April, 2020 - One Less Dog In The Hunt

April 30, 2020April 18, 2020

Diversity

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Diversity. If you have any connection to a corporate job, you’ve heard the word Diversity. You’ve probably had it ingrained in you. You’ve been taught the need for it, encouraged to embrace it, and heard the exultation of the positive impacts it can have to your company or your job — unless you work for Starbucks; in that event you got a crash course after everyone else.

What is diversity? Merriam-Webster says, ” the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety OR an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities : an instance of being diverse.

April 23, 2020April 18, 2020

Gut Check

You know, there are times when you just have to go with your gut. Breaking things down into pros and cons, using logic to distill your thoughts and make an educated decision; its all wise counsel, but that little voice whispering in your ear or that feeling in your gut shouldn’t be tossed aside. To use a comic book reference: When your spider sense is speaking, you should listen. Sometimes you just have to go with what feels right. That’s tough in a world where we’re taught to use our brains instead of our feelings.

I was coming up on two years of unemployment. With no prospects after a long journey through applications, resumes, job posting sites, and unemployment rejections (clue: if you aren’t making any money and you use your retirement funds to make ends meet — you likely sunk your chances with the unemployment office) I went back to my retail roots looking for gainful employment. It was a bitter pill to swallow. It was looking like no one wanted me or could see any value in me, but another retailer. I’d tried. I really tried to keep from walking back toward the darkside, but it was the only job source calling for me.

April 16, 2020April 11, 2020

A Few Projects

Although I fall far short of a woodworker, I do enjoy working out in the shop. Over the course of the past year, I’ve tried my hand at refinishing and building from scratch. Sometimes I get carried away, like when I made three of the children’s picnic tables just because I wanted to see if I could improve. I originally made one for my grandchildren to use on our deck, but it just seemed I could try it with a little different style or different wood. I ended up with one on the deck and two taking up space in the garage shop. I’m sure my wife would appreciate it if I could find homes for some of my projects so we could get both cars in the garage if needed.

April 11, 2020April 18, 2020

What’s Next?

Pluck Makes Luck. Good saying. It’s tougher than that when you’re on the other side. With the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on the economy and jobs, some of you are on the other side. I feel your pain. I spent two years on the other side. There isn’t a person alive that can realistically claim I wasn’t working towards work.

I can’t say why it took so long for a guy with my experience to find a job. I can speculate as to why employers weren’t interested, but they don’t spend a lot of time explaining their reasons. I had an interview where that question was asked. “Why haven’t you been hired in a two year period?” My response was perhaps a little too telling of my frustration. “After this interview, you’ll have a better answer for that than I do. I hope you’ll share that with me.” He didn’t.

Fortunately, I finally found someone to take a chance on me. Maybe it was just a matter of timing. If you believe in divine intervention, then the answer might be that the right job just hadn’t opened yet. If you don’t believe in some kind of greater plan, then it’s just a matter of time, work, and frustration.