Well guess what – I got a job. I’m very happy that I’ve finally found work after two months (close to two and a half now) of looking and not finding a damned thing. Starting tomorrow I work first shift at MiTech, where my job will be to pack roof truss plates into boxes on an assembly line. I just bought a pair of cheap steel-toe boots at Wal*Mart, and when I get to work tomorrow I will be issued two sets of gloves, safety glasses, and kevlar sleeves. Golly I can’t wait.
Like I said, I’m happy that I finally found some work. This is something that I’m more than capable of doing, regardless of whether or not I like it, the pay is decent (starts at $7.50 but goes up to $10.90 after 90 days), and I can do this job and pay off my computer debt and start working towards things like that Contax 645, an iBook, and a plane ticket out of the country. The hours absolutely blow, my shift being from 6:00 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon. My alarm clock is currently set to 4:45 AM. There’s really something obscene about having your alarm clock set to 4:45 AM and knowing that it’ll go off at that time five days out of seven, possibly for as long as long as the next nine months to a year. I will, of course, keep my eyes and ears open in case something better comes along, but this will do for now.
But all the same, I can’t help but be a little bothered that this is the best I can do. I am a highly skilled, highly motivated college graduate who finished his degree two quarters early with honors. I have a hell of a brain in my head – I’m working on my masters thesis for the love of pants. I have lots of skills, all sorts of experience in a variety of things, I’m a creative problem solver, and I have a work ethic that won’t quit. Given this, you’d think I could find a decent job relating to my skill set in a reasonable amount of time, wouldn’t you? Enter GWB and the economy of death. The simple answer is no. I’m stuck in the middle of a state in a city where I can’t use my best skills and where the absolute best job I can find after close to TEN WEEKS of looking is manual labor packing truss plates for $7.50 an hour. If I were in some place like LA, NYC, Chicago, etc, I could probably find steady work in photography. But the thing is that I’m not, and even if it was my plan to go to one of those places before Japan, I couldn’t afford to move from here without having found a job and worked for 4-6 months doing something that has absolutely no value to me whatsoever in the long run given my choice of career.
WHAT THE FUCK?
Blah. I know, I know, be greatful for what you’ve got and what you’ve been given. And in the sense of finally finding something I am quite glad I’ve found work. But again, the fact that this is the best I can do, let’s say that again – THE BEST I CAN DO – is a little frustrating. Maybe I’m just a spoiled college kid with expectations that are higher than what’s reasonable given current circumstances. But oh fucking well, this is my blog and I’ll bitch when I damn well feel like it. So there.
OK, 4 or 5 hours later and I’m not pissed any more. Seems I got it out of my system. I’m still not too excited about spending the next 6 months to a year packing spiky metal plates into cardboard boxes 8 hours a day, but it’s a means to an end and I’ve got to go about it with a positive attitude. And besides, I could do with a bit more structure in my day, even if it does mean I have to get up at 4:45 AM 5 days a week.
And because I have to get up at the ass fucking crack of dawn (before it actually, *mourn*), I’m going to bed now.
Like I said, I’m happy that I finally found some work. This is something that I’m more than capable of doing, regardless of whether or not I like it, the pay is decent (starts at $7.50 but goes up to $10.90 after 90 days), and I can do this job and pay off my computer debt and start working towards things like that Contax 645, an iBook, and a plane ticket out of the country. The hours absolutely blow, my shift being from 6:00 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon. My alarm clock is currently set to 4:45 AM. There’s really something obscene about having your alarm clock set to 4:45 AM and knowing that it’ll go off at that time five days out of seven, possibly for as long as long as the next nine months to a year. I will, of course, keep my eyes and ears open in case something better comes along, but this will do for now.
But all the same, I can’t help but be a little bothered that this is the best I can do. I am a highly skilled, highly motivated college graduate who finished his degree two quarters early with honors. I have a hell of a brain in my head – I’m working on my masters thesis for the love of pants. I have lots of skills, all sorts of experience in a variety of things, I’m a creative problem solver, and I have a work ethic that won’t quit. Given this, you’d think I could find a decent job relating to my skill set in a reasonable amount of time, wouldn’t you? Enter GWB and the economy of death. The simple answer is no. I’m stuck in the middle of a state in a city where I can’t use my best skills and where the absolute best job I can find after close to TEN WEEKS of looking is manual labor packing truss plates for $7.50 an hour. If I were in some place like LA, NYC, Chicago, etc, I could probably find steady work in photography. But the thing is that I’m not, and even if it was my plan to go to one of those places before Japan, I couldn’t afford to move from here without having found a job and worked for 4-6 months doing something that has absolutely no value to me whatsoever in the long run given my choice of career.
WHAT THE FUCK?
Blah. I know, I know, be greatful for what you’ve got and what you’ve been given. And in the sense of finally finding something I am quite glad I’ve found work. But again, the fact that this is the best I can do, let’s say that again – THE BEST I CAN DO – is a little frustrating. Maybe I’m just a spoiled college kid with expectations that are higher than what’s reasonable given current circumstances. But oh fucking well, this is my blog and I’ll bitch when I damn well feel like it. So there.
