Madness...

Job hunting! It's miserable. Portland's unemployment rate is 6.8 percent. I guess that's the highest in the country. Not sure if I would have moved here knowing that. Then again, knowing me, I probably would have predicted that I would be invincible and come anyway.

Turns out I am not invinceable. I am very affected by the emotional cartwheels I've been put through. Some days I am a highly esteemed intellectual, capable of taking on an entire organization and turning it around. Some days, I am not. Today, I was turned away at 11 a.m. from an event held by a certain big-name footwear company here in Portland. I had responded to work through a staffing agency a "salad tosser" for $9 an hour.

I arrived 10 minutes early with my hair tightly pulled back, wearing my boys size 12 white Oxford shirt I bought for $15.99, specifically for this purpose. My "new" black shoes (Goodwill, $2.50) were comfy, and I was ready for 5 hours of tossing.

"Sorry, our count went down, and we no longer need any staff," Stuart, the banquet manager told me and the three others who had been sent.
I drove back home (30 minutes) wondering if I could justify demanding gas reimbursement.

Just for fun, I have put together my work history. Let's see for the sake of self pity, how far this move has put me back:

1994-1996 High school student.
Work: babysitting, $5/ hour
Work: Rite Aid Ice Cream scooper and cashier, $6/hour

1996: High school graduate, 4.0 GPA
Work: Temp agency, cater waitering, $10/ hour

1997- Napa Valley College student, general ed.
Work: Vallerga's Market, $8.50/hour + benefits

1998- Take a break, move to Tahoe.
Work: Homewood Ski Area, Lift operator, parking lot attendant, $7/hour

1999- Move back to Napa, back to school, nursing pre requisites.
Work: Yountville Pastry Shop, $7.60/ hour
Work: Sonoma Valley Hospital, nurse's aid, $12/ hour
Work: Kaiser Hospital Vallejo, $13/ hour

2000- San Francisco City college, nursing prereq's
Work: Kaiser San Francisco, $16/ hour

2001- Move to So. Cal, enroll at Cal State Long Beach
Work: Fountain Valley Hospital, $12.50/ hour
Work: Daily pilot newspaper internship, $0/ hour
Work: Daily 49er college newspaper, $0/ hour

2003- College graduate, degree in journalism/ Spanish
Work: Sonoma Sun newspaper, $18/ hour

2006- Portland, Oregon.
Work: Unemployed. $0.
Work: Data entry, $9.
Work: Cater waitering, $9.

Looks like it's been about 10 years since I have made so little. I know I brought this upon myself--quitting my fun writing job in lovely Sonoma. I know, I know.
And I know that since I have never burned any bridges, never been fired, got a good education, good grades, and am a good person, the right thing will come along all in time...

Meanwhile: Just before the salad tossing gig got cancelled, I was offered $2.50 to $3 an hour for babysitting. When I told this mom over the phone I need $10 an hour to live she said, "For $10 an hour? Why would I bother working then?"
She has a good point.

I am now currently weighing my options: babysitting, receptionist...babysitting, receptionist.

Sent out a couple more resumes. I almost applied to the same undescript, boring, tech PR organization twice-- thanks Google mail for having a better memory than me. Thing is, my resume and cover letters have never looked better.
I know how to play this game. I know this is temporary, and my skills are not obsolete. Yet I am also currently reading Barbara Ehrenreich's "Bait & Switch," where she goes undercover to get a white collar job and has a hell of a time. Companies are not protecting their employees like they used to. In my parents' generation it was a good idea to get hired at a company and stay working for it. Benefits, vacation, security. Now, companies outsource. They downsize. Though I thought this phenomenon had not affected me, I realize now that I am competing for jobs with these highly educated people.

I came across a freelance writing website that allowed "bidding" for jobs. Guess what the lowest bid was? Yes-- people volunteer to do this shit for free. I know that most reputable companies won't hire people willing to do the work for free. They want someone good, someone experienced, someone bright, energetic, hopeful... right?

Shit. Maybe $the 2.50 an hour gig wasn't so bad.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

New name?

Sad little wall.

Tweak