Help/advice re: possible lateral move [Archive]

frugalone

6-11-13, 11:10am

Recently, two office assistant jobs opened up at my employer. I doubt very much they would pay a lot more (if anything) more than what I make right now. One of them is going to be in the brand-spankin'-new science center opening up this fall. My DH had mentioned that they were *bound* to have some new jobs opening up, and sure enough, there is one. The other is in admissions.

If you've been following my story (and of course I don't expect that you have, so if you have questions, please ask away!), you'll know that I took a job in a library, with thoughts of pursuing a library science degree. For various reasons, I now want to leave the job. My DH thinks I should stay on campus because, well, there are lots of opportunities on a campus.

I have a couple of concerns: 1) What would I say if/when they ask me why I want to switch departments? At least if I were going into my old field (PR/marketing), I could say I wanted to return to my previous work; 2) Is a lateral move really a *smart* move? Would I be jeopardizing my reputation on campus?

I can't think of any more ??s right now...I'm a little sleep deprived.

What do you all think?

razz

6-11-13, 12:00pm

Could it phrased as an opportunity to learn more aspects of the facility in general?

AmeliaJane

6-11-13, 12:05pm

Can you remind us what your reasons really were for wanting to change departments (if you can say online)? That might help us think of a way to put them that would work well in an interview.

In terms of a lateral move, it also depends on why you are making it...but in general I would say that if you are not happy at a job, you are not doing your best work. So while it might be preferential to move up, a lateral move to where you can be happy and do good work will set you up better for more responsible positions in future.

rodeosweetheart

6-11-13, 12:49pm

I would apply with gusto for the admissions job. It fits in very well with your PR background and it is a very reasonable switch to make. It seems like your current job is unappealing because of the boredom factor, and admissions would not be boring, as you would probably travel and get out and promote the college.
I don't think you would have any problem expressing that you wanted to switch to something wher eyou could actively and energetically promote the school.

frugalone

6-11-13, 12:49pm

AmeliaJane, I am quite bored in my current position. There is not a lot to do here. I have asked for additional duties, volunteered to help in other areas, and have been stonewalled. While my boss is a good guy, basically, he tends to talk my ear off about himself (mostly) and there's no way I can say, "Sorry, I need to get back to work"--because there IS no work.

I really do need more money...but that may just not be possible right now.

frugalone

6-11-13, 1:27pm

Thank you--that's a great way of putting it. Sometimes I have trouble seeing what might be obvious to someone else.

I would apply with gusto for the admissions job. It fits in very well with your PR background and it is a very reasonable switch to make. It seems like your current job is unappealing because of the boredom factor, and admissions would not be boring, as you would probably travel and get out and promote the college.
I don't think you would have any problem expressing that you wanted to switch to something wher eyou could actively and energetically promote the school.

SteveinMN

6-11-13, 2:07pm

What would I say if/when they ask me why I want to switch departments?
"I feel I have mastered the skills needed in my current position and I am ready for a new challenge." Also see the next graf about getting promoted in the library.

Is a lateral move really a *smart* move? Would I be jeopardizing my reputation on campus?
Sometimes a lateral is all you can get. If there are no promotional opportunities at present in the library (nevermind that you're rethinking that whole idea anyway), then your choice is to hang on for one someday or to move to a different area of the school and gain some additional skills and encounter new work situations. You can tell the interviewers that you are not aware of significant room for advancement in the library, but that you enjoy working at ________ School and would like to continue the association, so you are seeking a new position for which you qualify and about which you can get excited anew. If there are some promotional opportunities at the library, then you might need to discuss how working in a library does not seem to be as good a fit for you as it once was.

One question you might prepare yourself for is what you envision as a career path once you get the new job -- what do you want to do? To what position(s) do you aspire?

AmeliaJane

6-11-13, 2:27pm

As an interviewer, I would respond positively to a tactful version of the truth...if you have to say why you want to make a change, something like "I enjoy the library but I'd love to have a job where I could be busier and more challenged and this job looks like a great place to apply my skills because..."

