Closing the Circle on 42.

Well, it's the first anniversary of my little 42. blog, and I think it's a good time to close shop here.

I've got a decent number of entries for the year, and this blog is testament to the tremendous life changes I've created and/or experienced in the last year, including:

--relocating from my lifelong home of Nebraska to one of the Top 5 largest cities in the US

--quitting a job I worked at for 19 years and thought I would probably work at until I retired or they laid me off (more on that in a sec)

--realizing that I need to take control of my career, rather than assume a corporation is going to do so

--leaving immediate family as well as friends (some of whom I've had since high school) for a city where I knew no one, and finding out I can still make new friends, even in my 40s

--confirming my lifelong assumption that I truly did marry my best friend, and that we'll celebrate 20 years of this event in September 2013

--transitioning (over the last six years, though it was all part of a process) from an 1,800+ square foot house with two-car garage that we owned, to a two- bedroom apartment we rented in the downtown of an urban area (a huge transition in and of itself), to a one-bedroom apartment we rented in a major urban area, and realizing it's all for the better and what I really wanted all along but was afraid to say so

--getting rid of my car and ceasing to be a regular driver, for the first time in 28 years. It's been almost ten months since I last drove a car and I couldn't be happier!

--learning that it's not too late for a do-over, and that old (or middle-aged) dogs still can learn new tricks

--finding my voice, in more ways than one

The closing of this blog comes at a good time. I started a new job this week, as you know, and it is terrific so far (and amazing to me, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I could do it). Also, I learned just yesterday that my former employer (parent company) has sold the life insurance subsidiary I used to work for, to a third party from the UK. As a result, many of my friends have lost/will be losing their jobs, and I am sad for them, but also happy for myself that I chose to separate from the company on my own terms.

(Not that I blame anyone who didn't handle it the way I did. It was generally a decent place to work and they made it easy to stay there. This is something all of us have seen before, on some level, and we knew/know it was/is always a possibility. I hope the company honors the severance packages it has traditionally offered in situations like this. My 20th anniversary with the company would have been in May, had I still been there, and while I would have enjoyed the Movado watch I was going to get, I promise you that I enjoy my new life outside of the company even more.There IS life after the "Hands" company, and it's good. You'll see. Best of luck to you all.)

Boycat just pee'd on the bed, which is also appropriate (or at least expected) in light of his recent circumstances. Sigh. It's always something.

But before I go, a couple more brief comments.

Keeping 42. for a year has helped me work through many issues in a way that only writing things down can do. Several years ago, Mr. 42's mom gifted us with a copy of an amazing book called Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Klauser. She had read it and talked about the "proof" of it she had experienced in her life. Mr. 42 and I both read it and began putting it to work.

The author ascribes the power of it to a more "spiritual" influence than I probably would, being an atheist (or agnostic, depending on which day you ask me), but I have always been a firm believer in the power of the written (or typed) word. Many times I have observed that I and others can speak our truth through the written word in a way that we can't articulate verbally, even to people we love and trust. Sometimes it means we speak this truth only to ourselves, but often it is only to ourselves that it needs to be spoken to. That is the lesson I took away from Write it Down. If you want to believe that putting your intentions on paper sends them out into the universe (or to God, or to the Gods and Goddesses) in such a way that they simply must happen, I'm okay with that. As I said above, depending on what day you ask me, that might be the explanation I would give, too. Other days, it seems that writing things down (or typing them, even) helps YOU as the writer to clarify what you really want. It makes you focus on something in a way that helps it transition from being a pleasant, occasional passing thought ("Wouldn't it be nice if ...") to something you have thought about, written about, clarified, confirmed and are now making plans for.

Writing it down doesn't mean it will happen right away, or in exactly the way you had planned. This is how Philadelphia happened for us. We had our sights set on Boston, and life threw us a few curveballs that meant that wasn't going to happen when we wanted. What we didn't know at that time was that things wouldn't happen in Boston at all, but having lived here in Philly for ten months now, I am positive we ended up in the place where we were meant to live. (XOXO to Boston friends. Let's get together soon!)

