WHERE do I even start???
Alright. So I decided to move to the Pacific Northwest to discover what life has to offer.
Let's get back to that in a minute.
So I have been job searching since January... a tedious process and somewhat depressing since NO ONE was calling me back.
Fortunately my amazing friends that I met on care.com (LOL) set me up a few gigs to walk and keep their dog, and I was also able to dog/house-sit for another family.
That, along with my Poshmark sales was able to sustain my spending on nice shampoo and Zaxby's.
Somewhere between everything... I decided that I needed to move... I wasn't having any luck with the job search and decided that I needed to physically get out there. Fortunately, I have amazing friends who said I could stay with them while I job searched. So I had it set up that I would move the last week of April. My older brother also decided that he was definitely coming on the road trip.
My brother contacted me the end of March about working at the daycare where my niece and nephew attend school (fortunately, he and my sister-in-law are BFF with the daycare director). SO I picked up work for about 3 weeks and... it.was.hard. I have a new found respect for daycare workers. Picking up babies, changing their diapers, feeding them, changing them, rocking them to sleep, entertaining them, keeping them alive..... is very very hard. I was sore and tired... and maybe don't want kids for a few more years. Phew! But I picked up a little extra cash and that was super nice.
It was also great to get out of Dothan and have some new scenery as well as hang out with my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew.... especially the littles bc they are so darn cute and call me "aunt yace" UGH heart-melt.
By the end of my daycare assignment, it was mid-April, I went home and started packing and trying to visit with family as well as job search (I had been job searching the whole time... sometimes I would take a few days off.... but I applied to at least 3 or more jobs a week, and sometimes 5 a day). So that was most of life for Spring.
To be continued...
Monday, May 9, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
pictures of the past
tonight, I discovered that all of my phone pics were automatically being backed up to my computer.
I guess that's iCloud? I have no idea. I am not even sure what iCloud is except that it is a major pain in my ass when asking me to re-download my music and deleting my many, many precious songs from my phone. F you, iCloud. I DON'T NEED YOU.
I discovered all these pics that I hadn't seen in months (because I'm constantly having to delete pics from my phone because of storage issues... get me the 64g stat)
I was overcome with so much emotion. I had taken several of these pictures during work conferences, or just to see what I looked like before going in to work. So there I was. There were my coworkers... captured in time.
Little did I know it would end so abruptly.
I swear you guys... I feel as though I am going through a break up.
It doesn't hurt to drive past the building... okay, it hurts a little. But to see past pictures of myself when I was so happy and felt so accomplished.
It hurts.
I'm even listening to this super "break-upy" song as I write this.
Well. Maybe it was time to break up, and since I didn't have a human to do it with, it had to be this job.
I guess that's iCloud? I have no idea. I am not even sure what iCloud is except that it is a major pain in my ass when asking me to re-download my music and deleting my many, many precious songs from my phone. F you, iCloud. I DON'T NEED YOU.
I discovered all these pics that I hadn't seen in months (because I'm constantly having to delete pics from my phone because of storage issues... get me the 64g stat)
I was overcome with so much emotion. I had taken several of these pictures during work conferences, or just to see what I looked like before going in to work. So there I was. There were my coworkers... captured in time.
Little did I know it would end so abruptly.
I swear you guys... I feel as though I am going through a break up.
It doesn't hurt to drive past the building... okay, it hurts a little. But to see past pictures of myself when I was so happy and felt so accomplished.
It hurts.
I'm even listening to this super "break-upy" song as I write this.
Well. Maybe it was time to break up, and since I didn't have a human to do it with, it had to be this job.
Friday, January 22, 2016
How to Write a KILLER Resume... and other randomness
Haha! Just kidding! I have no idea. Like at all.
In fact, I had a free resume checker criticize my resume stating all kinds of things. For a whole day, I kind of believed them UNTIL, they told me I should definitely be using word docs instead of PDF.
Um, WRONG. Almost every job I have applied for has asked for mostly PDF docs and only a few requested "word"... so screw those sabotaging suggestions, including the ones stating that I used "too many action phrases" Um what do you think I'm doing??? I'm WORKING. I'm in ACTION!
All I can say is list what you did, what you accomplished, and maybe throw in some results... no, definitely throw in some results.