It's the rare boss who doesn't want an employee who wants more work.

Now, that is just my two cents. If this new position is a job without much going on (or a boss who is bothered by someone who wants to keep busy and engaged) you want to know that now, right? And of course come in prepared with lots of reasons why you are attracted to the new job, not just because you're trying to get out of something that doesn't fit you...

frugalone

6-11-13, 4:10pm

One question you might prepare yourself for is what you envision as a career path once you get the new job -- what do you want to do? To what position(s) do you aspire?

Ah...the million-dollar question.
The only job I ever really enjoyed was being a writer/reporter/journalist. Alas, that sort of job doesn't seem to exist any longer, what with newspapers closing, everyone being a blogger, people being expected to not only write but do graphic design, social media marketing, etc.

For more than 20 years, I envisioned myself happily ensconced among books. I wanted to be a librarian.
Between the boredom of this job, plus meeting two recent MLS grads who could not find jobs in the area in which I live (and not being sure I can really deal w/relocating), it kind of killed my enthusiasm for library work. Now, maybe if I had found a library job where someone actually valued my services...that would make the story different.

So...the answer to the question you wisely posed is: I just don't know anymore. And it's pretty darned depressing, being middle aged and still not knowing what I want to do when I grow up.

ApatheticNoMore

6-11-13, 4:18pm

Sometimes a lateral is all you can get.

Sometimes you can't even get that (you can show years of qualification IN THE EXACT JOB YOU ARE ASKING FOR on a resume, and it's like nothing). I used to believe that getting in the door of a company was the main thing and you could change positions from within. I'm not sure why I ever believed such a naive stupid thing at this point. I doubt such thoughts will ever enter into my job decisions again.

frugalone

6-11-13, 4:50pm

Sometimes you can't even get that (you can show years of qualification IN THE EXACT JOB YOU ARE ASKING FOR on a resume, and it's like nothing). I used to believe that getting in the door of a company was the main thing and you could change positions from within. I'm not sure why I ever believed such a naive stupid thing at this point. I doubt such thoughts will ever enter into my job decisions again.

Too true.
I spent 7 years in my last job, w/everyone telling me "oh, there's sure to be something that will open up there that you will like better." Well, the only positions ever open were ones that required a huge amount of higher degrees than I have, or ones that paid so little I couldn't afford to take them.
Sigh.

lhamo

6-11-13, 5:43pm

Hope this works out for you, frugal-one.

If these are positions that fall in a standard rank, title, etc., I would try to talk with as many people on campus as possible who fill those positions currently to get a sense of what the day-to-day job is actually like. If you can find examples of people who have really "owned" the position -- enjoy the work, make the most of opportunities to take on new projects, etc -- you can point to those departments/individuals as examples you'd like to emulate. This is more for the administrative job than the admissions one, obviously.

Admissions work is very cyclical and will have incredibly busy periods. I don't do admissions, per se, but I do work on a major fellowship program and when we are busy it is pretty crazy. So one thing to ask about in relation to that position would be when the peak times are and how the workload is managed and how many hours people tend to work for how long a period. I mention this because I recall you had a hard time adjusting to going back to a full time schedule, and it can be quite a shock to the system to go from being under utilized to being totally insanely busy.

Good luck -- hope this turns into something better for you. One good thing about getting into these kinds of jobs is that the skill set is pretty easily transferrable. And there are generally more of them -- every university in the country will have an admissions office and tons of administrative positions. So if you are still thinking about relocating, this might provide you with more opportunities than the somewhat narrower library field.

rosarugosa

6-11-13, 5:54pm

Hi Frugalone: I work in a different type of environment, but a lateral move for the sake of broadening your experience is looked upon with much favor here, and can help better position employees for eventual promotional opportunites. Just out of curiosity, you have made it clear that you are not interested in relocating, but you haven't said why. Is this something you would be willing to share with us? If I'm not mistaken, you are living in one of the more challenging job markets (MI?) but I don't recall any mention of family/friends/natural environment reasons for wanting to live there instead of somewhere else.