What took place throughout that process (and for a good six months before we even began telling people of our plans): thoughts about what we wanted in a new city and how we wanted to live when we got here. Articulated on paper. Written down, more than once, across several notebooks and in two laptops. Refined and revised and reaffirmed, constantly.

Here in Philadelphia, a full 25 months after our notes about moving and starting a new and different life in a big city first began, I am here to tell you: it works!

Thanks to everyone who has followed this blog and taken time to comment or even just "like" on FB. I plan to take a short blogging break before beginning anew somewhere else (probably in Tumblr and in a completely different frame of mind).  Cheers!--Ms. 42

So Far, So Good

Things are going well so far at the new job. Granted, it's only my second day. People seem nice. The office is in a great location. Dress code at the new office is business casual, though everyone is dressed a little more formally than we interpreted business casual back in Nebraska. But it doesn't appear pantyhose are required with dresses and skirts (hooray) and I have enough "formal" business casual clothes to get by for a bit. I already have a blister from one of my new pairs of shoes. Go figure.

One of my favorite new blouses for work, which I love because it looks like a scarf!  :-) 

Things are a little stressful and overwhelming, as they would be with any new job, but it feels good to be back on track. It's only my third night of doing so, but getting up early and getting to bed at a decent hour, instead of keeping an erratic schedule, certainly has its merits. (Sadly, I had to skip an 80s karaoke night last night, since I now have to be up early. I do hope I'll be able to squeeze one in every few weeks or so. Monday nights are either totally fun tourist crowds, full of folks ready to party on a weeknight, or totally quiet nights with very few singers, which are also fun because I get to sing a whole bunch of songs and almost no one is there to hear when I'm lousy.)

My boss took me out for lunch on Monday to an Asian restaurant, and this was the fortune in my fortune cookie. Sexist language aside, it's highly applicable at this moment in time for all sorts of reasons.

(Also appropriate because we're in Philadelphia and this is a Benjamin Franklin quote.) 

I planned to begin walking to and/or from work for the new job, but the heat wave and humidity this week are holding me back. I don't want to have to wring the sweat out of my clothes at work (ha!) after walking in the morning, and the hottest part of the day is usually between 4:00 and 6:00, which is when I would be walking home. I am somewhat of a pansy in the heat, so I'm grateful for SEPTA. Things are supposed to cool off a little over the weekend. Hopefully I can start walking (a.k.a. built-in exercise) next week.

Boycat had another little cystitis flare-up on my first day, but he's still on the buspirone, so we're just making sure he gets plenty of water and waiting it out.  (We did give him a little bit of pain medicine last night, too, but he is already doing better and I don't think he'll need it tonight.) Am I kidding myself to believe my return to full-time work caused him anxiety? I know he loves me and misses me. I really hope I am not the cause of his suffering.

I have no doubt the days will soon begin flying by. Heck, they kind of flew by even when I wasn't working full-time and could spend my time how I chose. Only two days in, and it already feels like I've slid back into the weekday groove I had for 2011 and the first eight months of 2012. I had no idea our move would essentially be an unplanned "gap year," but since I didn't get to take one after graduating high school or college, it was nice to have one in my 40s.

So, yeah. Kinda boring but I know some of you wanted to know how it's going. It's going well, and most importantly, it's going!  :-)

My Last Day of Freedom

Today is my last (week) day of freedom. I return to work full-time on Monday, 7/15.

As excited as I am about the new job and about getting back into a regular routine, and in spite of the occasional stress of not having a full-time income since early September 2012, I'm feeling a bit sad today for the loss of my free time that will come next week.

