I AIN'T goin' to DISNEYLAND.
(Actually, $129 for 2 days 2 parks is pretty good considering the regular gate price is $175, but it ends Saturday May 30 2014 and it's not necessarily the initial cost, but the upkeep once INSIDE. Like food, drink, more food, blah blah blah.
"Hakuna Matata" my ass!*Ahem*
Ok, where was I...
Oh yeah, discoursing on being cast into an interesting position.
How do I feel about being back in the job market, after a very unexpected layoff, Reduction In Force, position eliminated, etc?
I'm doing some research on the patio on my tablet, drinking an Arizona iced tea, jotting down notes on my research, while Barry's on the patio reading and listening to the Angels win over the Royals 4-3. Life is a bitch, man.
I was busy with my Mr. Spock mindset, researching things to do and not do upon leaving a job, boomers and unemployment, had written appx 3 1/2 pages of notes, when I realized that all this research, observations and thoughts aren't pure research, but I'M actually the reason and subject of
my research! When you realize that, it can become a bit tiring because you're not only digesting information, but it's the PERSONAL factor, digesting all sorts of information to poop out later for mySELF. I'm gonna need a laxative to flush out all this shit. (Get it? Get it? A 'laxative to flush out this shit'? One of my positive traits is that anything I do, I always would 'go with the flow'. Boy, I 'crack' myself up sometimes! )
So how do I feel?
Grief.
Grief because my coworkers were my FAMILY there at Goodwill, all of them including the clients and disadvantaged folks we had. No matter how much we promise to keep in touch, there will only be a few. It's logical, when you don't have anything in common with the bulk of your ex-coworkers (they're there, and you're NOT), then the urge to talk becomes less and less.
Logic. Logically figure out things I need to do (after those issues of food, medical, shelter and well-being are taken care of).
Bouncing back and forth, up and down (mostly up) with self-esteem feelings. I'd occasionally question my value in the workplace and think, would I ever work again? I think, who would hire a fat boomer grandmother? Careerpivot.com says that on average it takes a Boomer 9-12 months of job searching to find a job! A niggling little voice inside my head thinks, was it my age? I mean, I started there a month shy of 50. I have to stay mentally mostly positive to combat those little negative suspicions of age discrimination, both past and future, and focus on emphasizing my skills, both hard and soft. So my answer to the question above, 'Would I ever work again?'. HELL, YES! ABSOLUTELY I'll work again! Whether it's volunteering, or working P/T for a fledgling business who needs some help, I'll still be VERY active, and will
REINVENT TO STAY RELEVANT.
I'm very proactive and good about recreating myself to fit not only my OWN needs, but those of others. I HAVE and WILL stay mentally in the groove, I WILL work at something, firing on all 8 cylinders, go, go, GO!!!
Daydreaming. I idly wonder, what is it that I'd like to do? There are so many times in my life that I've asked that question, and for some reason ended up doing just what I wanted to do and translated that into work skills.
Here comes another list of things I gotta do:
- Get a professional email address. Schmink45 at godknowswhatipaddress just doesn't seem very professional, unless you sell professional clown makeup. (Schmink is the German/Dutch name for professional makeup)
- Get my resume together. I DO have something to SAY about THAT!!!
a. For the last 3 weeks, my coworkers and I had to put together a calendar of sorts, listing the tasks and responsibilities we were supposed to do. This came down at an 'informational'' meeting given by our VP of Human Services, that there was restructuring going on. I felt that there was something behind it all because I had seen it at least twice. I felt we were being asked to justify our jobs.
During the restructuring meeting, she asked three questions: 1. What was good about Goodwill that you wouldn't change? 2. What about Goodwill would you want to change? (this was the most important question to me-more about that in a minute) and 3. How would you change it?
I of course opened my big mouth and said 'too much corporate and not enough Mission' for #2. THAT, I think, got me targeted.
The rest of the meeting, I just SHUT DOWN, la-la-la, mentally putting my fingers in my ears.
My point is that since I listed so many things I did for about 3 weeks, I have a great idea about my current fresh soft and hard skills.
3. Change my LinkedIn status! & make it more professional.
4. Find companies that need help, like the newer companies who want to fly, but also follow GRANTS. Now grants, as I've seen before at Goodwill, usually have a finite shelf life, so people hired to work FOR that grant ALSO have a finite shelf life. So why not work at that, either as an independent contractor or a P/T employee?
5. Inquire of the State of CA any retraining programs they may have.
Thanks for listening, ta-ta, don't be a stranger, and I'm going to post this all over the place now:
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