Life has a funny way of interrupting our best laid plans. Sometimes this is for the best, sometimes it is for the worst. Then other times, it just is.
We had planned on my bf moving in this June. Everything was laid out and going according to plan until we realized his lease ended in February instead. So everything was moved up four months and our plans were crunched up four months. Add to that one car needing multiple repairs, one car going completely out, one bout of flu and one bout of pneumonia and you could say that life (at least financially) has been very stressful.
Along with this comes the normal adjustments of having someone living in what was once your own space. For two people in their 30s who have never shared a living space this is definately an adjustment that takes conscious effort. In some areas (cooking, cleaning) we are having fewer problems than I had envisioned. In others (computer time) we are having more trouble than I could have imagined. The upside is we are talking our way through these things.
Bottom line...in spite of some stressful days I wouldn't change his being here for anything.
To update on the training for the 5k...the flu gave me a couple of weeks of set back due to recovery time. I'm now running almost four minutues of my walk and I'm walking four miles instead of one. Not bad but not where I'd like to be.
Career-wise, I think I may have found what I was looking for. I'm hoping things will be finalized on this front within the next few weeks.
I'm still not certain about the direction I want this blog to take so for now it will continue with my ramblings. Sometimes being a Jane-of-all-trades makes these decisions harder.
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jobs. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Choices, Careers and Hope
Chances are at some point in your life you will be working in a position that pays less than you want/deserve, that may not be on the up and up, that may be full of practices that clash with your ethics and that may not be financially solvent. It doesn't matter how or why you got there though. You can find a way out.
The first step is to not quit without having another job. For some reason employers will view you as a less desireable candidate if you are not working. What I suggest doing is starting a countdown. Each day you work is one day closer to your last day there. Keep this in mind and you can make it till you find a new job.
Next, update your resume and contact your references to let them know they will be getting calls about you.
Now you need to start the job hunt. Be realistic. Finding a good position takes a lot longer than finding any position. Take into consideration that job hunting is almost a full-time job in itself. Anything you can do to save time will be a benefit. Own a fax machine? Have a resume ready to fax at all times. If you do cover letters (you guys know I personally hate them and think they are a waste but play nice with the HR departments), have some typed up and saved on your computer, ready to print at a moment's notice.
Eventually you are going to be called for interviews so start saving up comp time, sick days, vacation days and personal days. You are going to need them.
Once you are offered a position you need to give notice. Be gracious in your notice but be prepared for snarky comments about it. For some reason employers in less than desireable businesses have an attitude of "you owe us no matter how wrong we've done you" and "you've blown everything out of proportion." So quitting is a major insult to these people. If you are able to give full notice (two weeks) just be prepared to gather your things as soon as the notice is turned in.
If you work in a "Right to Work" state then you are not required to give notice and the employer cannot give a bad reference if you quit with no notice. The law wasn't written for this purpose. It was written for the employer's benefit but the wording states that ANYONE can terminate at anytime without notice--that includes you.
If conditions are so bad you can't take going in any longer then take a look at some lower paying jobs as a TEMPORARY solution...fast food, retail, etc.
The most important thing is to not lose hope. Your job search may seem hopeless at times, especially if it drags on for months. Your situation is only temporary. You will find another job.
The first step is to not quit without having another job. For some reason employers will view you as a less desireable candidate if you are not working. What I suggest doing is starting a countdown. Each day you work is one day closer to your last day there. Keep this in mind and you can make it till you find a new job.
Next, update your resume and contact your references to let them know they will be getting calls about you.
Now you need to start the job hunt. Be realistic. Finding a good position takes a lot longer than finding any position. Take into consideration that job hunting is almost a full-time job in itself. Anything you can do to save time will be a benefit. Own a fax machine? Have a resume ready to fax at all times. If you do cover letters (you guys know I personally hate them and think they are a waste but play nice with the HR departments), have some typed up and saved on your computer, ready to print at a moment's notice.
Eventually you are going to be called for interviews so start saving up comp time, sick days, vacation days and personal days. You are going to need them.
Once you are offered a position you need to give notice. Be gracious in your notice but be prepared for snarky comments about it. For some reason employers in less than desireable businesses have an attitude of "you owe us no matter how wrong we've done you" and "you've blown everything out of proportion." So quitting is a major insult to these people. If you are able to give full notice (two weeks) just be prepared to gather your things as soon as the notice is turned in.
If you work in a "Right to Work" state then you are not required to give notice and the employer cannot give a bad reference if you quit with no notice. The law wasn't written for this purpose. It was written for the employer's benefit but the wording states that ANYONE can terminate at anytime without notice--that includes you.
If conditions are so bad you can't take going in any longer then take a look at some lower paying jobs as a TEMPORARY solution...fast food, retail, etc.
The most important thing is to not lose hope. Your job search may seem hopeless at times, especially if it drags on for months. Your situation is only temporary. You will find another job.
Monday, December 10, 2007
The Cherry Popping Post
This is the first post of my new blog. Honestly I have no idea where I'm going with this thing. Part of me wants to blog about all the crap I watch on television. Another would just love to blog about crappy employers and provide a place where people would be able to check a potential employer's reputation based on feedback of current and former employees. And yet another part of me just wants to talk about my life. Of course there's all the time I spend involved in theatre that could be talked about. Can't forget mental illness, debunking the myths and stereotypes is near and dear to me. But who knows!
How about just something for fun today?
My new favorite obsession...hulu. I can watch Buffy and Monk all day at work. Provides a great escape from the stress of my day. Just tune in, slap on some headphones and go.
How about just something for fun today?
My new favorite obsession...hulu. I can watch Buffy and Monk all day at work. Provides a great escape from the stress of my day. Just tune in, slap on some headphones and go.
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