Today was the first day I had to commute in the DC Metro area. While I was thankful I was doing a counter-commute, it still was a bit of a bear in parts. I was heading west on the 66 to get to the 495, and while I was going against the traffic going into DC there was still a fair amount of traffic. It took me a hour to go 20 miles. I guess that is better than what some of my friends say…they have told me stories where in Tysons Corner they crawled along 3 miles in an hour. I can’t imagine doing that, and to be honest, I hate traffic.

Funny, while living in San Diego I almost always did the counter-commute, whether I was living in Pacific Beach or UTC. There is something to be said for zipping by the long strand of cars inching along to work, heading away from them as you get closer to your destination with each passing second. When I look for places to live, I always think about the commute, because I know people who commute to DC who take an hour to metro, train, or bus in. Some who take 2 or more hours to get in, and I can’t imagine my life spending 2-4 hours a day commuting. Some people get up at 3am to be in the office by 7am. That is crazy…and yet, I have to grudgingly admire them for their constitution.

Me, I plan on living off the Metro line, close enough to DC to make the commute bearable. But far enough to get to other places if needed. Until then, this commute to my client site is barely bearable, but I just remind myself it is only a month, and then on to another (hopefully closer) site.

So I have been in Washington DC for over three months and someone just asked me recently how I am liking my new job, new apartment, new city, etc. etc. And my initial thoughts were “great everything is great,” but I realized I was quickly answering it without really putting much thought into it. And today while sitting on the couch or should I say couch surfing, I put some real thought into it.

New Job. It is going good, I like my new coworkers and I think that this is a great opportunity for me to try something new and different. So far the work is challenging and interesting, which is good. I do however sometimes feel slightly overwhelmed by everything, since at my old job we didn’t do as much paperwork and documentation as we do here. I was used to conducting data gathering, analyzing the data, and then writing a report. Here it is similiar but we have a documentation part that is very, very meticulous. I guess that is the difference between a technology and management consulting firm and an accounting firm.

New Apartment. I like the new place, it is a bit pricey compared to San Diego, but it is spacious enough for me and I enjoy the fact I am on floor from the top floor. Although since I am mildly scared of heights, standing on my balacony 20+ stories up is a bit nervewracking. However, I am westward facing I can see the sunset and think of my friends on the West Coast. In fact, I like my new flatscreen and my HD DVR (I mentioned it once before) so much that I sometimes I tend to stay home more than go out and explore. That is the negative side to having a place you like to live in, you don’t mind staying home more.

New City. Well I don’t know really what I think about DC. It is different, but yet familiar. The commute reminds me of London and riding the Underground. The people are like a mix of California and London, people are in their own world like London and not as friendly as California. On the flipside, people in DC are less flakey than people from California. Here if they say they’ll meet you for happy hour, they’ll meet you for happy hour. Life here is fast paced, a little superficial, and very status focused. Other than that, its not so bad yet, but I do miss a lot of things from California: amazing sushi, great Hawaiian food, knowing where to drive and how to get there, and my friends.

Let’s see how I feel in 3 months.

Today was my last day at my current job.  It was a tough decision, but ultimately I decided to take a new opportunity in a new city (Washington DC) next month. Some coworkers were upset, because I didn’t give them any notice…just a few days before I left. The reason for that is I didn’t want any farewell lunches or happy hours. I wanted to exit quietly…and ride off (or in this case fly off) into the sunset. My chapter in San Diego closes and new one in Washington DC opens.

I have been talking to a lot of friends over the past month, and slowly one by one they have started to become redundant. I am not sure how far this trend is going, but it appears that London (which I had always thought was financially stable) has even been hit at record levels. The good news is most people are getting generous severance packages, so that is the one good thing about this.

Another interesting point is that as someone said, “This is a great opportunity to leave Investment Banking (IB) and do some traveling” or try something new. My thoughts go out to all my friends, and I am sure things will work themselves out. In the interim, I am just going to duck down further, work harder, and try to keep off the redundancy radar.

Work has, as all things, taken over my life. I am finding myself having less and less time to do personal things. For example, when I get home from work I am looking for a new Apartment (Flat for you UK types) for April. I have been renting a colleagues condo in San Diego while she was on a project, but her project now ends and she returns at the end of the month. This means I have to start to look for new housing soon.

And then there are taxes, which I need to start preparing as well. Let’s just say March is going to be a busy month.

My plans to return to London at the end of the month have been put on hold until April. *sigh*

The office is a complete Ghost Town with the holidays looming over us. I walked down the halls earlier this afternoon and it was completely empty, well close to empty.  Most of my coworkers are enjoying their holidays at home or with family, but since my family is local (well Los Angeles local) I am staying here instead.

I kind of like it quiet, as my buddy Amar would say…this is the best time of year where you can actually get a lot done.  No interruptions, no distractions, just a quiet office to work in.

So I just realized that I may have done something really stupid recently.  As I mentioned in a previous post, I have to complete a security certificate.  So I signed up for the November 17 CISSP exam here in San Diego.  On top of that, I thought “hey a CISA wouldn’t be a bad idea either.”  So I signed up for that for December 8.

This means I have 36 days from today to study for the CISSP.  And from that date, I have 21 days from that exam to the CISA.  I have no idea how the heck I am going to study for both exams, and pass them in the minimal amount of days I have left.  Oh well, what does not kill us makes us stronger.

Well my buddy Amar is finally in Denver about to start his new role with a Big 4 accounting firm in their IA Audit department.  Should be exciting stuff for him, I bet he will really enjoy the work.  I am not sure, however, if he’ll survive the winter in Denver…anyway his first day is 10 September.

As for me, everyone (including my client) has asked me what is next…it is like everyone somehow expects me to do something amazing now that my MBA is complete or run off and get a new job.  It is all a bit weird if you ask me, can’t I just sit here at work and just work hard?  Or do I really have to make a life changing decision?

I have tried to dodge this bullet as long as I can, but it has finally caught up with me.  I am taking my CISSP sometime in November.  I hate studying for tests and such. 

Oh well, there goes my plans for a relaxing Christmas Holidays.

Back in San Diego, back at work…feels like I never really left.  My desk was the same as I left it (slightly cluttered) and the only evidence I have been in London was the slightly layer of dust on my desk when I first got back.