Finding a Career

This journey to find suitable, long sustaining, rewarding employment has been a very bumpy one. Over the past 2 years I’ve had 7 jobs that most had potential to become careers. But due to my lack of foresight and discipline, all of those opportunities fell on the way side and I found myself at the bottom again, unsure where I could go or what I would do with my life.

I am by no means an unqualified individual. I feel that I am an intelligent individual, although I have had an incredible record of doing stupid things. I am highly skilled in many different areas, I am a quick learner, very resourceful and can adapt to pretty much any situation. It is a natural talent I’ve used all my life. This “Jack-of-all-trades” scenario has however, made it quite difficult to stay interested in a single vocation. Many of my jobs over the past years I gave up to pursue other interests or positions, I had little regard for the trail I left, only focusing on the next big challenge ahead of me. This seemed like a foolproof system. Just like a frog jumping across a river, keep focusing on the next landing point rather then the one you are already on and eventually you will get to where you need to go. But this is not a sustainable practice. Careers are built on stability, not constant change, and the wishy washy attitude I took towards my positions and the companies I worked for eventually bit me in the ass.

When everything fell apart, I had nothing to fall back on. I had burnt every bridge I ever had and even past employers with whom were never related in my wrong doings, were still unapproachable because of my attitude about switching jobs on a whim. I had created an environment where it was very difficult to find a new job let alone a career path.

Of course, one can always find jobs when one needs to as long as you lower your standards enough. To get through some of the hardest times, I took jobs at places I never thought I would ever work at, just to make sure I could live. It was a humbling experience. I always felt ashamed, and embarrassed at the place I was at, unable to relax and just do my job, and constantly focused on my failures.

I thought it would take years upon years to pull myself out of that whole and I although I wasn’t happy with it, it was my reality and I had to live with it.

Hard work and determination pay off though. Although I did have a foolish attitude about career building in my past, I was always a hard worker and would do whatever I could above and beyond my job descriptions to make my positions more interesting.

This eventually rewarded me the opportunity to apply for a position with my current company that actually has some respectability and long term potential. Throughout the entire hiring process I figured I would be rejected because of my past and at one point almost withdrew my application for fear of rejection. However I continued to focus forward and gave the hiring process my full attention and determination. Eventually, I was hired and am now thriving in my new position. I am enjoying myself everyday and seeing the long term path I can create with this company. I still feel a little insecure about my past, but each passing day I feel more and more confident in my role and as a result, I am improving my performance each and every day.

This job has the potential to become a worthwhile career, and although my mind does wander to other ventures and potential vocations, if I ever do decide to switch, it will be a long thought out process with a well built plan. For now, I am happy, and this job brings me self respect and worth. It is helping me achieve my goals and ensuring a fruitful future.

Ob La Di, Ob La Da

They say that the only constant thing in life is change. On a daily basis, we are too close to the action to see the small things that are different to notice. But take a step back and see what has happened over a period of time and the changes pop out and smack you in the face! The important part is to not forget to step back and see what has been happening.

I’ve been on a role lately for doing what I am supposed to be doing at this point, working away, saving money, living a better life, but I’ve been a little stagnant when it comes to change. I haven’t been trying to improve anything else, getting stuck in to a routine that is figuratively death for those that are dedicated to change themselves. There should not be a time when you stop the process. Getting in to a routine is easy for humans, habits drive us, but they also get us into trouble as we forget why we were doing something in the first place and just do it.

I have been incredibly happy with my life and proud of myself for making this far already with my change, but there is still plenty of work to be done and I need to be more accountable to myself then I have the last few weeks.  I need to crack that proverbial whip to get back into things and make sure my journey continues.

It is nice to stop and smell the roses, and just enjoy the moment, but I need to stay focused on the big picture. Let’s keep going!!

Career Acquired!

This has been an incredibly awesome week and its only Monday! Fresh off the heels of me and my partners publically announcing the launch of our company, I had an interview for a fantastic dream job of mine today. I was excited about it all last week as I prepared myself for this great opportunity. This particular position has everything with it that I could want, and it carries with it a lot of opportunity to grow and meet some amazing people.

I had the interview this morning, and before I could even head out of the city back home, I had a phone call from them offering me the position. They said that my passion overwhelmed them, and I could feel it during the interview. This position feels right. Taking this job and moving forward just feels like the right thing to do. As I move along fixing my mistakes, and start acting true to myself and right to the world, good things keep happening, and this position, this career path, seems like one of those things. I can do well with this new position and there is unlimited direction for me.

I am excited for the future and ready for this next chapter.

Another Step in the Right Direction

Yesterday I received my first pay cheque in 2 months. Almost exactly 2 months.

