Julianne Smith (left) and Nole Garey, editors of the wedding blog United With Love, prefer their new gig to their old government jobs.
Smith said their similar backgrounds made the two women click.
But not everyone “got” their venture. Smith and Garey had a hard time telling their husbands and co-workers they were leaving secure jobs to blog.
“All of them sort of tilted their heads and looked at me and said, ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’” Garey said. “It was funny because you could see the difference in generations in terms of reactions. The 35-and-under crowd wanted to know how I did it, but the older crowd thought I was crazy.”
Smith and Garey admit to missing water-cooler chatter and knowing how many hours they will work in a week. But their current jobs satisfy them in a way that government work didn’t.
“I do miss the rat race and the craziness. I miss having co-workers and an office,” Smith said. “But by the time I left, I was ready for something different. And this is definitely different.”
Rep. Bill Cassidy has his blood drawn by Alesha Barbour during a free hepatitis screening in the Rayburn House Office Building hosted by the Congressional Viral Hepatitis Caucus to recognize "National Viral Hepatitis Testing Day."
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions — anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously.
