One Giant Leap...

I had my career changer class last night. We mostly worked on how to sell yourself in an interview using your previous career’s experiences and applying it to a hypothetical new career path. We did mock interviews for the majority of the class with Sue correcting us as we went. I felt kind of silly but I learned a few really helpful tips.

As everyone was gathering their things to leave, Sue passed around a sign-up sheet for our private consults. I signed up for a time and then approached her.

“Sue?”

She turned around from packing her briefcase.

“Yes, Faith?”

“I was wondering if I could talk to you about something for a minute…”

“Okay. Go for it.”

“I’ve been offered a work opportunity that could lead to a career but I really just need some advice.”

“What field is it in?”

“It’s in theatre. I would be a stage manager.”

“And you used to work in HR, right?”

“Yes.”

“What kind of advice are you looking for?”

“Well…whether or not I should take it.”

We laughed.

“Hmmm. Theatre is a risky career choice. There’s so much competition and the pay isn’t as great or as stable as pretty much any other job. But, if you take this opportunity, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to commit to it as a new career choice. I’d say go for it. Opportunities like this don’t come around that often, especially for professional theatre spots. If you don’t like it, take your paycheck and look for something else, I say.”

I thanked her and thought about what she said on my short walk home. I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of taking the stage management job for the past two days. When I got home, I plopped down next to Molly.

“Hey, how did your class go?” She asked.

“I think you should give me Eddie’s number.” I said.

“REALLY!?”

“Yeah, but I have a feeling I’m going to regret this somehow.” I sighed as Molly ran to get her phone.

I spoke with Eddie for about 25 minutes and e-mailed him my resume. He hired me after a short phone interview and then gave me all the details. I start tomorrow. I’ve spent most of the day being e-mailed all sorts of documents and phone numbers and calendars for the production. The show is The Glass Menagerie. The director’s name is Tucker and I’m going to meet him for lunch later today, here’s hoping I don’t immediately regret this.

Windfalls

“Faith we need to add a journalist to cover politics. With the overturning of Prop 8, the death of Ted Stevens, the upcoming elections, and the gold mine of irrationality that is the Tea Party…it’s just not feasible for Riley and Mariah to be able to write that much. In fact I think we need to add more than one person.”

Veronica and I have made it a habit to touch base at least once every morning. She updates me on anything she needs my assistance on (like Steve replacing all of the break room food) and I update her on my progress with the company policies, and problems that I might have to take care of (like one of the toilets kept running so I had to call maintenance). The topic of conversation had shifted to future hires.

“Well, I know that Jenny had expressed interest in writing political-based stories. If I remember correctly, I think one of her writing samples was about the health care reform. And she has background experience doing political research. We could have her write for politics and gossip.”

“No, let’s shift her to the politics team as a full-time writer and hire a new gossip columnist. I still want you to look for one more possible hire for politics. The Tea Party activism alone will be impossible to cover with Jenny, Riley, and Mariah.”

“Okay, do you want me to use the resumes we kept on file? Or should I sniff around some other resources as well.”

“Whatever you decide.”

Then Veronica’s phone rang and I took my cue to leave. My amazement at the windfall that had just landed in my lap carried me all the way to my office. I closed the door and then ran to my computer. I sent Dina and Suzy an e-mail:

Hello ladies,

My paper has two openings in it and I think you should submit your resumes, cover letters, and writing samples.

First, the perfect job for Suzy: a gossip columnist. I expect your resume within 24 hours ; ).

Dina, there’s a job opening up as a politics writer. You’d be working with four other people, three writers and a cartoonist. I know you’re a fact-checker and line up sources but I know you used to write. It’s worth a shot to apply.

I’ll put in good words for both of you.
-Faith

I then called Jenny in and explained that we would like to transfer her over to politics. She was pretty overjoyed about it because politics was her main focus. All in all it was a good day.

