the keys to the kingdom

I had my evaluation at work today.  Two years ago, I told my boss that I wanted to manage the Alternative to Employment department eventually.  Today she told me that I have the job as soon as the current manager retires. :)  That's cool but she also told me that I'm in her succession plan.  She has to pick someone to replace key positions in her department should something happen to one of her key people or should they chose to leave.  Apparently, I'm her #1 replacement for my direct supervisor who is the #2 to her #1 in our department.  Wow, that's some pressure.

I do a good job at work but that's because I like my job.  I'm not sure if I'd like it if I continued to move up the ladder  I know that's why they're sending me to school.  They expect big things out of me.  However, the function of our business is the promotion of vocational training.  My schooling is vocational training.  The company can rest assured that they have promoted my vocational training and fulfilled their mission without keeping me in the succession plan for years.

I don't plan to go anywhere at this time but hearing that my vocational future is being planned out for me makes me feel like a chess piece.  I don't like the idea of someone else moving me around the board.  I'm more independent than that.  However, I will play the game, get my degree and see what happens.  They have never said that they expect me to be here for decades.  They do expect me to be here for a while after I get out of school which I'll do.  But I will be looking around to see what my possibilities are.

What else?
I did get some other good news at work.  They promoted a job coach to be a case manager like me so I'll get someone to take my small store off my hands which will be necessary by the time I start the fall quarter and my internship.  They also gave me more hours at one of my stores so I can move my client from the Safeway Milk Plant (which is agitating his depression issues) into a store full-time.  That means I'll just have my two favorite stores to look after soon and a considerably smaller caseload. :)