The Journey for a job.
It has been awhile since I have found the time to enter anything on this site. I have been wallowing in self pity more than anything else. But when I haven't been doing that, I have been job hunting. Now the thing about job hunting is that it requires alot of leg work and money that one doesn't really have due to the fact that they are unemployed and have to budget harder now more than ever.
One thing I can say is that I now finally agree with an old friend that you really should save $50 a pay or more if possible because you never know when you will need it and be so very glad you did it. I unfortunately did not. Now, I have the joy of calling all the companies I owe money to and ask if they could possibly lend me an extension, and possibly see if they will accept a mere $20 instead of the usual amount.
I thought quitting my job was a wise thing to do considering the cons outweighed the pros. What I didn't factor in though was that jobs are not as easy to get as they used to be. It seems now there is a 2 to 3 interview process to go through. By the time you get the job you forget why you really wanted it. Sometimes I entertain the thought of just applying for a lesser position so I can be employed.
I could be hired by Dairy Queen or Mr. Sub tomorrow but that would be an unchallenging job and a pay cut of $2.50hr. But I would have a paycheck in 2 weeks. This way it will be a month or more and by then all my bills will be past due and I will be having disconnect letters in my mailbox. I have been here before and it took me 3 years to get back to where I could feel proud of myself again. I wonder now if quitting a job before I had a replacement was worth the mental anguish I impose on myself. Or do I once again just need to change my perspective and start meditating or something.
This is an opportunity to go after a job I really would like to have. A chance for a career and not just a paycheck. I need to keep that in mind. I could go get that Dairy Queen job, have a paycheck, not have the stress of unpaid bills, but in a month or 2 be miserable as anything because I hate my job. Also my pay would be just enough to cover my bills leaving no spending money for anything else.
So, hence the conundrum I find myself in. I think I may just try to explain my case to my landlord and pay what I can to the bill companies,enough to have them keep the disconnect at bay, and then when I do get the job I really want and get that nice big pay, pay everything off and all will be well. But am i being realistic, or an optimist right now?The government will be kind enough to help me through unemployment insurance although that may take some weeks as well to get. The saying always goes "better late than never." So I will be hoping that theory applies to bill paying as well. 3 months I think is the given time before they cut you off but I may be wrong.
One more thing to research in my time off I suppose(unless my internet gets cut off. lol)I would so like to get a home business going but that requires a startup cost as well. Which brings me to another subject.
Do you know that there are pages of credit card companies out there that will give credit cards to americans who have bad credit but not one canadian company that will? Everytime I thought I had found a link for one it re-directed me to an american application. The only ones available in Canada appear to be secured cards which means you have to give them $500-$1000 upfront to get the card.
If I had that money chances are I wouldn't have a credit problem. But it is something to keep in mind when I can find an extra $500 to spare in my budget. Well folks, it's been swell once again. Until next time may all your fantasies be lavish and your reality be secure.
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Tuesday, September 6, 2005
Labour Day Contemplations
I have been tossing this around in my mind for the last few days. I had the pleasure of filling out an unemployment application today for the first time in my life. What fun I must say. Anyone else who has had the joy of doing one knows exactly what I mean. I quit my job due to not having reliable, affordable transportation, and the pay cut I took made it worse. I thought the lack of stress in a more laid back environment would help me but I found I was in a company that was on the opposite side of the spectrum from what I had just left. I don't know about you, but it sure would be nice if I could work in the field I spent 2 years in studying for.
I recall working in a auto parts factory some years back. I was on the line with other coworkers having this discussion. There were engineers, nurse aids, book keepers, and other personnel there all trained for something they were not doing but having to work there due to a shortage of jobs in their field, the city economy, and their bills needing to be paid. I was in the same boat. A $10k loan that was being recalled(with 18% interest I might add), rent, bills, car payments, and feeding a family of 2 adults and 2 growing children. What choices do you have?
I moved from that city to a smaller one and started a new line of work that was closer to what I was trained for. I enjoyed it for the most part. The pay was good enough, the people fairly decent to work with. But the company made promises that they didn't live up to and the wear and tear of trying after 2 years got to me. I left for a lesser paying job with once again the prospects of new promotions and a better lot in life.