Home Sweet Home

My brother left today and to be completely honest, I feel extremely guilty from the large amount of relief that came over me. I feel awful but it’s nice to not have to tip-toe around him and his sudden angry outbursts. It makes me feel even worse when I consider that this could have been the last time to see him for months….or forever. I think I might be in denial about the fact that he’s gone. We don’t see each other very often so I think part of me is just believing he’s out living his life working like he was before the deployment because it’s easier for me to deal with.

Anyway, my parents weren’t in the mood to cook dinner so I offered to go and pick us up some food instead. We called in some calzones at a local pizza place and I went to go pick them up. When I walked in to the restaurant I was instantly reminded why I try to avoid coming home and frequenting the local businesses.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!! It’s Faith!” Torie, a girl I went to high school with, walked up to me with a cigarette in hand and a noticeably large baby belly (I had to do a double take and hide my shock).

“H-hey.” I said waving at several other former classmates nursing a pitcher of beer in front of a big screen television while their kids ran around the table throwing breadsticks. “How’s it going?”

Torie told me her life story while I waited for the food (they were in a rush and it was going to be about 20 minutes). After high school she got pregnant and married a guy sitting at the table. This was her fifth child (we graduated 6 years ago). She worked at a lingerie store a few blocks away and they were in the middle of her baby shower when I walked into the pizza place. He works as a car mechanic downtown and they live with her parents. When I was finally able to get our food and say goodbye I felt even worse.

Torie was in the top of our class, she got a full ride scholarship to a prestigious school and wanted to be a doctor. She also dated my brother when they were in high school. It annoyed me because she tried to be my friend in order to get close to him and once I realized what was going on he was taking her to prom and out on dates. They didn’t last long and she eventually ended up with her current husband. I think I felt so bad about seeing her because I’m one of the few kids who got out. I don’t come from a small town by any means. I grew up in the suburb of a fairly large city in the Midwest (sort of, we moved around all over, but I spent the most time there and my parents have always owned a home there) but I’m still one of the few people who graduated from school and went on to college out of state. I knew what I wanted when I was in high school and living here and getting married before I was even legally allowed to drink and start a family wasn’t really in my cards. Don’t get me wrong, I think I want to get married and have children but not at 17 (the age I graduated from high school) and not really now, either.

The reason I don’t like seeing people I went to high school with is because I always see so much lost potential in who they wanted to be. Most of them never went to college and don’t like their current jobs; most have already had children or been divorced and it’s hard to not feel lucky when I see what happened to people I used to look up to in high school. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I felt like my life was heading in a better direction than my former classmates and that makes me feel like an elitist, pretentious, bitch. I can see how happy they are, like Torie who was having such a blast and happy with her life, but it’s painful to know that she had bigger dreams for herself that were never fulfilled.

“Food’s here!” I said walking through the door. My dad was on the phone and my mom shushed me. “What’s going on?” I whispered.

“SHHHHHH.” I rolled my eyes and started setting the table. My dad got off the phone beaming.

“So what’s going on?” I asked.

“Well, I’ve been looking for a new job and I just got hired by a university I’ve been looking at for awhile.”

“He’s making a six-figure salary now.” My mom said, “He had to take a pay cut to work at that other university so your brother and you could go there for free….even though neither of you went there.” She said coldly.

“That’s awesome dad.” I said, “Let’s eat! I’ll go get ice cream later to celebrate.”

My dad isn’t a teacher, he’s more of a budget guy and I’m really happy that he’s been offered such a great job. He was recently looked over at his current place of employment for a promotion (that he seriously deserved) after they lead him on for six months after interviewing him. They gave it to someone who had only been working there for two years and didn’t have any qualifications for the job, instead. I’m glad my dad is getting out of there now, he really deserves it.

Detective Faith

I got it! The news station job! It’s mine! They called me a few hours ago and I just got back from celebrating with Zoey, Elise, and Anna. After we ordered dinner at our favorite Italian place and a super expensive bottle of wine we settled in and I told them all about my job and what I’ll be doing in about a month.

“So the editor and I make up a hiring team for writers, we’ll be doing the interviews for about two weeks after they sign me on to start getting writing staff going before they launch the paper. I’m responsible for weeding through the unqualified candidates, background checks, that kind of stuff. While the editor reads their samples and goes through people that way. Basically I send him the people I think are qualified on paper and the editor chooses the final candidates on talent.”

