I have undergone quite the transformation in the past year and half. I went from a highly professional job where I was valued for my knowledge and treated in high regards to some very different types of positions. [It is funny when I think back to it. Sometimes I remember events and for some reason everyone in my head speaks with an English accent and sometimes I am wearing a wig like George Washington. Ok, so that is when I have dreams about my old job but still...it is kinda odd don't ya think, chap? End Rant Here.] I was a pizza delivery driver, pizza maker, house keeper and finally an overqualified butt wiper. I know my last job wasn't really all butt-wiping but it was the part that I had NO IDEA about before I had accepted it. Granted, it was only when I had to work the floor or as a last resort, but just not my cup of tea (see, the English thing again).
Overall the dynamics where I worked for 9 months were not ideal. Many times I felt like Lloyd in Dumb & Dumber (*Note, to truly understand the torment please click on that link). I could go on and on and I am sure over time I will post little snippets of the hellish ordeal but for now I am trying to remove it from my memory and focus on the good. Which is why I am writing in the first place and it brings us full circle to one year ago........
Last year I interviewed for a position that I knew I could totally do and was offered the job in a round-about way. They basically said they couldn't afford me. They said what they could offer and I agreed with them because at that time, my naivety about how dire the job market would become was unfathomable. I was still expecting to find a job that made within $5 and hour of what I had been making. So needless to say, I went on my merry way and continued to drudge forward through unemployment for another 6 months {Rant--my husband continually said "I told you to accept that other job" whenever I complained about the job I had accepted. Rant ends here}.
Fast forward 13 months later: While perusing through Craigslist I spied the same job that I had turned down last year!!!!! No way! Could it be?!?! Since I had accepted the other job and "settled" for a lower salary that was commensurate with what they had offered me I wondered if I should go for it. When I told my husband about it his response was "I told you to accept it last year!" So I contacted them and told them my situation: the past year was pure hell and I had kicked myself for not accepting it before and I GOT THE JOB!!!! That simple!!!!!! Holy buckets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started at the new job about two weeks ago. It is a job I can do. It is a job that makes me happy. It is a job where I am appreciated. It is a job where I am no longer on call, ever!! I can have nights and weekends and holidays free! I can go out of town. I can drink too many beers and not get a call that someone is sick or didn't show up or there is a major crisis that I can't deal with because I got my beers on. I can take the kids to school in the morning and then go to work. I can leave for a full hour at lunch and take my husband to work and not have to check out and let someone know I am leaving the premise on my own time. Pay dirt baby!!!!
My new job is administrative--the kind of crap that I did before I went to college. However, my experiences elsewhere have come in handy and I am actually highly-qualified!!!!!!!!! My desk is behind a large counter. You can't even see my head when you walk in unless I really sit up to peer over the ledge. It is my happy place. My very own happy place and I can't think of anywhere I would rather be from 8:30 - 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Woot! Woot!
Nikki, I am so happy for you! I read you blog about a year ago and I remember what you were going through. I had started my own business as a virtual assistant from home an enjoyed reading your view on the world. I hope this job continues to make you HAPPY!
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