I have extremely exciting news about the new year! I’ll be finishing up my Masters come May 2018, after two years of postponing the inevitable fate of getting a full-time job. Even more exciting than finishing my Masters, I’ve finally accepted a full-time position!

What do I actually do?

I focus on building controls. Mainly, to increase a building’s energy efficiency through HVAC and lighting controls. I basically put sensors all around buildings and use sensor data to program. For example, in a surgical room doctors prefer 58 degrees because blood clots better under colder conditions. Also, the clothing surgeons wear is hot so a cooler climate is more comfortable. However, keeping a surgical room under sterile and cold conditions is energy intensive and expensive. Now that’s where I come in to save energy! I program the room to only keep those ideal conditions at scheduled times, so the surgical room’s heating and cooling schedule might be integrated with the reserving the room database or turning on the lights…. Okay now we are starting to get a little too technical.

Basically, I program and design buildings to use less energy.

My career path means I can apply to construction companies, consulting companies or product design companies such as a LED lighting manufacturers.

The month of September through October the interviewing process was in full swing. The month of October alone consisted of 13 flights, some of them were for pleasure but the majority of the flights were for interviews.

Trying to build the suspense…..Let’s see if you can guess where I’ll be moving. Here are three clues:

1: I went there for spring break in 2015

2: Home to an awesome Glassblowing Museum

3: The temperature rarely gets below freezing… except in the mountains

Hopefully you guessed it…

SEATTLE

June 2018 I’ll be moving to the Pacific Northwest (PNW) to begin working at a consulting firm focusing on building controls. I’ll begin a year-long developmental program traveling to different locations for training, but my main office will be in Seattle.

After I went to Seattle in 2015, I fell in love with the city. There is hiking, the ocean and trendy healthy food. The company I am going to be working for is the top company for my field. It is one of the largest and most diverse companies with plenty of room for me to expand. I’m really excited about moving to the PNW, but I’m also excited about what other opportunities within the company might arise.

I’m extremely excited about the move. A little less excited about trying to figure out how to move a cat cross-country and condense a three-bedroom house into a single room apartment.

My dad and I will be driving 32-hour together.

–Keep us in your thoughts 😉

But don’t worry. The planning has begun. The drive out there will be beautiful.

We will be passing by the Badlands, SD, Yellowstone,WY and Spokane, WA. Trying to find the best route and the best priced hotels will be a six-month long planning commitment.

Although, no real date has been set but the goal is the middle of June. I will be graduating in May with my Masters. The plan is to stay in town for my brother’s wedding and then head out a couple weeks later.

Yes, there will be a going away party.

I haven’t set anything in stone yet, but I’m thinking the first weekend in June might be the best date. This is your tentative save the date!

I’m so excited to share my adventure about moving and all the new adventures where Midwest country meets liberal west coast big city.

If you have ever been to Seattle or have advice amount moving cross country, feel free to share them in the comments!