Last week — from one of those by-chance connections through friends — I had an interview with the publishing division of a communications group. It’s a job it wouldn’t have occurred to me to apply for, but a friend put in a good word for me and they asked for my resume. The interview felt really good and I felt optimistic (and we know how rare that is for me).
I’m excited about this possibility. I’d be a freelance proofreader of copy for college textbooks (Spanish, ESL, English, social science, etc.). I’d only be employed when they have projects that need an extra person and I’m still waiting to hear what will come of it, but it’s made me realize that I really want to be working with words. Proofreading sounds good for now, but maybe eventually I can try for a job as an editor or writer. This is my current dream. It makes me afraid that now that my job search is more focused, it will become harder. It also doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll be bringing home a paycheck any sooner.
It’s so hard to be unable to get even temp work these days. Usually I sign up with a few temp agencies and I’ve got steady work within a week or so. This period of having NOTHING to do all day is stretching on for an incredibly long time! I feel like no one wants me. Has my experience become so stale and useless?
I try to remember that the economy is worse than it’s ever been when I was out of work. I also try to remember that I have an amazing guy who is marrying me soon and he’ll keep me afloat for however long it takes (for me to become a contributing member of society again). But I think I should be careful not to use wedding/marriage planning as a distraction or cheering-up mechanism. Here’s the kind of thinking I want to avoid: I can’t find work, but I can shop for pretty clothes and research fancy honeymoon spots and look forward to spending thousands of dollars I might or might not ever earn. Oooh, and I have to taste wedding cakes, lots of wedding cakes!
That sort of thing. Although, I guess the cake tasting doesn’t cost anything…
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