All this past week, Mr. 42 and I have been doing fun stuff that we won't be able to do when I'm working full-time again:

Mr. 42 and a fresh pitcher of Pimms and Sunshine, National Mechanics

• Leisurely lunches at off hours that included beer
• Getting tipsy in the late afternoon before Happy Hour even starts 
• Two karaoke nights
• Our first trip to the King of Prussia Mall, which is America's largest shopping center. It ended up being a seven-hour ordeal for which we had little to show but a couple of shirts from a clearance rack. Three of those seven hours were spent on buses to get there and back. The mall was huge but just a typical mall, which means 85% of the stores are ones I'll never set foot in--clothes for kids and teens, baby goods, home furnishings and decor that are not my style, etc. Another 2% were large department stores, all of which had many of the same things. The other 13% were stores that we have here in Center City within walking distance. Neither of us see any need to revisit the KOP anytime soon. (If we can't find something here in Center City, it probably means we don't need it.)
• Boring but important errands I ran on weekday mornings and afternoons that can suck up entire weekends, like getting haircuts, going to the drugstore, grocery shopping, etc. 

Still on tap: a weekday movie matinee today; walking up to my new office in order to time the walk and see what interesting shops and restaurants are in the area; painting or crafting of some kind.

I wouldn't say I've made particularly good use of my time off. I didn't complete any major projects people always say they will do, like writing a novel. I didn't establish a regular exercise routine. My apartment is not organized from top to bottom nor free of any specks of dust. 

A series of miniature paintings I completed in June

I haven't entirely wasted that time, either. I got some arts and crafts done that were very satisfying. I did lots of writing, both here and for my freelance job. I read some great books and saw some amazing movies. I went to some concerts that were fantastic. I learned how to code in HTML, as opposed to just not goofing up the existing code. I learned basic Javascript and Prezi. I explored my new city and learned how to get around in it, on foot, by train and by bus. I have new favorite restaurants, bars and museums I will visit again and again. I met lots of people and made some new friends. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want and don't want in my life.

One of the best books I've read in a while

A Prezi I created as a demo for potential employers

To be honest, there was not as much "leisure time" in there as I expected. Hunting for a job really is a full-time job. Some online job applications take an hour or more to complete, even if you already have all your past job info, salary history and reference contact info lined up. Phone interviews and face-to-face interviews require a great deal of preparation. Plus, I still had (and will have) my part-time/freelance job, seven days a week.  

In this last month and a half, I was just getting to the point that most people probably won't see until retirement (and maybe not even then), where time itself was becoming meaningless. I was waking and sleeping when I felt like it, eating when I wanted to and giving my days only the loosest of structure. I would think a lot of time had passed and discover only 30 minutes had passed. I would think it was still early in the afternoon and discover it was somehow 4:00 PM already. I remember my late MIL could never recall what day it was, not due to dementia or absent-mindedness, but because her days had no structure after she retired and she stopped looking at the calendar. Birthdays and holidays went by and she didn't always realize it, so they were celebrated (or not) when they were remembered. I am unsure how much longer it would have taken me to get to that point, and whether or not that would be a good way to live. 

Overall, I'm calling the time between September 2012 and mid-July 2013 a brief period of semi-retirement, filled with fun and adventure and a little anxiety. It looked a lot like my own parents' retirement has looked so far. To some degree, I regret not spending that time more wisely, but I realize, too, that it was a luxury I probably won't get to enjoy again for a long time. It has definitely taught me the value of time as I go forward. 

Time to take a nap before we catch that movie. 

Uniforms and Dress Codes

Although this isn't a "My Favorite Things" post, let me state right off: I love uniforms. Military uniforms, police uniforms, nurse's and doctor's scrubs, UPS delivery person outfits, etc. I think school uniforms in particular are a great idea. Most of the schools here in Philly have a uniform of some kind, including the public schools, usually khakis and a polo or tee in school colors. School uniforms seem like a great equalizer, given the cliquishness, snobbery and, in larger urban areas, gang or neighborhood affiliation concerns that spring up around clothing for kids.

Choosing one's daily clothing can be a fun expression of creativity and individuality. It can also be a huge pain in the butt that wastes time and money and breeds insecurity, especially for women in the business world.