I had been out of work since the beginning of February and had been struggling looking for employment. The economy may be on its way up, but it is a very tight job market right now and there is fierce competition. And because of everything else that has been going on, I haven’t been in the right head space to truly focus on that career path.

Three weeks ago I ended up settling and taking a low level job that is nothing more than a means to an end and have been slaving away.

The work is unglamorous and difficult, but It feels good to be back contributing to society, even though I don’t truly respect the position or the work.

But getting that pay cheque yesterday has made me feel so much better. I am being recognized for my sacrifices. Even though it is meagre, I am being rewarded for my toiling, and it feels good.

Another step in the right direction.

A Week of Work

I have now been working for a full week again, after a month of unemployment, and it feels good. Although the job is just a means to an end and has absolutely no future, it has been giving me strength and motivation to continue moving forward. The job itself is humiliating. Years ago, when I first left this organization, I swore I would never even step foot in one of these establishments again. Something I had been able to do for over 10 years. After that, I had been very successful in a number of organizations and companies. I was always on a track to be promoted, to lead and accept more responsibility. And now, I just have to make sure I show up on time and not screw up. Every day I go to work, I hope that I won’t see anyone I know. Though the past few days, I fought off that worry, I just don’t care. I need this job to earn an income so I can continue to build and once I’ve achieved enough, I can move forward again and focus on building my career again.

This job gives me purpose though. It gives me a reason to wake up every morning and strive to succeed. The more I work, the closer I get to achieving something on the list. Although I am humiliated that I must go to this workplace every day, the fact is, I put myself in this position, and now I need to do whatever it takes to be a man again. This job is another lesson in humility and when I come out on the other side as a man I can be proud of, I won’t forget these days, like I did before, I’ll remember them and keep these lessons close to me.

A Job Is Found

Today is cause for some celebration. I have been able to find full time employment and can now start moving forward again with my plans. Although I am still interviewing for a few other jobs that have “career” potential, I can now relax a bit knowing that I’ve found an income producing job. The position itself is in hospitality, which is just fine with me. I am a very hard worker and there is always something to do in this kind of work environment. I might even enjoy  myself with this job. This is by no means a time for me to get comfortable and stop looking forward though. I need to remind myself that this job is nothing but temporary while I put things back together. It will feel good to be working again though. To be able to start contributing again.

The Search Continues

Searching for employment is a very humbling experience. It is fraught with vulnerability and rejection. I have put myself out on the line countless times and have shared everything I can about me. I’ve read books, articles, blogs, whatever I can find on ways to improve my chances of finding employment. I’ve been fortunate to find myself in a few different interviews at this time, but none have bore the fruit of a job. I know that there is a job out there for me and I will be working soon. I don’t care anymore what I am doing to earn money at this time, I just know that if I am to continue this journey, I need to start making money. I’ve applied for every type of job imaginable, including “worm harvester” and “ranch hand”. I have no more stipulations on what job I want. I just want a job.

Finding a Job, Any Job

I have faced a lot of challenges this year as I come to terms with my actions and consequences. One that I was not expecting was losing my job at the beginning of the year. At the time it seemed like stable employment that had some room for me to develop. However, due to poor performance on my part, my employers found it best if we were to part ways. I don’t blame them for the decision, I can honestly say that my heart wasn’t into the work I was outputting and I was actually already looking for something new. However, the timing was very poor. At a time where I needed regular income to achieve my goals, I was suddenly thrust into unemployment, and this compounded all of my problems.

For a few weeks, I enjoyed the time off and spent more time looking for a career that better suited my skills and abilities. As time went on, I became increasingly frustrated at the job market and the lack of available positions that suited my experience and passion. My financial situation became more dire and I began loosening my stipulations on what positions I would apply for. Eventually, I started applying for anything that I could find.

I have been desperately seeking employment now for over a month and have discovered that I am in a very unique and difficult employment vortex. I am under qualified for a lot of of the jobs I want and feel I would thrive in, and I am overqualified for a lot of the jobs that I’ve applied for because of necessity. I am unemployable. In economics terms, this is known as Frictional Unemployment. There are jobs out there, and I am willing to work, but there is such a mismatch between my skills and what is being looked for that I simply cannot find a job.

In order to move forward with my plans to once again become a man, I must find employment. I need regular income coming in if I want to achieve anything on my list. I am continuing to search and will hopefully come up with something, anything. I’ve never had such difficulty in finding employment and have realized that I need to improve my skills and experience if I want to eventually be a man again. When I’ve found stability, I must consider the option of continuing my education and and finding designations or certifications to make myself more employable.