Madison

As many of you know, I live/work in Madison, WI now. Sort of. Because I actually live/attend school in Chicago. Sort of. Confused yet?

Here’s the update on my new job:

It’s going great, except when I’m not working.

When I accepted the job at Brazen Careerist, my only stipulation was that I didn’t have to move. I have nothing against Madison; in fact, I enjoy the charm of the downtown area. But I have a life in Chicago that I love, and obligations in Chicago which I can’t leave.

So we decided I could commute to Madison two or three days a week. Which turned into five, I think. And to be honest, the whole commuting thing is not going so well.

Here’s my dilemma:

The difficult part about doing the job you want is you also want to be present for it. So I want to be in Madison, working in my little office, just about every day.

But not actually. Because Chicago is my home, and it’s where my heart is. It’s where my family is. It’s where my wonderful friends are. It’s where the skyscrapers that inspire me and captivate me are. So whenever I’m in Madison, I want to be in Chicago.

Chicago. Madison. Chicago. Madison?

It’s tough having two lives that pull you in different directions, and for awhile I really thought I could reject my time in Madison as “my life.” Instead, I would come here on vacation every week, sort of like a summer home. And I didn’t need a ton of friends in Madison, because I already have a lot of friends in Chicago. And I didn’t need a real place to stay and call my own in Madison, because I already own a condo in Chicago.

Here’s the lesson learned:

I was delusional to think commuting would be easy. Yeah, really. Delusional. And everyone tried to tell me this before I took the job, but I decided not to listen.

So here’s the one thing you need to consider when starting a job in a city you don’t live in: how much you love the job. Because trust me, if you don’t really love your job, you are not going to make it.

But for what it’s worth, I’m happy I didn’t listen to the naysayers. Because if I had thought this job opportunity through a little better I would have gotten too scared to do it. And that would have been stupid.

So here’s to the bright side of my double life: I have great coworkers. I’m doing something I love. I get to spend the summer in the beautiful state of Wisconsin. I get to buy all the clothes on the sales rack at Madison’s Urban Outfitters and wear them in Chicago where they would be double the price. My parents and husband are excited for me, and supportive of my career path. The Capitol is pretty when it’s lit up at night.

And I live in Madison. And I live in Chicago. Sort of.