I worked at my old employer long enough to see its dress code transition from business formal to business casual to just plain casual, with most people at any given time not knowing exactly how they should dress. In the past we had such ridiculous dress code rules that required pantyhose (hated 'em!) for any skirt or dress shorter than bottom of the knee; forbade skirts shorter than a certain length above the knee; required ties for men (even in entry-level positions that didn't deal with the public); allowed skorts and "business shorts" so long as pantyhose were worn, then outlawed them a couple years later; required capri pants to be no shorter than mid-calf, etc.

Never again! 

Too much of everyone's time at work was spent reading the ever-changing dress code, determining if our own clothing adhered to it, monitoring the clothing choices of others and either reporting violations to their manager or having a conversation with them, if they were my employees.

Business formal appropriate footwear? I didn't think so. 

I also spent too much time and money purchasing appropriate clothes for the shifting dress codes and my own increasing responsibilities that required a more professional image. I bought as few suits and business-y dresses as I could get by with, and bought them as cheaply as I could. In my 20s, I sometimes used my work clothes as my "going out" clothes on weekends, when I couldn't afford to have a separate wardrobe just for off-duty wear. By the time the office dress code had relaxed to completely casual dress, I owned just two pairs of jeans, and was so much more comfortable wearing things other than jeans that I continued to do so most days.

Some people have a personal "uniform" they wear each day. Mr. 42 figured his out years ago, and it has greatly simplified his shopping and wardrobe storage needs. It basically consists of pants (jeans or flat-front khakis) and polo shirts (solid colors only, preference for no logo or not bigger than small pony/alligator, with pocket). In the summer, pants give way to shorts, also flat-front khakis. In the winter, polo shirts give way to solid-colored V-neck sweaters. 95% of the items in his wardrobe fall into those four categories. (He has a nice suit plus a few dress shirts and ties for the rare occasions that demand it, as well as a couple sports coats and a few items of clothing for specific needs like work-outs).

George Clooney modeling Mr. 42's uniform

End result: he is dressed and ready to go, looks polished, spends minimal time thinking about it each day and minimal time when shopping for new clothing. If a new polo gets bought, an old polo gets donated to the thrift store or thrown away if it's beyond usefulness. Same with pants.

I am SO jealous of this, and at the same time, I know it would never work for me. I really look awful in polo shirts. I also have a hard time finding jeans and pants that fit the way I want them to.

Totally my kind of outfit, from Soft Surroundings

I have developed a preference for loose, flowy palazzo pants and wide-leg styles that really don't go with polos. However, they do look great with the tunics and longer, looser tops I have also come to prefer. I like to wear blazers and cardigans, too, and I'm trying to figure out how to pull all this together into some kind of "uniform" for the dress code at my new job, about which I'm still unsure if it's officially business formal or business casual (not to mention how those terms are interpreted here in Philly). In other words ... plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Do you have a uniform, formal or informal, that you wear most days?

Random Updates. Really Random.

The Stuff We Lost In the Move

One of our missing moving boxes from the move has been found, or some of it, anyway. It DOESN'T appear to be the box with the photos, but we're waiting for a little more info. If it's the clothes and shoes, we have already replaced 'em and don't have room to store much extra, so we probably won't worry about getting it back. From what we know so far, it's a partially-full box only, which means someone probably picked through it and took whatever they wanted already.

The Job Hunt

Still hunting for a job and trying not to panic. Still have a little time, too, before I have to panic, but not much. I didn't start job hunting until the end of October, due to the move trauma and needing some time to get settled, so I've only been at it four months, but still. Ugh. My daily routine nowadays consists of going through all the job boards and LinkedIn each day to see if anything good has been posted, then going through the career sites of my "target" companies and seeing if they have anything new, or if I can find any new target companies to add to the list. I usually find two or three worth bookmarking or applying for every day, but not always. I keep hearing about how you're supposed to network, all these ridiculous bullshit guerilla job search tactics you can try (sending a package with a coffee mug AND your resume to the recruiter, etc.) and I just cringe. That is so not me. I also think how annoyed I would be as a recruiter or HR professional if people did that. Granted, HR pro's usually have a different personality and goals than I do. Maybe they truly are not annoyed by those tactics somehow. Or maybe those tactics work if you're in some creative field like Advertising, or you're in an industry that thrives on entrepreneurs, like a tech start-up. The financial services and insurance industries are notoriously conservative in many regards and I suspect they are in this one, too. I'm adding Philly contacts to LinkedIn as I can find them, but without working, I honestly haven't met that many folks here yet. My handful of karaoke friends are it, pretty much, BUT ...