SteveinMN

6-11-13, 11:08pm

For more than 20 years, I envisioned myself happily ensconced among books. I wanted to be a librarian.
So are there positions you could go for that are library-like, such as working at a bookstore? Or a company that sells textbooks? Just thinking outside the box here. You will have the most energy for something which truly interests you, not a position for which the prime benefit is it's not what you're doing now. I suspect you will be asked where you want this new job to take you. If it's nowhere further down the path inhabited by that job, then maybe it's not worth going for.

And it's pretty darned depressing, being middle aged and still not knowing what I want to do when I grow up.
Quite understandable. I didn't know, either. Well, actually, I did, but there were so many different careers I thought about (one of which, interestingly enough, was librarian). I ended up in IT, and really enjoyed what I did -- when they allowed me to do it. It was really a major change in the software I had to use on my last job (from "good stuff"" to "steaming mound") and the continuous call for higher productivity dashed by a river of process and bureaucracy that did me in.

One thing that did help me in my career is that I figured out the most engaged I was and the most fun I had at work was when I got to explain complex technology to others. That got me jobs I enjoyed in writing, as an IT business analyst, as a programming/systems analyst, as a help desk support tech, ... even software testing required explaining the testing approach and the resultant charts and spreadsheets in more actionable terms. All good stuff. Figuring out that essence really helped me identify when I would like a job and when I would not. Is there a way you can distill your preferred work into something which would apply to places besides a library?

frugalone

6-12-13, 11:56am

Ah...will try to answer your questions w/o getting into multi-quoting (I find that a bit confusing!)

I don't live in Michigan, but in Pennsylvania. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of March, our unemployment rate was just a tad under 10%--not the highest in Pa., but close enough. I have not moved because of family. My two siblings, their children, my elderly mother, my uncle and his family are all here (for a while some of them had lived out of state, but they all came back, funnily enough).

To be honest with you, I'm afraid to move elsewhere. I don't have much self-confidence. The whole thing seems overwhelming. Most of the time, I don't even feel like a real adult.

I can't work in a bookstore because it won't pay anywhere near what I need to make. There's only one bookstore around here as it is. As far as I know, there are no textbook companies.

Good point about being overworked vs. underworked. When I was in PR, we were very busy in the fall because that was when admissions scheduled heavy ad placement in national publications, had two open houses for potential students, etc.

I keep hoping someone will retire in the library. God knows some of them are old enough to. Of course, that doesn't mean that they will replace those who retire. That happened last year, actually.

I am afraid to talk to people on campus. I don't want word getting around that I want to leave the library. In fact, I don't even KNOW people on campus, save for people in the library and one or two faculty members. It's very awkward.

I feel like banging my head on a wall today.

AmeliaJane

6-12-13, 1:39pm

Well, family is certainly a very legitimate reason to choose a place of residence, and I am where I am partly because of that, so I get it! I am just throwing it out there but depending on your relationships and how frequently it feels right to see people, you might ponder whether there is any place with better job prospects that would still let you be part of the family circle. For instance, I get together with my family about every other week (sometimes more often depending on their needs) so I could live farther away if I wanted. I know moving is hard and overwhelming (I've done it a ton and I STILL hate it) but sometimes it can be worthwhile and here on the forums there are lots of people who would give all the advice and support we can!

One thing that you could try right now is a little more networking on campus. It doesn't have to be "asking people about this job I want." Just getting to know people and, if you can, offering to help them with questions and problems. In fact in the non-profit world where I work, they tell us the time to court donors and supporters is when you don't need them. When you do need them, it's too late to be doing groundwork.

