March is here. I
never thought it would come this quickly.
In December, a new transition of my life began. I graduated, I moved to New York with my
family, and the job hunt began—holy goodness, no one prepared me for this! Job-hunting is NOT fun. I am positive anyone could have told me that,
but it apparently wasn’t obvious to me until it was upon me. When I graduated, I told myself two things:
-Get a job by the first week in February.
-Move out of my parent’s house by April.
Those, of course, were worthy goals. I need an income, and I can’t burden my
parents for much longer. Unfortunately,
I did not consider all factors that would go into pursuing my goals.
So, now March is here, and I am still jobless and no closer
to my goal of independence than I was three months ago. Gah.
This is hard. It didn’t help that
I moved blindly to a new city, actually, a new state AND a new side of the
country, where I have zero connections and friends. Usually, I enjoy the challenge, but I think
this time around, I bit off more than I can chew. I submitted my first job application the day
after New Year’s. And then another, and
another, and…another. Ideally, I have
been looking for a job in photography. I
want more experience working with other professional photographers. There is still so much to learn despite
having a degree in photography. I
contacted magazines, newspapers, and studios.
Nothing. They all had lovely
excuses like, “We don’t need more photographers,” “Budget cuts,” “You don’t
have enough experience.” (Well, duh,
that’s why I’m looking for a job.) I
finally found work as a studio manager for a commercial chain studio. Oh goodness.
I had the job for seven hours and then quit. It was not at all what I thought. And plus, a stabbing had just occurred
outside the front door in recent months and was being patrolled by police
officers. I certainly didn’t want to be
walking out alone in that parking lot at night.
Silly excuse, maybe, but good enough for me. (You can read more about why I quit that job
HERE.)
So, back to hunt I went.
I have become so desperate for a job, that I have broadened my job
search to almost anything. I finally
found a job nearby working at the local ski slope. Hah. I waited another two weeks for a
background check (it’s on the military base) and then I was finally in the
system. I called my supervisor to find
out my schedule and he told me they were closing the ski slope due to WARM
WEATHER. Just my luck. Actually, though, the supervisor felt bad
enough about the situation that he found me another job on base at the golf
course. So, now I have to wait another
three weeks before that job begins. I am
still looking for something better….hopefully.
FINGERS CROSSED…five hundred times.
In the meantime, though, I have been incredibly blessed with
other opportunities. I have been working
on an album cover for a local jazz quartet.
That has been a lot of fun listening to their music, watching the band
perform, and drawing inspiration for an album cover. Here is an example of what I’ve been working
on. It’s not finished, but it’s getting
there:
Then, I finally had the bright idea to contact the arts and
crafts center on West Point. I do not
know why I didn’t call them earlier. I
asked if I could help volunteer teach their art classes. Turns out, they’ve been looking for someone
to help out. Perfect! So, now I’m teaching a photography class, and
if it goes well, we’ll hold more, and I’ll get paid! (I’m holding my breath on this one! This would be so fun teaching to the
community on a regular basis). Here’s
what we’ll be doing this month:
I’ve been able to get some freelance photography work in and
I have a goal to take at least one picture a day. I’ve been setting goals for myself that I
haven’t had time for in years and what a blessing that is for me! I have time to spend with my mother and
sister, as well, which, believe it or not, is the cherry-on-top for me :)
Even though things aren’t going according to plan, I still
have a lot to be thankful for. I have a
warm, feathery bed, lots of yummy food, a family that loves me, a beautiful
home in a beautiful location, new friends, and time to develop new
talents. Really, I have a lot to be
happy about. Don’t you think?
This Month’s Goals:
Make a quilt—I’m working on this one with my
mom. SO MUCH FUN!
Try a new recipe every week—I have found some
seriously good cupcake recipes at ourbestbites.com
Take a photograph everyday—This one thrills my
heart!
Get a job—working on it
Volunteer in the community—check!
Wash the dishes everyday—this one can be hard
sometimes…sorry, Mom!
Make my bed everyday—you’d think a 25 year old
would have this one down..ha…not me
Read a good book—I gotta keep up my literary
skills, you know? Any suggestions?
Find reasons to be happy everyday!
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