Friends

... Two friends I have known for awhile just moved to Philadelphia this week. Yes!  :-)  One is an old friend from Lincoln, and the other is this person's sweetheart, whom I met for the first time in 2011. And you know the old shampoo commercial from the 1970s:  "They told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on ...?"  Umm, no details I can share yet but something like that is possibly in the works.  If nothing else, it is nice to have a few more friends here.

Coding and Networking

And in other professional developments: I have thoroughly ramped up on my HTML skills and am taking a class this weekend to learn JavaScript. I hope to make some new contacts there and meet a few other cool folks here in Philly. The coding knowledge couldn't hurt, either. I'm sure I won't know enough after that to get hired as a website developer (though I already know enough to be able to maintain some corporation's blog or update their website), but what I'm hoping is I'll learn enough to decide if I am interested in a change in career direction, and have an aptitude for it, which could prompt future educational choices, too.  I live very close to an ITT tech school if I want to get a certificate in something technical, plus there are all the other great colleges here (Drexel, Temple, Penn, etc.) if I want to pursue a Master's in something.

Complacency and You

Which brings me to another important point for everyone, but especially my friends and readers who still work where I used to work: don't get complacent.

Part of why it's taking so long for me to find a job out here is due to the high unemployment rate.  Philly, at 10.1%, is higher than the national average of 7.8%, and much higher than Nebraska's 3.7%.

Part of it, too, I have to accept responsibility for because I let myself get comfy in a job that I thought I'd probably work at for the rest of my life, and that was the wrong thing to do. We've all seen the firings and layoffs as jobs move overseas and lines of business get dropped.  There is no guarantee you'll have a job there in the future, and you don't want to wait until you get laid off to start preparing for your next job.

I didn't put much emphasis on my own development the last few years there, and I know many of you also are not doing this. I am thankful I already have a college degree, and I can't emphasize this enough: if you didn't finish your degree yet, make plans to get back in school as soon as you can, especially since the company offers tuition reimbursement. If you find yourself without a job, you'll be competing against many other people who are also looking for a job but who also have at least a Bachelor's Degree, and guess who won't make the cut? These days, employers want a Bachelor's even for non-skilled positions like being a receptionist at a dentist's office, for pete's sake! Check out a few job postings if you don't believe me.

For those of you with a degree already: step it up in other ways. Get that resume dusted off and ready to go. Build your network on LinkedIn if you haven't already. Get trained as a Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt. Start sitting in on technical meetings and learning project management. Learn Access and Brio and SAP Business Objects and any other technology you can get your hands on. Learn another branch of the business (Life, Annuities, Variable, etc.). Take any opportunity  you can get to learn something new at the company's expense, or even your own if you can afford it. (Wanna learn some programming skills? I do recommend Code Academy to start and it's absolutely free. Learn some basic HTML and you can start adding web parts to that lovely SharePoint site we used!)

Cute Cat Photos

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Umm ... how about some animal cuteness to lighten the mood here? Girlcat and Boycat say hello!

Never Say Never: Observations from a Mid-Life Job Hunt

Hunting for jobs in my early 40s has not been a pleasant experience. When is job hunting ever a pleasant experience? Probably never. I recall it being pretty unpleasant when I was 22 years old and fresh out of college, too.

I'm starting to wonder if we shot ourselves in the foot not bringing a car to Philadelphia. The greater metro area isn't as well-served by public transportation as I expected. As I commented in an earlier entry, I've seen some great jobs for which I probably would have been a shoo-in (life insurance companies offering jobs almost exactly like what I did in my last two jobs at the insurance company), but they were out in suburbs that I can't access by public transportation. And even the suburbs that I can access, I kinda sorta don't want to. If I wanted to live downtown and have a lengthy commute to the suburbs for work every day, I would have stayed in Omaha. I'm not at the point yet where I'm so desperate for a job that I'll take something that involves a lengthy commute by train or bus, but if the time comes I certainly will do whatever is necessary. Never say never.