SteveinMN

6-12-13, 1:57pm

You're in a crummy situation frugalone. :(

If there are no "library-like" opportunities, could you make a viable career out of your second-favorite thing to do (whatever that is) and then volunteer at a library or work part-time at a bookstore to scratch that itch?

frugalone

6-12-13, 3:22pm

I don't even know what my second-favorite thing to do is. Nothing I am good at doing is worth a damn in today's workplace. Writing? Mixed-media art? Jewelry-making? And I can't even get hired doing what I used to do (journalist, PR). I'm at a point where I really don't understand why I'm here on this planet. There don't seem to be any answers; I've been struggling with the same issues for years and years. Career has always been a problem for me. My personal life is a wreck right now. I wish I could just put my head down on a soft pillow and go to sleep for about a hundred years. The last four years have been pretty bad. I've seen a decline in so many things. I just don't feel strong or capable enough to deal with my life right now.

Maybe this isn't the best time to apply for another job...

Float On

6-12-13, 5:20pm

Oh I worked for the admissions office at my college. I loved it. We really got to be a positive influence in getting students to choose our university. I gave campus tours, did a lot of data entry, put together info packets, etc. I was offered a recruiter job when I was about to graduate and looking back that may of taken me further than my chosen field....I always wish I'd done that for a few years. The full-time admin staff was busy but happy. I think you'd enjoy a transfer from library to a busier office with more student and potential students.

SteveinMN

6-12-13, 6:57pm

I don't even know what my second-favorite thing to do is. Nothing I am good at doing is worth a damn in today's workplace. Writing? Mixed-media art? Jewelry-making? And I can't even get hired doing what I used to do (journalist, PR).
frugalone, I feel for you. (((frugalone))) Not a fun place to be.

I'm gonna do "the guy thing" :~) and suggest again that you contact a group or agency (perhaps even one at the school, as an employee benefit) that can help you identify vocational skills you already have and how you could monetize them sufficiently. Consider them a pool noodle as you are floating in the pool. Maybe the answer for you isn't a career but a series of activities that, together, give you a life and an income that works.

I'm at a point where I really don't understand why I'm here on this planet. There don't seem to be any answers; I've been struggling with the same issues for years and years. Career has always been a problem for me. My personal life is a wreck right now. I wish I could just put my head down on a soft pillow and go to sleep for about a hundred years. The last four years have been pretty bad. I've seen a decline in so many things. I just don't feel strong or capable enough to deal with my life right now.

Maybe this isn't the best time to apply for another job...
It also sounds to me like you're either burned out or depressed. Either situation should be addressed; it's a lousy place to get stuck.

frugalone, know that you have people here who support you in whichever way you want to work. You write very well, as I can see in your posts. You've been willing to help simple-life newbies as they come to this board, so there's definitely compassion being displayed. But you could use a leg up right now. And I'm sure people here will do what we can, but it would be very helpful to find someone near you who can help give you a little more perspective on things right now and give you a few tips on how to head out of the maze.

Zoe Girl

6-12-13, 10:36pm

I hate to say frugal that you are in a bad place, and I know because there are a lot of us in the same place, The world has been beating us up big time. I honestly do not do too many of the thinks people advise anymore, like networking or resume writing or anything. I think the world has changed so much that I cannot make sense of it, and definitely not in the career and earning areas. I don;t even know what job will be in existence the next 10 years!

So my encouragement is to try for the job that has more work for you, don't worry too much about what you wanted to do many years ago, and being your attention down to a smaller focus since that is what you can affect a little. If that is frustrating then ignore me, but it helps my perspective

lhamo

6-12-13, 11:39pm

I don't want this to sound harsh, because I know you are in real pain here, but I think now is PRECISELY the time you need to be applying for another job.

You were pretty downtrodden and pessimistic when you applied for your current position. But you got it. So it isn't all that, and you are barely treading water financially. But it is a job you really needed and that you can do.

