Reflections on the Journey to Full Employment

I hear on the news that the unemployment rate is the lowest that it's been since 1969. I do still find that hard to believe when the evidence proves otherwise. I may be biased as I still struggle to find that elusive job. Some would say that after seven and half years I should give up. I can't.

I have set milestones of when I need to have at least some contract work. I also have tried to change my attitude towards the job search. At this point I do need to start thinking about how I'm going to sell my services and where I will sell them. In other words I got to start thinking like an entrepreneur and look for revenue streams.

I know that I have to get serious about my freelance writing business. I've had some setbacks, but need to "buckle down" and stop procrastinating. I have to admit that I don't like this independence but no one is going to hand me a job.

Seven Years and Going in A New Direction

I've been out of it for the past year and a half as I dealt with a personal crisis. I am just now getting to the point of reenergizing my job search. I have done a personal inventory.

I like the fact that there are avenues that I can take.

Self Assessment Journey-Part 2

I admittedly have been swamped with an issue that came up in my hometown. I haven't actually done any more assessments. I know that I need to get back on track. A family crisis has triggered some actions that I wouldn't have taken earlier. I am being thrust in a role that I'm not very comfortable being in.

Feelings of anger and resentment stalk me. I do feel like I'm being pulled into a black hole. My dreams have been put on hold. Some days I just feel like escaping this dreary trap. Other days when I look into the faces of my loved ones I realize that it is worth it. They now depend on me. I try my best. My best isn't good enough.

These feelings that have come so readily to the surface have caused me to re-assess my situation. Do I really want to go back to school? Can I actually find work I can do? I have been getting out of my comfort zone. I no longer shy away from confrontations even when my stomach feels tight with the strain. I have learned to be bold and assertive.

One of these days I will get back to the written assessments, but not today.

Update: I'm only now starting to get back to what I'm calling a new normal. The family crisis I referred to resulted in the death of a loved one. It is still hard to really focus but I am taking things day by day.

Self Assessments: Finding That Bridge to Sustainable Employment

This week I finished the first six chapters of "What Color is My Parachute" and concentrated on the self inventory. It was no big secret that traditional job hunting wasn't panning out for me. I also knew that the job market and employers in general often pick those people that are "loud and proud." You know the ones. They like to brag about themselves to everyone they come in contact with and meet. They are extremely extroverted and sometimes are the "life of the party."

These people are also the ones that will do just about anything to stand out. Bolles suggests that there are alternatives to doing the type of extroverted job hunting that is mentioned in the first six chapters. I know that I'm more comfortable with doing the research than knocking on doors, calling people or bugging my friends for work.

Bolle's suggestion of finding that bridge person is a good one. I learned that I am more apt to reach out to people one-on-one about information that I want to find. I also know that finding that bridge person isn't that easy. You can't just go up to that person and ask them to be that bridge. You need to cultivate a relationship with him or her first. This takes time.

I took the first part of the self inventory today that was mentioned in Chapter 7.

Signposts: Technophobes and Introverts Need Not Apply

I started reading the book "What Color is Your Parachute" as an assignment and an incentive to start a new journey. Richard Bolles really understands what's happening now in the job market. If you have been following along with the earlier posts I have pretty much followed what he describes in the first chapter. I was one of those thousands caught up with the massive changes in employment retention and hiring practices. I was also one of the many overwhelmed by the rapid pace of the Internet and its expanding capabilities.

I do have first hand experiences of those who are technophobes and the devastating effects these changes have had on them. I believe it is important that we don't forget that not everyone embraces the Internet's hold on them. I also believe that it is a grave disservice to literally push everyone to interact with their computer for every transaction. I can understand their fear. It is a fear that I share to some degree.

I am doing better. I am not as active as some people on the Internet and social media. I am still leery about doing much shopping online and other activities that could expose personal information. I still refuse to expose my SSN online and that cost me. I still strongly believe that an employer shouldn't be asking for that very personal information online. It is a matter of principle for me.

I also freely admit that I am an introvert. Many good writers are. A very good article written by Michela at introvertspring.com outlines perfectly the qualities of an introvert. You can read it here: "What is an Introvert?"  The job market today is increasingly geared towards extroverts. Even Bolles gets into this mindset by thinking that most job seekers have 80 friends and acquaintances that they can pester to get them in. I may be reading this wrong but you can read it for yourself.

Bolles does have some good advice. Researching a company before you interview is prudent and necessary. I "blew" a few interviews because I just wasn't prepared enough. I also have done some informational interviews both for my now chosen profession of historical preservation and to get my foot in the door with some non-profits. I think my biggest problem is that I just can't seem to get past my verbal inadequacy. I get frustrated and that makes it worse.

I do have to find some way to get past and use my strengths to land the sustainable job I need.

Starting A New Journey: What Color Is Your Parachute?

I recently stumbled onto a website that basically shared stories of others who are going through the unemployment/underemployment journey. The website is appropriately named unemploymentville. I thought to myself that it is good to know that there are people out there that are struggling as I am in the "new economy."

I still hear stories of people that have been let go for the most bizarre reasons. I also hear of people who are still struggling to keep a roof over their head because the gig economy doesn't provide the stable income they need to survive.

I was given the opportunity to review and put into practice some of the exercises in the "What Color is Your Parachute?" 2018 edition. This annual job hunter and career changer manual has been in print since 1970. I picked up the 2011 edition when I realized that the job I was in was changing in ways that I wasn't comfortable with at the time. I was at a crossroads then. I wasn't into the Internet at all except for some online research. I know that the 2011 edition really didn't emphasize the Internet too much as it was just actually beginning to be something that companies were using to screen employees.

For those of you who are just seeing this blog for the first time, please read the earlier posts. This will give you a good sense of where I am in this journey. If you have been following this blog for awhile, I've stopped writing regular posts in 2014. A number of factors have contributed to this "falling out" including the fact that I've been way too busy with the society to post anything.  For anyone who is wondering how the society is doing. It is doing better than anyone expected it would. No, I'm still not getting money for the work I'm doing for the society. It is fulfilling work though...

In the next few weeks, I will be taking the time to explore the "What Color is Your Parachute?" book. There are a lot of differences that I've noticed from the 2011 edition. First impressions of the book are that this could be something very useful for me at this stage of my now underemployment journey.

I will be posting periodic updates of my journey here. You may also see this over at the unemploymentville.com website. I do welcome comments and suggestions. Thank you.

Daylight-Voyage to Full Time Employment

Funny post...yet long overdue. It has been almost 5 years since I've had a regular job. Yes, I am now working as a freelance writer. I am grateful for that employment but I've been floundering nevertheless. I've drained almost all my assets just to stay alive.

It has felt like a voyage with no end in sight. When I left my last regular employment in January 2012, I was expecting to get another position quickly. I didn't realize when I relinquished my ability to go back to that job what I was getting myself into for leaving as I did. All I understood then was that God was pushing me in another direction.

I have had my eyes open to many things I probably wished I didn't know about or seen. I have had my heart opened to the needs of the people around me. I have realized that there is more to life than work. I still recall the tear stained face of the woman I passed while walking in Baltimore Harbor. She had nothing.

I know now that I am rich in what matters. I can see daylight breaking through around me. I can imagine the sails blowing forward in the wind as they propel me towards the goal of full time employment. I have a good hope that I will have that full time employment. I will treasure it.