So I found my first job since I graduated from university (which was in May 2012) a few weeks ago. I was really getting depressed, and I’m still not happy happy, but it’s better than making NO money. I’m still living with my parents, but I covered my own college loan payment for the first time this month, and that was a really big moment for me even though I didn’t let on that it meant very much to me.
I went to art school and was trying desperately to just find ANY job out there, but I was refusing to flip burgers (it’s not my fault the world told me that if I got an education I wouldn’t have to do that), and then finally, with the help of a friend, I got a job related (however sparsely) to the arts. I’m working as a receptionist in a gallery. So, while my time is spent typing and pushing papers, at least I’m surrounded by the thing I went to school for.
Here’s to finding the first step, and hoping to one-up it in the future. 4 weeks ago
When I decided to have a baby on my own, I was forced to leave my consulting business which I loved and move to Dallas, close to my family. That move forced me to take a quick and dirty job as a senior manager at corporation that sucks the life out of me. There are positive things, I leave to be with my son, and I’m paid fairly well. But the culture sucks, my boss sucks, and I create very little. Plus, it’s really far away from where I live.
I’m looking for better benefits, more flexible working environment, better management and an innovative company. I don’t know if it exists or not, but if it doesn’t then I want to try to figure out how to get back to Freelancing here. 9 months ago
Job club today. I will update the group on how I have done with this week’s goals.
Yesterday I met with a friend re: our job searching and got helpful info from him.
With respect to getting a “job that I love”—I am recognizing that this is not going to be the kind of goal I can achieve quickly. It is going to be a slow but steady one, a lot of work over a long period of time, step by step, day by day. There is a lot of history behind this. I have a lot of advantages (time, experience, education) and I lot of things to overcome.
Some of the first things I need to do is to learn to not try and do everything at once. By this I mean, I don’t need to know the result in order to move forward. I don’t know yet what this job will look like – I am not even sure exactly what the field is. But I have some feel for the next step – maybe even two or three steps – so I have to move in that direction.
Another important thing to remind myself of is to not fear making a mistake. The truth is that there is no such thing as a mistake. If something turns out to not quite work, or to not feel right, I simply change direction a bit, adjust course. That will actually get me closer to my goal.
So, I do believe I see the kind of job(s) I’ll start with, so that’s what I am working towards now. And they are not jobs that I will love. But they are a means to an end, and they are jobs that will help move me forward. That is my next step. Or steps. Getting a job to help move me forward.
Cheers. 17 months ago
I have become involved with a group that identifies itself as a “Job Club for professionals”. It is really helpful… it has involved several classes (4 4-hour classes) and meetings + volunteering with the organization for membership. They are very well-organized, and provide great feedback on job-searching (resumes, linked in, etc) as well as speakers, classes, networking, etc. The group that I started with has also formed our own informal group that meets 1x per week for our own goal-setting.
I still feel like I am not as directed in my job search as I need to be, especially in this market. But I am slowly getting there. I have been doing much more than I have been posting here… and still see that I hold myself back and can do even more.
What is holding me back? Subtle fears. Fear that I don’t have all of the answers yet, for one thing. That I need to know exactly what I want to do before I can even take the next step. That I won’t be able to explain myself when asked what I was doing during those gaps in my resume (recovering from a brain injury that I did not know I had and also getting treatment for hepatitis c that I got from grad school are not exactly answers I can give.) I know I can do all of this, but I still get overwhelmed.
On the other hand, I also get excited. I feel like all of the hidden “demons” I have been fighting for the past 15 years are finally out in the open and I finally really actually get to start my career. That’s always been what I’ve wanted to do, and it has been so frustrating for years and years to have it not work, and to not really understand why.
Cheers. 17 months ago
Recently I took 2 great classes from EDD – the Employment Development Department. Both gave me great information on different aspects of my local labor market. I will be taking one more next week.
I am not sure if all unemployment offices are as great at my local one is, but ours is really fantastic. I recommend checking yours out if you are also looking for work.
Cheers. 18 months ago
Last week (Friday to be exact), I saw a very intuitive friend again who I have not seen for quite some time. She took me to a work party/networking event, but first we just talked.
In a matter of about 15 minutes, we had reviewed the past 6 months of my life, and she had figured out what kind of job I should specifically be looking for, and how to talk with people when they ask me about what I am looking for. It was a huge relief, since in this job market you have to be very specific about what you want and what you do. That has not been easy for me.
Fast forward 5 days – Today is Wednesday. I have done very little to follow up, and I am frustrated and panicking. I’ve had 2 visitors. I’ve gotten sick again. I’ve had to deal with financial issues. I’ve spent the day with a friend at the hospital who was afraid to go alone for a procedure. Etc.
Can I do it? I know I would be good at it, I know I have experience. I even have one specific job to apply for. But now I am freaking out. I am not sure where it is coming from, but it does seem familiar. I just need to try to get this one application going, and then go from there. 19 months ago
... though I am not separating them into two separate goals because I see them as one continuous, connected, very long term goal.
Action steps towards finding a job are on the top of my Pomodoro list this week. I will look forward to seeing what can be accomplished using that technique from a Monday to a Friday on this goal. This is something that I find rather overwhelming. I’ll have at it and report back. 19 months ago
For right now, the temp job is what I need.
This needs to be a major focus over the next few days.
Cheers. 21 months ago
