a children’s advocacy group) and in just over two weeks — my new employer want me to start as soon as possible, so I won’t be taking a break in-between these two jobs except for the regular weekend — I’m returning to the corporate world.

I’ll be working for a large consulting firm, and although it will be a vastly different place to work compared to what I’ve been doing for the past few years, I’m ready for a change. My biggest reasons for making this switch are:

Opportunities for advancement - The nonprofit I currently work for isn’t large enough to offer me a position other than the Executive Assistant role I’m currently in (at least not any positions that I’m interested in pursuing). It’s not their fault; it’s simply their size and what they do.

Less risk for boredom – In the consulting/advisory world, contracts tend to last anywhere from a few months to a few years. Once the project is over, you move on to something different. I think this would be a good fit for me because I tend to get bored doing the same thing, at the same place, with the same people, for a long period of time. Switching things up on a periodic basis and working on a completely different project (with new people, in a new location…but still in the DC metro area) would seem more like an entirely new job. But even though it would seem like a new job, I’d have the stability of being employed by the same company.

Training and career development - A large company has the resources to introduce me to a lot of new things, in addition to offering benefits like tuition reimbursement — which can be used for outside training, degree programs, and/or certifications that I might like to pursue.

This whole new-job thing is part of the reason I’ve been so distracted lately. Although the nonprofit I work for is great, and there are certain people I’ll really miss seeing on a daily basis, I’ve known for a while that I need to move on.

When I took the Executive Assistant position last year, I knew it wasn’t something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I’m glad I had the opportunity to try it out, but at least it proved to me that it’s not what I want to do for the long-term. Although I’m entering my new job at an associate-level and will be doing a lot of administrative-type stuff in the beginning, it’s their expectation — and mine — that I’ll put in a lot of time to learn the ropes so I can move onward and upward and handle increased responsibility down the road.

When I made the new-job announcement on Facebook after work on Friday, a few people asked if I would still be in DC or if was moving back to Richmond where most of my family lives. I was surprised at first that they would ask — if I was moving out of the DC metro area, I definitely would have mentioned it. But then again, I guess the question makes sense given that I’ve previously asked whether it’s possible to go home again (Richmond is a city where I lived for eight years).

The thing is, I still like where I live. There’s a lot of stuff to do, I’ve met a lot of really cool people, and there are a lot of job-related opportunities in a city of this size that you just can’t find as easily in other places. In other words, I’m not looking to leave anytime in the near future.

You know what I really love? I love that taking a new job is guaranteed to shake up my life. Think about it. I’ll no longer be taking the same route to work. I’ll be interacting with people that I probably would never have come into contact with otherwise. I’ll be learning a lot of new things. When I made the decision to take this job, I changed the current trajectory of my life.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen.

Related Reading:

Shtetl Fabulous recently found a great job “after nearly four months of tireless searching.”

BlogHer CE Liz Rizzo has been tirelessly searching for a new job herself for a number of months, and she recently came to the conclusion that Laid Off Mondays Blow.

Sarah Beth rewarded herself with a few things after she found out she had a new job. (Hmm, note to self. That doesn’t sound so bad!)

This is an interview recommendation from someone I follow on Twitter. (I forgot to bring thank-you cards on the interview I went on, but I did make notes about some personal things the interviewers had told me about themselves so I could write the cards later and mail them the next day.)

Interviewing? Bring blank thank you notes to your interview. Write them immediately after and deliver to receptionist. What an impression!