But ... here's to hoping that time doesn't come!

I feel a bit out of my element in today's job market. Friends who work where I used to work, take note: that place is not adequately training and preparing you for continued advancement in your career if you ever leave the company. Most of the places offering positions similar to what I did before also want someone who is a CPA, some even want a JD (yes! and they're not willing to pay any more than what I was paid!) or who is able to program and run their own reports in SQL or other database technologies. They'll want project-management experience in methodologies like Agile and Scrum, and maybe a PMP certification to boot. (Go look all that stuff up if you don't know what  it is. If you have a chance to get trained on any of it, DO IT!)

My four industry certifications and hard-won product and process experience are not as useful outside of the old workplace, and I find I'm having to market myself as a potential employee based on a lot of general skills that may have made up just a part of some of my previous jobs.

Something that has paid off in more ways that I can count: my job at the perfume website. First off, they just gave me a 25% raise.  :-)   Second, having visible proof that I am a published writer, that I have extensive editing experience, that I have basic HTML skills and CMS experience is proving more valuable than I would have guessed (for all kinds of occupations), and all I will say for now is that it is prompting some possible changes in career path for me that I wouldn't have been able to consider before. (Never say never!)

In an effort to increase my visibility as a job candidate, I've had to face the reality of today's tech-driven world. I'm networking on LinkedIn. (And you all should be doing this, too, if you're not already.)  I had previously thought Twitter was a waste of time, but now I have a Twitter account, which I'm not doing much with at the moment, but never say never! I tweet when I have a new story on the perfume site, when I come across something interesting to share or when I have good coupon codes for perfume shops. I troll Monster.com, Careerbuilder, Dice, MediaBistro, indeed.com, insurancejobs.com, Greatinsurancejobs.com and Craigslist every day for possible job leads. (Those merit their own entry one of these days, oy!)  I have specialized resumes prepared emphasizing my general business experience, my experience as a writer and in corporate communications and I can tweak either one to emphasize certain skills to better match a job posting. I have a series of cover letters that go with each one and are easily tweakable, too.

All of this was extremely difficult for me to do, being a humble Midwesterner and an Introvert--selling myself is not my strong point. But it's getting easier. Never say never!

67 Days

It has been 67 days since Mr. 42 and I last drove a car, which was the date we arrived in Philly and returned the very expensive one-way rental Mitsubishi Gallant we drove here.

That is without a doubt the longest I have ever gone without driving a car since I got my learner's permit at age 15. (Technically speaking, I started driving at age 14--not uncommon for rural Nebraska, where many kids learned to drive at even younger ages if they grew up on farms, which I didn't.)

During these 67 days, we have used the "leather express" (aka our feet) to get almost everywhere. We rode in a taxi to and from the art museum, and that was the only time we've been inside a car since our move. We have only used the subway three times. We rode a bus to and from Ikea.

An ATC I made in 2010. Watercolor and ink on Yupo.

We thought we would be making more use of public transportation here (and we might, someday) but we've also been pleasantly surprised at how many of the things we need to go/do/see/buy are within walking distance. My definition of "walking distance" has expanded a bit, too. If it's within a 30 minute walk and it's not raining/snowing, it's worth the walk.  It is possibly worth the walk up to 45 minutes. If we're talking an hour or more away, we look for some other way to get there or we just don't go (King of Prussia Mall, I'm talking about you)!

The day we gave our car to my niece and her husband--just a couple days before we moved--was one of the happiest days of my life. I've never been one of those folks who regard cars as a status symbol (though I'm not judging those of you who are this way, and I acknowledge that having had constant access to a car or even multiple cars since age 15 puts me in a relatively privileged position to begin with). Once I began my lengthy commutes between Omaha and Lincoln, I came to view cars and driving not as a privilege, but instead as a necessary evil and a pain in the butt. I am so excited to finally be living somewhere that doesn't require you to have a car in order to complete the most basic tasks of life. (Omaha had a bus system, sure, but let's be honest--it sucked.)

