Every time my life changes pretty drastically, I write a life update. Today it’s time for a new one! In January of this year I signed a contract at a new employer and quit the job I had at the time (I wrote a life update when I got that job in 2022). I worked till March of this year at my old job and then in April, I started my new job. Today I want to tell you more about why I got this new job. It didn’t just pass me by, I actively searched for something specific and I found it! That feels amazing. Anyway, here’s everything about my new life update.
My previous job
When I got my first (serious) full-time job after university in 2022, I focussed on the company I would work for. Foremost, I wanted it to be a company or organization which actually added something to society. I wanted the company to have the right vision and core processes. I found that. So mission complete. However, after I had been working these for about a year as a (junior) project manager I realized that the end goal for the company is not something that I necessarily work with on a daily basis.
So I found out, and this is honestly not a surprise in hindsight, that the job itself has to be amazing too. I came fresh out of college in 2022 and I didn’t really know what I wanted in a job. I wanted to do something with sustainability, yes. Well, I did that. But I wasn’t happy after working there for about a year. As a (junior) project manager I did something I am good at, but it’s not what makes me happy. I realized that I did a lot of things and wasn’t really specializing. I was busy with arranging everything around the sustainability itself. The events, the systems to keep everything operating, the website to keep people informed, etc. But I was rarely the person talking about sustainability itself on a daily basis.
Choice to leave
I came to the realization that I need both. I want to work for an organization which contributes in a positive way to society ánd I wanted to be busy with sustainability on a daily basis. And to be more precise: I wanted to specialize. I wanted to really become an expert in something, within the field of sustainability. I want knowledge to be my skill and I want to give advice. When I came back from a holiday that fall I decided that I was going to look for a new job. The few months before that I had searched for my dream job in the company I was currently working in, but it wasn’t there. Most functions were around facilitating others to make homes more sustainable.
I found out that what they say is true: you will find out what you want once you have a job. It’s highly unlikely that your first job is your dream job. You just have to try something and see whether it’s for you. I did that and learned quite a lot about myself, the people I want to work with and the job I have. That’s actually really nice, it made the search for another job easier this time.
My new job
About that new job! Like I said, in April I started, so when I am publishing this article I have been working there for a little over a month. I am officially a CO2-emissions Advisor at The Dutch Emissions Authority. This job is exactly what I was looking for. The Dutch Emissions Authority is the regulatory body in The Netherlands that that oversees that the industry in The Netherlands complies with the European Emission Trading System (EU ETS). The EU ETS is a cap and trade system, a very effective policy to cut emissions. I learned about it in class during my master in Environment and Resource Management. There’s an authority in every European country, I now work at the Dutch one. Simply said, The Dutch Emissions Authority oversees that the industry in The Netherlands cuts down its emissions slowly, to eventually zero.
As a CO2-emissions Advisor I asses a large variety of documents companies in The Netherlands under the ETS system have to write and send to us. My part in the whole system is especially to asses whether the measurement of emissions goes according to the law. I asses the documents and advice companies about how they have to comply to the law. Like I said: it’s exactly what I wanted. I will become an expert in EU ETS and am busy with sustainability on a daily basis. And also, I feel like I am challenged in my work. In my previous job, I felt like I was doing nothing with master’s degree. Now I am. It feels good to be challenged on my level. I really have to dive into policies and the law. I love it.
Governmental organization
At my previous job I worked for a commercial company. The goal of the company had a lot to do with sustainability, but if no money was made, the company was not happy. That made daily business revolve around sales, efficiency and customer service quite a lot. I fully understand that. But it doesn’t really suit me. I honestly don’t care too much for sales. When colleagues around me were celebrating a tender that was won, I felt the odd one out because I didn’t really care. I know that’s naive, but I can’t help that either. I want my work to be around the sustainability content itself.
That’s why I think it’s great that I now work for the government. Sure, working efficient is important there too. But I am not bothered by sales numbers or customer satisfaction numbers. I get to talk about the content. For me it’s important that ultimately emissions go down and companies comply with the law.
Long commute
There’s only a small downside at this moment. In my last life update I told you that I moved out of Amsterdam. I had to leave my student flat to make room for another student (which is completely understandable). In the meantime I live with my in-laws. It’s very sweet that my boyfriend and I can live there, until my boyfriend finds a job too and we can move to Utrecht (like we ultimately want). However, this means that I commute long, every day. I commute 4,5 hours a day since I work in The Hague, so I am away from home for about 13,5 hours. That’s okay for now, but I can’t maintain living this way for months. I now get up, commute, work for 9 hours, commute, get home, eat and sleep on work days. Luckily, I am free on Wednesdays still. And in time, I will be able to work hybrid.
Long hours
I chose to work more than I did at my last job. There, I worked 32 hours. At this new job I chose to work 36 hours. They allow me to work 9 hours a day, my previous employed did not allow that. I work 36 hours a week (and commute 18) in 4 days. My contract is 32 hours, so I am working overtime every week. This gives me more days off in total in one year, because every 2 weeks I gain a day off due to overtime work. Having enough days off is something I struggled with at my previous job. I am 25 and have a vibrant social life. The standard amount of days off for employees is too little for me. So me working overtime is the perfect compromise. I work longer hours, but I have more days off to enjoy other things (festivals, holidays, weekend trips, etc).
New energy and joy
When you work somewhere and already know you want to leave, it’s not really nice to go to work anymore. In this transition I wasn’t really happy. Even though I had enough time to find something new, as my contract wasn’t ending or such. But still, when you’ve already moved on in your head, the transition can’t go fast enough. This new job gives me so much new energy and joy. I feel like I am in the right place now. For now I am very grateful to have made this step in my career. I’m still working on making the world a better place, in a role and organization that fits me better. Life is good.
Yours sincerely,
Romee