You won't get any of these other positions if you don't apply for them. You won't learn more about what's out there and what people are looking for if you don't apply for them. You won't broaden your networks and meet new people if you don't apply for them. You never know what might happen. Maybe you'll get rejected again, and that would be painful, but again if you try to look at it from the perspective of what you can learn, what you can do better next time, maybe it will help you keep moving forward.

I haven't been in your position, so I don't know what it feels like to be going through this long term, but several years ago I was essentially driven out of an organization/job I had put my heart and soul into. It was my dream job that turned into an absolute nightmare. I thought I was probably finished professionally. I was very depressed and full of self doubt. Then I got an email announcing the position I currently fill. The only reason I got the email was because my husband had applied for a job at this organization several years prior, and although he didn't get it (insufficient budget to fund an expat) we had enjoyed meeting the director and offered him some suggestions about administrative resources (an email program to be exact) and he kept us on his mailing list. TOTALLY RANDOM! I would not have been looking for this job and probably would not have seen it because the organization doesn't advertise open positions (only posts them on their website). I was in a pretty bad place emotionally when I interviewed. I even cried! But my boss is a total mensch and understood where I was coming from and was willing to take a risk on me. I got the position and I have thrived in it. My self esteem is restored and I have made a real difference in how the program is run/how participants benefit from our office's input.

A little over five years later and my boss has recently announced he is leaving. I've been asked to step in as Interim Director, and am being encouraged to apply for the Director position with very solid indications that I am a strong inside candidate.

You have to try to keep hoping and trying. Things won't improve otherwise.

Good luck to you....

rodeosweetheart

6-13-13, 6:57am

I want to chime in on what Lhamo said, Frugal, about a job showing up out of nowhere, when you are not in a good place. My current job showed up for me right here on the boards--Hoosier Nan (sending out thank you vibes to her spirit, hoping she is in a beautiful, heavenly place right now) wrote about a job she had interviewed for, but had turned down. I looked into it as I had not heard of it, and it led to part time job in another discipline. It came at a time when I had really exhausted myself in looking for more work, after a very long stretch of really poor part-time teaching, no benefits, etc. It started out part time and led to full time after 2 years, when I was 54, coming off a near death illness that left me partially paralyzed and COMPLETELY lacking in confidence --so yes, the universe may have a job for you, and yes, you may be in a low place emotionally right now (I know I was) and yes, something may be showing up for you right now, and you absolutely have to keep applying, as you cannot get the jobs if you do not apply. Think of it as putting yourself wher ethe universe wants you to be--maybe the library job was where you needed to be to see the admissions job?

I like the idea of admissions because I have worked in colleges since 1981, and teaching and libraries are completely what--not glass ceiling, exactly--ivy canopy?? If you want to get more money, more autonomy, a more positive working environment, you will have to go into the administrative end of things, and admissions is a nice high energy job that will get you outside, relating to the world outside of the campus. College libraries, and I absolutely adore them, are bizarre places where time seems to stand still--I love, love, love them, but honestly, I would go crazy working in that environment.

I wanted to write this both to thank the board and thank Hoosier Nan, but mostly to encourage you, that in my case, life worked as it did for Lhamo and as it will for you, too.

And one other thing--the awareness of the job and the willingness to act on it came about because I was doing Debtor's Anonymous work and reading about Underearning, which has been a lifelong problem for me. Here is a link to some books I found very helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=underearning&sprefix=underear%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aunderearning

If I had not been doing the work to overcome underearning, I would not have seen the job or acted on it.

Good luck and know that some of us have definitely been where you are standing.

puglogic

6-13-13, 4:03pm

Overcoming Underearning (the book) changed everything about my life, for the better, with the help of a few other things. A few years ago I was in a long term toxic relationship, still under the influence of my toxic family, underpaid in a job I detested, and chronically wired at depression. I saw the world as you do now: A fearful place where nothing was ever going to get better, with no self-esteem to carry me out of my pit, and if I DID happen to find my way to happiness, I'd probably lose my partner, my family would sneer at me, I didn't have the energy, etc etc etc.