And here is my question... why oh why do we need cover letters? I have a friend who is a recruiter for a large bank and she told me "I always skip applicants that send cover letters."
Excuse me, WHAT. You do WHAT???
She then explained to me that resumes are adequate and cover letters are a waste of time. I mean I couldn't agree with her more because Cover Letters are my personal nightmare. I HATE them. Oy, it takes me a solid hour to write a decent cover letter.
But yea now I have this new approach on cover letters. And of course, plenty of companies still require them, but I like knowing that a lot of bigger companies don't make them a priority.
And also, like what is the happy medium of applying to jobs? 10 a day? 15? All I know is I wish it were easier. Like couldn't I get an interview same day and you just let me know if I'm what you want?
And while I'm on this random roller coaster, I have come to the conclusion that I am software, graphic design guru trapped in the body of a liberal arts girl. I would LOVE to work at Buzzed, Facebook, Urban Airship, or one of these cool businesses. Unfortunately they are in very low demand for people with psychology degrees.
And also, if this was a misleading post, I am so sorry, but no, I'm not sorry!
Listen, don't take yourself too seriously, and understand that maybe you won't get that killer job, and maybe your computer crashed and you didn't back up your hard drive (so all those precious cover letter templates, and revised resumes are now in doc heaven). And maybe you gained 10 pounds because job searching is stressful and you now have butt acne. OH WELL!
It will be alright. YOU will be ok. You live and you learn.
And sometimes you just learn and learn and learn some more.
In fact, I had a free resume checker criticize my resume stating all kinds of things. For a whole day, I kind of believed them UNTIL, they told me I should definitely be using word docs instead of PDF.
Um, WRONG. Almost every job I have applied for has asked for mostly PDF docs and only a few requested "word"... so screw those sabotaging suggestions, including the ones stating that I used "too many action phrases" Um what do you think I'm doing??? I'm WORKING. I'm in ACTION!
All I can say is list what you did, what you accomplished, and maybe throw in some results... no, definitely throw in some results.
And here is my question... why oh why do we need cover letters? I have a friend who is a recruiter for a large bank and she told me "I always skip applicants that send cover letters."
Excuse me, WHAT. You do WHAT???
She then explained to me that resumes are adequate and cover letters are a waste of time. I mean I couldn't agree with her more because Cover Letters are my personal nightmare. I HATE them. Oy, it takes me a solid hour to write a decent cover letter.
But yea now I have this new approach on cover letters. And of course, plenty of companies still require them, but I like knowing that a lot of bigger companies don't make them a priority.
And also, like what is the happy medium of applying to jobs? 10 a day? 15? All I know is I wish it were easier. Like couldn't I get an interview same day and you just let me know if I'm what you want?
And while I'm on this random roller coaster, I have come to the conclusion that I am software, graphic design guru trapped in the body of a liberal arts girl. I would LOVE to work at Buzzed, Facebook, Urban Airship, or one of these cool businesses. Unfortunately they are in very low demand for people with psychology degrees.
And also, if this was a misleading post, I am so sorry, but no, I'm not sorry!
Listen, don't take yourself too seriously, and understand that maybe you won't get that killer job, and maybe your computer crashed and you didn't back up your hard drive (so all those precious cover letter templates, and revised resumes are now in doc heaven). And maybe you gained 10 pounds because job searching is stressful and you now have butt acne. OH WELL!
It will be alright. YOU will be ok. You live and you learn.
And sometimes you just learn and learn and learn some more.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
2016 -->semi-sweet
Well crap.
It's 2016 and I find myself in the same situation I was in a year ago. Living at home, jobless, and of course there is not one boy here, or there, or anywhere seems like.
New Years Eve was different. It was the 1st time in 6 years or so that I had spent New Years Eve alone, but it wasn't sad! Just different.
I visited my brother and his family New Years day and the weekend. It was super nice to get away... and have a breath of fresh air and hang out with some fun kiddos.
I stopped in Auburn for a few days to hangout with some of my dearest friends (who are conveniently in the same/almost same boat as I am).
It's always good to see them and review our life status and we talk through the pain of job applications and the unfortunate task of writing cover letter after cover letter. We see each other on a monthly basis, and it's perfect.
On my way home I got a sore throat... that turned into a cough... that turned into congestion. All 3 raged for 4 days straight. After a bottle of cough syrup, half a bottle of mucinex, 20 advil... or something like that, and an entire box of sudafed... I had not recovered, but had worsened... I had loss my voice and my appetite, and I was sure that death was near.