Yet, once again the daily inconsistencies and lack of organization lead me to a dead end. So, after almost 3 years of not having to look for work or worry about how rent will be paid, I find myself on the waiting list to hear back from my friendly government department. I am sitting here asking myself if I have done enough. If there was no other alternative to my position to end me here right now. If I was doing my part and not looking for an excuse as so much of my life seems to have been over my 34 years. But I think I am secure in my final opinion. I want more and feel I am entitled to it. I have worked for it consistently for the last few years.
To find myself in this predicament is a little un-nerving, but I have been in worse spots in my life so am pretty confident I will pull through once again. It sure would be nice though to not have to live pay check to pay check. So, I ask you, would you have stayed in a job that paid less than $2 hr than you were used to? Then to find the transportation costs were almost triple to what you had budgeted for? The company was too new and unorganzied to work with in any form of competency. The people were the underdogs of all the other call centres, the ones who didn't rise to anywhere and didn't even care to. The feel of the place was not one I cared to absorb. It would have been detrimental to my well being. And so i resigned.
But now the hunt begins. The selling yourself up the wahoo to get a position you don't even know if you want. The hope that one day maybe your skills and talents will be recognized even if you don't play the game of kiss ass. You pound the pavement with visions of one day being your own boss and never having to do this again. Time, and bill collectors against you. Pull up your socks, straighten your shoulders, and take a deep breath. This is only another chapter in your life. The next one has yet to be written. Change of perspective needed? Most likely. Well, that's all for today fellow philosophers. Hope and faith are my new companions in this relentless pursuit of a better existence. Until next time, may all your dreams be fruitful, and all your actions progressive.
Your friend, Melanie
I have been tossing this around in my mind for the last few days. I had the pleasure of filling out an unemployment application today for the first time in my life. What fun I must say. Anyone else who has had the joy of doing one knows exactly what I mean. I quit my job due to not having reliable, affordable transportation, and the pay cut I took made it worse. I thought the lack of stress in a more laid back environment would help me but I found I was in a company that was on the opposite side of the spectrum from what I had just left. I don't know about you, but it sure would be nice if I could work in the field I spent 2 years in studying for.
I recall working in a auto parts factory some years back. I was on the line with other coworkers having this discussion. There were engineers, nurse aids, book keepers, and other personnel there all trained for something they were not doing but having to work there due to a shortage of jobs in their field, the city economy, and their bills needing to be paid. I was in the same boat. A $10k loan that was being recalled(with 18% interest I might add), rent, bills, car payments, and feeding a family of 2 adults and 2 growing children. What choices do you have?
I moved from that city to a smaller one and started a new line of work that was closer to what I was trained for. I enjoyed it for the most part. The pay was good enough, the people fairly decent to work with. But the company made promises that they didn't live up to and the wear and tear of trying after 2 years got to me. I left for a lesser paying job with once again the prospects of new promotions and a better lot in life.
Yet, once again the daily inconsistencies and lack of organization lead me to a dead end. So, after almost 3 years of not having to look for work or worry about how rent will be paid, I find myself on the waiting list to hear back from my friendly government department. I am sitting here asking myself if I have done enough. If there was no other alternative to my position to end me here right now. If I was doing my part and not looking for an excuse as so much of my life seems to have been over my 34 years. But I think I am secure in my final opinion. I want more and feel I am entitled to it. I have worked for it consistently for the last few years.
To find myself in this predicament is a little un-nerving, but I have been in worse spots in my life so am pretty confident I will pull through once again. It sure would be nice though to not have to live pay check to pay check. So, I ask you, would you have stayed in a job that paid less than $2 hr than you were used to? Then to find the transportation costs were almost triple to what you had budgeted for? The company was too new and unorganzied to work with in any form of competency. The people were the underdogs of all the other call centres, the ones who didn't rise to anywhere and didn't even care to. The feel of the place was not one I cared to absorb. It would have been detrimental to my well being. And so i resigned.
But now the hunt begins. The selling yourself up the wahoo to get a position you don't even know if you want. The hope that one day maybe your skills and talents will be recognized even if you don't play the game of kiss ass. You pound the pavement with visions of one day being your own boss and never having to do this again. Time, and bill collectors against you. Pull up your socks, straighten your shoulders, and take a deep breath. This is only another chapter in your life. The next one has yet to be written. Change of perspective needed? Most likely. Well, that's all for today fellow philosophers. Hope and faith are my new companions in this relentless pursuit of a better existence. Until next time, may all your dreams be fruitful, and all your actions progressive.
Your friend, Melanie
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