I don't know what the answer is for you. But for me it was a course of antidepressants, and counseling to find some self-esteem, to have someone remind me - daily if necessary - that I deserved a good life and it was worth facing the fear and changing the unchangeable to get it. As a kid of alcoholics taught that I didn't deserve ANYTHING, and that I was always going to fail, it took some major rework. I did things that scared the bejeezus out of me. I "acted as if" even when I didn't feel positive, I acted positive. I got far, far away from anyone who was keeping me in depression. I turned off the news reports trying to convince me that "10% unemployment" had anything whatsoever to do with me.

I'm no genius, just an introverted writer with basic computer skills who taught herself about the web in her free time (like the free time you have at work). But I was clinically depressed for years, and it kept me in hell. I don't know you and don't know if this is the case with you, but there are some eerie similarities between your story and mine. Have you thought about talking to someone and getting help if needed? What do you have to lose?

frugalone

6-13-13, 4:26pm

Hi again...Going to address some of these issues in a lump instead since there were several.

I have made an appointment to see a counselor later this month. I've been through therapy (last bout was more than a decade long) before, but I don't think I was as focused as I am now on what I want to deal with/talk about. I'm a little reluctant to go back on antidepressants. They really didn't work for me (except on an extremely limited short-term basis). The after-effects were awful (and I am still experiencing very mild ones).

I was interested to see one of the underearning books was by Jerrald Mundis, author of "How to Get out of Debt, Stay out of Debt and Live Prosperously." That book changed my life about 25 years ago. Until then, I didn't realize I had a problem with debt. Thankfully, I no longer do. I will definitely check out the books on that list. I didn't know "underearning" was a topic!

I'm going to go ahead and apply for the admissions job. I've written to a woman who was one of our work-studies back in the PR days, who has a very successful career in admissions at another school. Perhaps she will have some advice for me.

You have all been very encouraging and I can't thank you enough. I really want to get out of the low point I've been in for so long.

I, too, come from an alcoholic family. It's so scary...my dad, my grandad (on the OTHER side of the family), cousins, uncles...Really makes you wonder if it is genetic as some believe.

And nobody has sounded harsh. You've all been very kind. Thank you again. I will keep you posted.

AmeliaJane

6-13-13, 4:41pm

I think other posters have covered the emotional component really well so I will just add this...interviewing is a really great way to network. Some years ago, after a layoff, I moved to a new city where I had no job contacts. I did applications and interviews for ten months before I got a full-time job in my field. It was really discouraging to be turned down so many times, or to find a job was not a viable option. But when I finally started my new job, I had a really excellent network that came to be incredibly handy in that job. I was acquainted with people all over town, enough at least to pick up the phone and start a conversation. Think about it...in what other circumstances will people fairly high up in an organization take an hour to hear all about you and tell you about them? So just to say--while I don't advocate wasting busy people's time, I also think there can be good outcomes to an interview that doesn't end in a hire.

In my more recent job change, I took a job and then moved for it. I feel very lucky, but I will say I have had a much harder time building contacts here. With a new job to be busy at, I don't have as much time to be out and about in the community.

lhamo

6-13-13, 4:56pm

I think other posters have covered the emotional component really well so I will just add this...interviewing is a really great way to network. Some years ago, after a layoff, I moved to a new city where I had no job contacts. I did applications and interviews for ten months before I got a full-time job in my field. It was really discouraging to be turned down so many times, or to find a job was not a viable option. But when I finally started my new job, I had a really excellent network that came to be incredibly handy in that job. I was acquainted with people all over town, enough at least to pick up the phone and start a conversation. Think about it...in what other circumstances will people fairly high up in an organization take an hour to hear all about you and tell you about them? So just to say--while I don't advocate wasting busy people's time, I also think there can be good outcomes to an interview that doesn't end in a hire.

