find a job i really, really like and stay with it for at least two years

i was at my last freelance gig from October, 2008 until last week. so that’s, like, almost a year at one place- and freelancing, too! but it got very stale, so i fired myself. they would have let me go soon, anyway.

i have 2 potential freelance gigs lined up. both are of a very limited duration. neither pay as much as my last job did. i’m not super worried about the money right now and think i would be happy with either job that makes me an offer. regardless, i needed a change- i’d like to try and work in a situation where i’ll either be doing cool work or won’t be completely bored by the futility of things. it may turn out that i don’t get offered either of them.

i’ll be okay if i have to take a little break. i’m going to miami with s and her girls in october and leaving from miami for a week in jamaica with t and m and eeeeeeeee.

i am still working at the place i started freelancing at in october and i haven’t gotten fired yet! shock and amazement! and i’m actually doing really well there! they just put me on a huge (and hugely important) project that will last through september, so seriously- it looks like not only will i be learning the process for something that could be a “career maker” (a fact that i find amusing, now that i’ve given up on ever having a highpoweramazinglyimportant career), there will be more than enough work for me through the summer, which is a huuuuuuuge deal in a time where people are dropping like flies all around me- we laid off 18 people yesterday, as a matter of fact. my day rate as a freelancer is very high for the times, so i imagine that i’ll have to take a ridiculous pay cut and go on staff at some point, but you know what? if that happens i’ll probly take the gig. we are definitely in a period of existence here in america where we need to be thankful for what we’ve got. better to suck it up than starve.

so yeah, not bad.

I’ve worked for six companies between the period between January, 2007 and January 2009. Out of those seven, five have been freelance. Out of the five freelance, only one has not been through an employment agency, and the one that I landed on my own (my current job) pays the most I’ve ever made in my life.

I’ve discovered the best way for me, or at least the best way for the time being: to continue to freelance, but to only get jobs on my own. That way, the pressure if off me to worry about my performance (the only jobs out of the seven that ended because I had problems were the two that I was on staff at) and the money is great, as long as I don’t go through a third party, because agency fees keep a freelancer’s salary down- it’s almost like a madame/callgirl situation in that the employment agency will bill $90 an hour for you but will only pay you $50. They keep 40% of the fee, just like a madame. This time around I’m making enough to pay for COBRA insurance that carries over from my last, on-staff, position. People are eligible for COBRA for 18 months these days, so I’ll be able to keep myself insured for quite a bit longer, as long as I keep making money.

I’m going to keep this goal open, but right now I’m officially removing the onus on myself to attain this goal. I’m going to chill out and freelance while the rest of the world freaks out.

i actually have had four jobs this year. two lasted about 6 weeks each- i quit the first to take the second, then quit the second to take the third job, which i stayed at for 9 or so months. my pay rate went up each time, which was nice but they were all through an employment agency, which meant no benefits, sick days or vacation days, but still having all taxes taken out of my check.

i finally bounced from my last job to this new position two weeks ago, with only 2 weeks of downtime, during which i collected unemployment :)

this new gig is a full-time staff position, with all attendant benefits and privileges. i took a significant pay cut but hopefully i can work hard for six months then get a positive review and move up in the ranks.

hopefully i’ll stay here for at least two years. that would make me very happy.

Okay, well, I’ve been working steadily since January. Miracle of miracles! I started out the year doing some Interactive project management at a teeny tiny C+ level ad agency. It was located in my least favorite working neighborhood of NYC, Seventh Avenue right by Penn Station, and although the people there were really nice, the work was mediocre and there wasn’t enough to keep me busy. It was freelance. I jumped ship to take another, better paying and more resume-worthy, freelance gig. This one was for a pre-launch social networking site for college sports fans. Yawn. And not only was it yawn, it was a start-up company that had been bought by one of the major tv networks, so it was full of dysfunction, bureaucracy, back stabbing and inertia. I bailed outta that place in a month and took yet another longterm, freelance, gig (and yep, this one was at an even higher rate than the previous two) at a smallish, traditional ad agency located in SoHo. And I’m still there, almost ten months later. They turn out print and broadcast work that gets noticed, but none of it’s my style whatsoever. In theory, my job should be great, but it’s kinda not.

there have barely been three weeks in the new year and i’ve already quit on freelance job to take another. i’m proud of myself in a way, because i got a significant rate increase plus massive amounts of overtime. and i really, really think i’m gonna wind up working at this company for a while- preferably on staff and for a decent salary. it’s not what a really, really wanna do but it will definitely help me increase my skillset, as well as make me look once again like a respectable member of the workforce, as opposed to ome random, groovy go-to girl who noone can quite figure out.

i’m just tired of struggling to make money AND stay true to myself. i don’t wanna say i’ve been beaten down, but i know i need to finally settle down. 2007 will hopefully be a meaningful year.

back on the job hunt.

at least i look amazing on paper…

... but i just finished up my first week at my new job with the water company and my boss told me as i was leaving that i’m doing a fabulous job and that i “really fit right in.” and for a company as small as they are, that’s rocking shit as hard as they are i know that’s a primary indicator as to whether you are indeed doing a good job.

... and i’ve never been so hydrated in all my life!

well, this may not complete my goal, as it’s only a six month contract position, but i got the job i was so excited about!

they made me a salary offer that was acceptable to me and i start on monday.

i am reallllly excited for this- it’s totally up my alley!!!

yay!

okay, so that job i had a phone interview for two weeks ago? i jumped through crazy tribulational hoops to make sure i kicked ass and they told me they would be making a decision very quickly and i should be hearing from them within three days. of course that never happened. so i freaked out to myself, consulted my various oracles who all said it wasn’t a done deal yet, sent a belated, handwritten thank you note then commenced to sink into a 3-day “what the hell am i gonna do with myself now” depression.

so, of course this morning, a national holiday no less, i get a call from the hr girl saying the director of marketing wants me to come back in tomorrow and meet with one last person. this’ll be the 6th person i’ll interview with- they had me sit with FIVE different people when i went out there. the company’s pretty small, so i have a feeling the person i’ll be meeting is the president of the company.

i. am. going. to. land. this. job. damn. it.

and if they offer me a very low rate i will take it, which is something i’ve never felt comfortable with doing at any of the places i’ve interviewed with in the past few years.

i. need. to. work.

and this is the perfect job for me.

and similar to how my music pr and whole foods past experience has really given me a leg up in being taken seriously, this job’ll put me onto the next level. all my oracles agree with me on that, too.

i’d better get it!