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The Waiting Game (and Maybe a New Job...)
In the next few days, I just may have a new job. I really need one right about now, too.
Storytime!
The first Saturday of May 2008, I graduated from college. A month before that, I started looking for a new job that would allow me to actually use my college degree. My wife and I wanted to move from Utah to Oregon, so that's where I sent my applications.
By July, I'd had three callbacks and only two interviews, none of which resulted in employment. In fact, I got no response whatsoever from the majority of the companies to which I applied. I was starting to get just a little frustrated, but I was still motivated and kept at it.
Then I noticed something strange growing under my skin. I went to the doctor to check it out and discovered I had a very fast-moving cancer.
Fortunately, I found it before it spread from the original spot, which meant that its removal meant a simple surgery. I didn't have insurance, so I had to pay for it myself, which was a tangled mess of confusion and general suckiness all around. The tumor was removed, but I was broke and still needed to go in for periodic tests to make sure everything is still clean (so far, so good). That meant I couldn't afford to travel for interviews, and when a Salt Lake hospital volunteered to cover the cost all my treatments at their facilities, I figured I had to stick around Utah for a while.
So I started applying to jobs in the Salt Lake area. Once again, most of my applications seemed to be ignored. Then the economy took its downturn, and jobs became harder to get. At the same time, my hours at my current Retail Electronics job were cut rather drastically to the point where I would not be able to even pay my rent unless I got something new.
Suddenly, as of the day after election day, I have three rays of hope shining at me. Someone in a Utah government agency wants me for a technical editor; they just have to create the position first. Somebody else wants me for a job that involves listing products for sale on a website and answering customer emails about those products; they have to make sure the position will be open by the day they want me to start. And another company wants me for a mailroom position that will eventually evolve into more technical writing and editing work; they're waiting on a return phone call from one of my references.
As I type, I am waiting for the phone to ring. I expect one of the three to call either today or tomorrow and offer me a new job. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but I can't help it.
Don't worry, though. I'll still have my occasional stupid computer customer story. I'll be working Saturdays and holidays only at my current job for the next few months to keep my employee discount until I'm able to purchase some stuff I've been wanting for a while now.
Everybody cross your fingers (or whatever else you do for luck) for me!
Storytime!
The first Saturday of May 2008, I graduated from college. A month before that, I started looking for a new job that would allow me to actually use my college degree. My wife and I wanted to move from Utah to Oregon, so that's where I sent my applications.
By July, I'd had three callbacks and only two interviews, none of which resulted in employment. In fact, I got no response whatsoever from the majority of the companies to which I applied. I was starting to get just a little frustrated, but I was still motivated and kept at it.
Then I noticed something strange growing under my skin. I went to the doctor to check it out and discovered I had a very fast-moving cancer.
Fortunately, I found it before it spread from the original spot, which meant that its removal meant a simple surgery. I didn't have insurance, so I had to pay for it myself, which was a tangled mess of confusion and general suckiness all around. The tumor was removed, but I was broke and still needed to go in for periodic tests to make sure everything is still clean (so far, so good). That meant I couldn't afford to travel for interviews, and when a Salt Lake hospital volunteered to cover the cost all my treatments at their facilities, I figured I had to stick around Utah for a while.So I started applying to jobs in the Salt Lake area. Once again, most of my applications seemed to be ignored. Then the economy took its downturn, and jobs became harder to get. At the same time, my hours at my current Retail Electronics job were cut rather drastically to the point where I would not be able to even pay my rent unless I got something new.
Suddenly, as of the day after election day, I have three rays of hope shining at me. Someone in a Utah government agency wants me for a technical editor; they just have to create the position first. Somebody else wants me for a job that involves listing products for sale on a website and answering customer emails about those products; they have to make sure the position will be open by the day they want me to start. And another company wants me for a mailroom position that will eventually evolve into more technical writing and editing work; they're waiting on a return phone call from one of my references.
As I type, I am waiting for the phone to ring. I expect one of the three to call either today or tomorrow and offer me a new job. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high, but I can't help it.
Don't worry, though. I'll still have my occasional stupid computer customer story. I'll be working Saturdays and holidays only at my current job for the next few months to keep my employee discount until I'm able to purchase some stuff I've been wanting for a while now.
Everybody cross your fingers (or whatever else you do for luck) for me!
I got it! I got it! 
Woo-hoo! New job for me! 
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