about getting from point A to point B in the most interesting ways possible

If you're a large woman in America, your whole life is an opportunity to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, resentful and way too big. You can hide in the corner or on the couch, you can go to therapy, or you can put on your lycra bike shorts and get out there and move.
—Jayne Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

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October 28, 2005

Career Opportunities, the ones that never knock permalink

on NE MLK Jr Blvd
on NE MLK Jr Blvd
on NE MLK Jr Blvd
Well, I'm feeling a quite a bit more positive about things this morning. Even before I went to see the career counselor. And I was very hopeful about that, too.

I had thought that perhaps the career counseling thing might be a one or two visit thing, where at the end he would ceremoniously reveal my true callingTM. Okay, that last part I know is wishful thinking. I was very pleased by the process, though. We talked in a very organic fashion—that is to say, apparently without direction. And then when I would start to think, "I should get on-topic now", he would ask a question or make a statement that made it clear that he was making connections between this and the whole issue of work.

By a half hour in, I understood some of my internal conflicts about job hunting. I'm very good at analyzing myself and situations, but I find it hard to go forward from that analysis, and he is very good at asking questions that cut to the heart of the matter, and illuminate the parts that I didn't even know I was missing.

I'm sounding like I drank the koolaid. Well, I did have some tea.

At the end, he gave me some homework and asked if I had ever done a skills inventory test before. I said I had, about 15 years ago at a community college, and it said I should be a podiatrist because it involved less than fulltime work with reasonable pay. I laughed when I said it, but he quickly stopped me and said that he could see me in that sort of role, though not necessarily dealing with feet.

I'm excited. I have a lot to work on over the weekend!
...
I still haven't signed up for the half-marathon yet. It's Sunday, today is Friday. Quite simply, I'm freaking out! Questioning if I even want to do this. I haven't done any training, I haven't done anything. It seems ridiculous to turn down a half right here in my backyard, but, it also seems ridiculous to do one without training.
...
Two weird occurrences:


  1. Yesterday, I'm in Office Despot when I notice the background music. It's a cover of the MC5's Kick Out the Jams. I hear the words of the first verse—yep, that's it. And then it's switched off right before the chorus.

    Kick out the jams in Office Despot?!?!


  2. There is a woman who writes my work email address. I don't know her, I've never met her or talked to her on the phone or corresponded with her, but for whatever reason, she sends me email forwards. I hate getting email forwards! Just now, she's sent me four (4)(!!!!!!) of them. One was about how women have to fear for their lives 24/7, one was about writing the people you love to say I love you, and two were about how we all need to be better Christians because Katrina was all about retribution.

Posted at October 28, 2005

Comments

Did you do the half? The career counseling sounds really great. Probably something that we all should look into.

Posted by: Liz at October 30, 2005 6:18 PM

I'm so curious to hear, like, every single detail of this whole career counseling thing, so that by association, I to, can have my calling revealed in a ceremonial flourish. I am curious about this skills inventory thingie, though.

Oh man, and I try to be all understanding about people's desire for explanation, but the whole idea of "retribution" just ... is so, so wrong. To me it's a much more comforting though to believe that some things have no explanation or meaning, rather than to believe I'm living in a world where divine punishment exists.

Posted by: Megan at October 31, 2005 6:58 AM