A New Chapter in a New City

Just a little over a month ago, I was still working on my desk, until one Friday morning, I received a call from a number that I didn’t recognize. I answered the phone. 

“Hello, this is Rynn.”

“Hey Rynn, this is X from Y.”

Oh, it’s the manager who interviewed me. I was thrilled to get a call from him. And of course, nervous. I was walking in a circle in my kitchen as I talked, trying to shake off the energy. 

“Hey, X, it’s nice hearing from you.”

“Yeah, hope you’ve been well! I’m calling to let you know that the panelists were really impressed with your presentation and we think you are going to be a good fit for the team and the company. With that, we’d like to extend the job offer to you.” 

My heart was beating faster than a greyhound winning a race, with indescribable joy. I wasn’t expecting to receive a call back let alone getting the position at a highly competitive company. 

I remembered leaving the interview feeling like I could have responded better. All the “scripted” responses that I have spent weeks preparing were thrown out of the window when the panelists asked the questions. “Why would I say that, that’s so stupid.” or  “Wait, I should have mentioned this instead.” Sounds familiar? 

It’s always been my dream to work for a global company. Why? Honestly, I’m not exactly sure. I think I wanted to be a part of an organization that makes a positive impact on the world on a larger scale.

I came across this company’s 2030 strategic initiative and it really made an impression on me. They not only strive to become the industry leader but also stretch themselves to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems such as addressing forced labor among its suppliers, improving technology in the health care and the auto industry, committing to inclusiveness, supporting continuing education and striving for sustainable energy. 

This position was originally offered in Hillsboro, Oregon, which means I would continue staying at my condo, start working from home at 8 am, get off at 5 pm, go to the gym, cook, rest up, read, practice guitar, go to sleep. I couldn’t picture myself going through the same routine that I’ve been doing, just with a different work environment. 

You might be thinking, I could just find something different to do after work, spice up this boring life of mine. I agree that I could totally seek out, meet new people, and do something different. But, Portland is still a city that I’m familiar with to be doing all of these. I’d still be comfortable.  

I knew I wanted to leave and move to another state. Although I regretted that for half a second when I thought about the move. I hate moving, well, who doesn’t? But that’s not an acceptable excuse at all. If not now, when? 

I thought I wanted to go to the east coast because the cities would be the most different from where I’m at now, I assumed. So last year, I visited Chicago and New York. I love big cities, the buildings were magnificent. I enjoyed the trip as a visitor, but they both didn’t feel right to me to be living in. It might be because my mind is telling me to stay in Portland, to be comfortable. 

At this point, I knew I just needed to make a decision and just do it. So out of a few options to relocate, I chose San Jose. I’ve never actually set foot in that city, but I chose it for two reasons: first, the city’s population is almost double compared to Portland, and second, it’s the Silicon Valley where all the big tech companies are located. These two reasons supported my motivations for the change where I want to expand my social network and find new opportunities. 

This day has finally arrived. I’m drafting this blog post on the flight to the city that I am now calling home – San Jose, California. 

I’m feeling the nerves inside me as this reality of working for a big tech company is coming true. My brain is blanking on me in terms of what to expect. I will for sure carry the reflections that I’ve made in my previous post about 5 things I wish I had done differently for this new and exciting opportunity. 

I’m proud to share that I’ll be starting my new job as a Business Analyst at Intel next Monday, February 28th. 

San Jose, Intel, here I come!

A new chapter in a new city begins.

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