And because of my recent job loss, I was fresh out of health insurance. So I cried, and was sure I would have to pay a $1,000 to see a Doctor..... but did not want to die at 27.
So I called around, with hardly no voice at all.
Turns out some of those little walk in clinics give you 20% of if you pay in full, and turns out there are really nice doctors who prescribe free scripts. So after a diagnosis of a dreadful sinus infection, my very 1st one too, I only paid $80 for everything and went home to recover for 2 days.
2 sicknesses in 2 weeks. I think my immune system is suffering from stress... or at least that's what webmd tells me. I am NEVER sick. Never, never, never.
SO now I have pretty much recovered, only with the slightest cough.
My days thus far are spent applying to job after job and hoping that somewhere, I will have favor.
I am broke, and my sanity is tested on a daily basis, but... I never want to be desperate. I hate that feeling... you know, desperation paired with hopelessness? Oh, you don't? Well, I would not recommend.
After searching and applying to 20+ jobs, I had that sinking feeling of "if you're going to be successful, then you're going to need to be a software engineer, or something close in proximity"... which led to "if I go back to school, it's going to cost a billion dollars" which snow-balled into "I am going to be trapped in this town forever because I can't get a job, because my degree sucks, and why didn't I go to school and get a better degree, and why am I single, and WHY IS EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE SUCKING"... yea a little dramatic. Desperation.
Everyone has their brick walls, failures, disappointments, and regrets, but I just hope to do a better job living despite these.
It's 2016 and I find myself in the same situation I was in a year ago. Living at home, jobless, and of course there is not one boy here, or there, or anywhere seems like.
New Years Eve was different. It was the 1st time in 6 years or so that I had spent New Years Eve alone, but it wasn't sad! Just different.
I visited my brother and his family New Years day and the weekend. It was super nice to get away... and have a breath of fresh air and hang out with some fun kiddos.
I stopped in Auburn for a few days to hangout with some of my dearest friends (who are conveniently in the same/almost same boat as I am).
It's always good to see them and review our life status and we talk through the pain of job applications and the unfortunate task of writing cover letter after cover letter. We see each other on a monthly basis, and it's perfect.
On my way home I got a sore throat... that turned into a cough... that turned into congestion. All 3 raged for 4 days straight. After a bottle of cough syrup, half a bottle of mucinex, 20 advil... or something like that, and an entire box of sudafed... I had not recovered, but had worsened... I had loss my voice and my appetite, and I was sure that death was near.
And because of my recent job loss, I was fresh out of health insurance. So I cried, and was sure I would have to pay a $1,000 to see a Doctor..... but did not want to die at 27.
So I called around, with hardly no voice at all.
Turns out some of those little walk in clinics give you 20% of if you pay in full, and turns out there are really nice doctors who prescribe free scripts. So after a diagnosis of a dreadful sinus infection, my very 1st one too, I only paid $80 for everything and went home to recover for 2 days.
2 sicknesses in 2 weeks. I think my immune system is suffering from stress... or at least that's what webmd tells me. I am NEVER sick. Never, never, never.
SO now I have pretty much recovered, only with the slightest cough.
My days thus far are spent applying to job after job and hoping that somewhere, I will have favor.
I am broke, and my sanity is tested on a daily basis, but... I never want to be desperate. I hate that feeling... you know, desperation paired with hopelessness? Oh, you don't? Well, I would not recommend.
After searching and applying to 20+ jobs, I had that sinking feeling of "if you're going to be successful, then you're going to need to be a software engineer, or something close in proximity"... which led to "if I go back to school, it's going to cost a billion dollars" which snow-balled into "I am going to be trapped in this town forever because I can't get a job, because my degree sucks, and why didn't I go to school and get a better degree, and why am I single, and WHY IS EVERY AREA OF MY LIFE SUCKING"... yea a little dramatic. Desperation.
Everyone has their brick walls, failures, disappointments, and regrets, but I just hope to do a better job living despite these.
and YES I did take a picture of my night stand through that hellish week. For documentation purposes of course, but I hardly ever take these kinds of meds, and I am sure after all things ingested pre doctor appointment... the steroids and antibiotics were a piece of cake for my system.
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