This is a great point. I'll also add that there have been several instances where we interviewed people who I thought were great, but for one reason or another they were not the best fit for our needs. I have often mentioned those people as good candidates when people in my network are looking to hire. Sometimes I will even forward on a job announcement to someone I have interviewed.

Well done on following up with your contact from the PR days -- brilliant idea! See if she can connect you to others, as well.

Good luck!

puglogic

6-13-13, 4:58pm

Frugalone, sending you my best and a big hug. I have an inkling of what it's like walking around in your skin right now, and I wish you all good things to get out into the world of joy again. Or, if you're like me, into the world of joy for the first time....I don't think I ever really knew it until a few years ago. Sad, but hey, it's in the rear view mirror now. Hopefully, your darkness will be too some day soon.

SO glad you're going to apply. You seem really unhappy where you are. It might be worth the risk, just to get out of the psychological doldrums and into something new and challenging.

jennipurrr

6-17-13, 8:07pm

I know you haven't worked on campus for very long, but so much happens through connections in this type of environment. I am not extremely outgoing, but have made some great professional connections in all sorts of various places. I know that two folks (not my official references) went out of their way to send an email or mention a word to my now boss when I was applying for my current position. One I knew from classes we took together in the evenings and the other I previously worked with her husband.

It also sounds that while you do enjoy being alone, that you would also like more human connections. Does your school have a committee for the clerical staff? That might be something you may want to consider joining the next time nominations come around. What about on campus lectures or presentation in your area of interest? I know you mentioned that you were thinking about starting a Masters program...that would be a great way to connect with people on campus. In my classes, since I chose mostly evening/weekend classes, there were a lot of similar students who worked on campus during the day and took advantage of the tuition benefit. I met someone through the wellness program here, we were regulars at a "boot camp" workout session this winter. I've run into her several times out and we've chatted and had a beer (so much for being healthy, lol). So, you never know where you might meet someone who is a good connection to have on a campus!

frugalone

6-21-13, 11:45am

If there's a committee for the clerical staff (and technically, I'm not clerical; I'm a library technician/assistant), I don't know about it. Sadly, I'm out of the loop on a lot of campus things because of the shift I normally work during the academic year. I can't attend a lot of events such as lectures. I might go to some of the public readings sponsored by the MFA program.

I have been wondering how I can meet people and make connections on campus. I've been here more than a year and hardly know anybody at all.

frugalone

7-9-13, 1:51pm

Update on this: I didn't apply for the job after all.
Around the time of the deadline for the application, my beloved pet rabbit died. I didn't mention it on here till today but it's been three weeks. It was heartbreaking, as we were very close and he was my favorite pet.
Also, I had second thoughts about the job. I never did very well in clerical positions (I can't stand being at the bottom of the food chain) and was concerned about that, as well as the possibility of being overworked vs. underworked (which I now am).
Well, better luck next time, I suppose.

JaneV2.0

7-9-13, 3:12pm

I'm sorry for the loss of your rabbit, frugalone.

rodeosweetheart

7-9-13, 7:07pm

I'm sorry for the loss of your rabbit, frugalone.

Me too, frugal.

frugalone

7-10-13, 1:02pm

Thank you so much for your kind words.

I feel a bit let down about the job thing. But I think there will be other opportunities.

lhamo

7-10-13, 5:55pm

Just keep your eyes and your mind open.

I applied for a couple of jobs in April/May. I was full of anxiety because I hadn't applied for something new in over 6 years, and you know, it's never easy putting yourself out there. But with our kids new school fees I felt I needed to explore other options (we've had to cut way back on saving in order to cashflow school). Was feeling a bit depressed that I didn't even get an acknowledgment. A few weeks later, my boss announced he's leaving. If they haven't found a replacement by the time he leaves, I'm going to step in as Acting Director. And I plan to apply for the permanent job, which it seems I have a very good chance of getting.

The day before my boss told me he was leaving, I said to my husband that he would be in the position until he retired. Boy, was I wrong! You just never know what the universe has in store for you.

Wishing you better things ahead.

lhamo