“That’s so cool, Faith!” Zoey said taking a bite of her garlic cheese bread.

“Seriously, it’s good you’ve found something like this, it seems like a better fit.” Anna said sipping some wine.

“And you don’t have to be around Kevin anymore.” Elise blurted out.

“That’s definitely a perk,” I said laughing, “That reminds me…” I said pulling out my cell phone, “I know this borders on creepy and completely inappropriate, but I have a hunch. Can you guys look at this photo and tell me if she looks familiar?” I said showing Elise, Anna, and Zoey the picture I took of Hannah the other day.

Elise, Anna, and Zoey all looked at each other shrugged their shoulders and looked at the picture. There was a pause when they all confusedly looked at me.

“Uh…we know who that is Faith, this is weird. How did you know we’d recognize Hannah Fitzgerald?”

“You know her NAME?” I said a bit angrier than I wanted to sound.

Elise looked at me while putting sugar in her tea, “Hannah is pretty influential in the fashion world, Faith, she works as a fashion consultant for Vogue and goes from magazine to magazine, fashion show to fashion show, judging the work and artistry and reports back to Vogue.”

“What does that mean exactly?” I said blank-faced.

“She writes about designers or magazines that she deems fashionable, it can make or break a designer or a new publication, she’s ruthless.” Zoey said dipping her garlic bread in the marinara sauce, “She recently came to visit our magazine; we’ve all been really worried about what or if she’s going to write about us.”

The pieces started to fall into place. “Faith? Why did you think we’d recognize her?” Zoey said putting her napkin down and taking a sip of wine.

“Oh….every time I see her she’s wearing the latest and most expensive clothes and her hair is always flawless, I figured you guys might have seen her working or shopping in a designer clothing store because I know that sometimes Anna has to shop for the magazine and sometimes you guys go along. I never realized she was so influential in your world.”

We let the issue drop and changed the subject. After awhile, Anna had something to say.

“I have an announcement,” Anna said putting her silverware and napkin on her plate, “Theo and I…we had sex last night.”

Zoey, Elise and I shared a smiled. I rubbed Anna’s arm and Zoey gave her a side hug while Elise reached across and grabbed her hands. Anna smiled and started turning bright red.

“Things have been going really well. I don’t really know what made Theo want to work so hard for me-“

“Because you’re worth it,” Zoey said.

Anna smiled and looked down.

“I too have an announcement,” Elise said, “I have four tickets to a night club with an up and coming band coming to town with your guys’ names on it. Next weekend. We’ll get dressed up and wear dangerous high heels and short skirts. It’ll be fun, we can flirt with boys and get tipsy.”

I had a twinge of unease about that idea. I had gotten over Kevin pretty easily because of his behavior at work and how he treated me but I wasn’t sure I was really ready to go out and be seen and flirt with anyone. I got lost in my thoughts as my three friends carried on conversation. Something was taking precedence over the fear-inducing night out and that was Hannah. Something still wasn’t right. She has a fabulous job, why would she want to slum it as a secretary? Then it hit me.

Produce

I got a second interview for the news station job. It’s on Friday and I should know by Monday if they want to hire me. I found out that they won’t be prepared to take me on until nearly a month from now, which means I’ll be stuck with Kevin for a whole month even if I do get the job. I also learned that this particular news station has its own newspaper connected to it and if I get the job, I’d be responsible for hiring staff for that AND the editor and I would be a hiring team for any new writers. I REALLY want this job. I heard back from another place but said I needed time to think about it. I’m really waiting to see if I get the news station job before I make a decision. I’m prepared to take it though if I don’t get an offer from the news station.

I spent most of the day deep-cleaning my apartment and decided I had to go grocery shopping after looking at the pathetic contents of my refrigerator and pantry: an expired carton of milk, some wilted lettuce, a box of Cheez-its, and powered hot chocolate packets.

