job hunting soapbox

let's admit, job hunting is no fun. when i got the news that i was being laid off back at the end of march, people immediately asked me if i was going to find another job. of course. if you want to count babysitting, i've worked since i was 11 or 12 and sometimes 2-3 jobs at a time. to say i love to work is an understatement. anyway, at the time there was the question of what. duh. and childcare. and surgery recovering. miraculously there were a few jobs early on that i applied for. by the time i finished work and went to camp in June things were lining up to be pretty different for me.

i didn't get any of the jobs i applied for, which was a bummer. i also realized that i hadn't had an interview in so long. i'm sure that wasn't the kicker. just better candidates believe it or not. and now of course my cancer is back. here is my soapbox. get ready.

there are 2 things that make looking for a job hard. one is just mine and one affects lots of women (and maybe men) out there.
1: cancer. it seems tricky to not bring it up in an interview but then upon hiring say, oh by the way i need off every 3rd wednesday for chemo and probably a day in between for bloodwork. and there may be other times i'll need off b/c of doctor's appointments or fatigue or something else cancer related that i didn't bother telling you about in the interview. oh and i'll be bald in a few weeks. no biggie. and even though there are laws forbidding companies to not hire you for such reasons. come on. are you going to hire a cancer patient? probably not. the great thing about having a job already is they typically work with you as you deal with all the appointments and ups & downs of having cancer. it seemed to work well last year. at least from my point of view it did. but clearly not, huh.

2: childcare: here are your options for childcare: 1) full-time that costs a buttload here in charlotte, 2) mother's morning out type stuff 2 or 3 days a week from 9a-1p and 3) sitters that now cost more than probably both 1 and 2. if i could find a full-time job the question would be "do i make enough to allow/justify full-time childcare?" if i got a part time job (25-35 hours) there isn't really childcare that fits that. option 1, but then you back to that same question. the ideal would be to get super part time job that would allow me to work just within the 9a-1p window. or be able to work from home part time too. but those are scarce, even if they do exist.

so those are my 2 major dilemmas with finding a job. i think at this point i know what my gifts are and can seek out those types of jobs. but even still there is a lot i still don't know b/c my training has been different. just need to find something that fits. i'll be honest. i am going to diligently put forth an effort in the next few months. but i'm feeling like God has opened this time off door on purpose. i mean, i do have a lot going on and adding a new job may not be the best thing to do. but still i love to work. and i'm not saying being home with a 21 month old is not work. it is. it is more than any type of work i've done. am i cut out for it? if i don't think so, i think God is filling in those gaps. and honestly nothing brings me more joy in the midst of my sorrows right now than this sweet & sassy little lady. and adam is in full force job hunting...we don't need 2 of us out there.

i totally understand that there are people out there that have been out of work longer and job hunting longer than me. i can't imagine the perseverance they have.

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