Life without a car here has proven challenging in some regards, especially for buying groceries and job hunting. I've had to let several good opportunities slide because they're in a suburb of Philly that is not accessible by public transportation. Plus, I did the lengthy-commute-between-cities thing for five years and I'm not eager to repeat the experience anytime soon.

I am firmly convinced, though, that all this walking is improving my mental and physical health and will trim some pounds off me. Eventually. As soon as I learn to resist the Spanish fries with Whiz...

Running Total: Omaha Bucket List

Omaha Bucket List:

1.  Give notice at work.


Office, consider yourselves served.   ;-)   I gave notice today and decided to designate Sept. 7 as my last day.  I was afraid if I waited until Sept. 14 as originally planned, I wouldn't be giving myself enough time to sort through and organize my crap, and that I wouldn't have as much time to spend with friends and family as I wished.

So, one item down. (Many  more to go.)

Next up:

2.  Put in notice at the apartment complex.

(The office manager is a friend of ours and already knows what's going on. We just need to make it official and fill out their little form.) Mañana, my friends.

And I promise there are more fun things on the Omaha Bucket List than these "honey-do's." Case in point:

3.  Put on my dancing shoes and go dancing one last time with The Jade Dog. Also mañana. Can't wait!

Thoughts on Work

This is probably better suited to a longer post, but as I'm starting to job hunt in Philly, I'm reminded of how much I wish I had chosen more wisely when it comes to a career.

(That probably would have started with choosing differently in education, too, though I'm still a believer in education for education's sake, and not just to prepare you for a job.  Most people I know don't end up working in their field of study, or else they didn't study in the field they truly wanted to because they worried they wouldn't be able to make a living at it.  It's six of one, half a dozen of the other for most of us.)

I had a double major in college.  First, Women's Studies.  Then, in my junior year, when I had to designate a minor, I chose instead to designate a second major in English.

From my Paris trip: the Women in Art exhibit at Le Centre Pompidou, 2010.  (Go, Guerilla Girls!)

They are equally valuable, or should I say, have equally little value in my workplace, for the most part.  When people I casually meet ask me about my major, I generally say it was Women's Studies.  When potential employers ask me to list my major, I generally say English.

I really don't know what I thought I wanted to do with those majors.

(No, that's not true.  I do.  I wanted to write.  I still do.

That's one of those careers that many people can't make a living at, although I am actually getting paid for my writing and editing skills on the perfume website.  It just doesn't pay enough to live on at this point.  Someday it might.  A girl can dream.)

I ended up with my current employer kind of by accident.  I had no job to go to after graduation, and took a temp job just to start earning some money in the meantime.  The job market at that time was kind of like it is now--a shortage of jobs and too many candidates, and young college grads were having a tough time of it.  I secured a temp job (and my one and only temp assignment) at an insurance company that was experiencing tremendous growth.

My starting wage:  $5.17 an hour.  But there was a chance the job would lead to a permanent position, which it did just three months later. (Then, my starting wage as a permanent employee went up to $7.17 an hour.  Who can live on that?  I sure couldn't back in 1993, and minimum wage in 2012 isn't much more than that.)

The rest, as they say, is history.  After I was there for a bit, I started wanting (or thinking I should want) more money and more responsibility.  I wanted benefits and financial security for myself and Mr. 42.  I thought I wanted a career in the industry, a house and lots of other stuff that turned out to be NOT what I really wanted, upon further reflection (over a period of 19 years).

Until a few months ago, I even thought I wanted to take my current job with me when I move.  Now that I know I can't, I'm actually glad and looking forward to a fresh start, though I'm dismayed to find the jobs I'm researching and/or getting contacted by recruiters for are . . .

. . . in the same industry as I am now.

I tell myself it's just to get established in Philly.  It won't have to be permanent if I don't like it.  I can make a change.  (I just hope I remember that in a few months/years.)