First off, I actually enjoy going grocery shopping, but I live in the city so I don’t have/can’t afford to own a car which means I either have to borrow a friend’s or ration off how much I can buy at the store and make multiple trips. Yeah….

“Pleeeeeeeeeease? You can come, if you want.” I begged into the phone.

“How much do you have to buy?” Zoey said, making me sweat it out.

“A lot, I have literally no food in my house. Unless you count Cheez-it’s and hot chocolate powder food.” I started smiling as Zoey pretended to consider it.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up in a few minutes. It’s only because I was about to go, though, don’t make it a habit.” She laughed and hung up. Zoey and I always did this, she pretended not to let me borrow her car while I begged and showered her with compliments. I always paid her back for the gas and I’m an impeccable driver so she’s comfortable letting me drive it. It’s always fun when Zoey comes along.

Zoey had to walk across the street to fill a prescription while I perused the grocery store shelves. While bending over into a freezer I felt someone standing next to me. When I looked up I saw Theo.

“Oh….hey Theo…how….how is…everything?” I said holding a carton of strawberry ice cream and a frozen cheesecake. He looked at my goods and smiled, “Watch it.” I said dumping them into the cart.

“Everything is…healing.” Theo said choosing his words carefully. I could tell he didn’t want to jinx anything but my heart was bursting with happiness now that they were able to start a reconciliation process, “I’m currently sleeping on the couch and we started seeing a new marriage counselor, one that specializes in couples who have lo….like us.”

I nodded and gave Theo a hug, “I’m really happy for you. Progress is good.”
Theo hugged me back before snatching my cheesecake from my cart. “HEY! That’s the last one!”

“I know, but Anna specifically asked for it, you wouldn’t want to deprive her, would you?” He said laughing. I sighed and waved goodbye to him while I went digging in the freezer looking for any hint of a hidden cheesecake.

After shopping and browsing for a little longer Zoey and I checked out and she helped me carry my groceries up and put them away. As a favor I made five cheese lasagna and garlic bread with a side salad for the both of us. For dessert we had cheesecake (There was one hiding under some popsicle boxes) and I told her about seeing Theo and that things might be looking up for him and Anna. Zoey smiled and nodded. That’s all that needed to be said.

Scott

Scott started today. I walked him to Kevin’s office after going over the basics and knocked on the door.

“Kevin, your personal secretary is here, I’d like to introduce you to them.”

Kevin nodded and stood up to greet Scott, thinking he’d be a woman. When Scott came into view from the hallway, Kevin’s disposition changed. I couldn’t help but have a beaming smile on my face, even when Kevin gave me a dirty look. This moment was priceless; I wish I’d had a video camera. Scott started asking Kevin questions and I took the opportunity to sidle away with a cutesy little wave to Kevin on the way back to my office.

About an hour later, Kevin walked into my office and closed the door.

“Dudes can’t be secretaries! What is this?”

“Oh yes they can Kevin, and unless you want the paper to have a lawsuit slapped on it I wouldn’t say that too loudly. What is the problem? Did you honestly think I would hire someone, like Hannah, who had no credentials or skills just so you could ogle them all day? Do you even need a personal secretary or was this just a way for you to cheat on Hannah some more?” I said viciously.

Kevin was struck speechless. He started stuttering and I cut him off.

“What? Did you think you were hiding it? You may have used me but I got to know you more than you think especially after breaking up with you. Stop trying to manipulate me Kevin and just do your job. Scott is more than capable when it comes to being your secretary but if you haven’t done any work because you keep trying to screw me over and make it hard to work with you. Why don’t you actually do some work so Scott can assist you?”

There was a pause.

“You can leave now.”

He glared at me and walked out of my office. I rolled my eyes and closed that part of my chapter. I have three job interviews in the next few days and there’s one that I really want. It’s an HR position for a news company, I would hire researchers, reporters, and on-air talent for them and there would be no board of directors directly in control of my decisions. It also pays a lot more than what I make here. I sent an e-mail to George asking him to give me a recommendation for it and I’m picking it up later after work.