While I loaded the Budget truck during my final days in Augusta, GA., I went over my mental checklist of the things that I needed and wanted to accomplish once making it to Bend. I had clear goals to find a home for my family, get a job as my primary source of income (while maintaining LionLeap clients), and to try to stress less and enjoy my family without being concerned constantly with financial stress. I have been told by several that when I made the announcement that we were going to be moving with simply a road-map, some reserve funds, and not much else that not only was it inspiring, but that we were being watched to see if it could be done. Well let me officially state for the record:
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Let’s break it down for a moment. First, finding a house. As stated on previous posts, finding a house to rent was no simple task. 30 days exactly and we went from living in Augusta, to getting really acquainted with the Econolodge, to being in a nice, warm house in an amazing neighborhood that would fit in perfectly on just about any movie set. My neighbors are awesome, there’s a gym in the clubhouse and walking paths all over the place. We didn’t rush into anything and by being patient, we found the most wonderful place. Okay, I lied a bit, finding this place was EXTREMELY lucky and we beat everyone else too it.
This post, however is dedicated to the plight of the job search. Anyone that has hopped onto the job hunt trail knows what I’m talking about. I’ve talked about the job hunt a few posts back and I’m happy to announce that I’ve pretty much hit the employment jackpot. I have joined the ranks of fellow technicians at CMIT Solutions. It’s a small group of highly trained techs that manage IT solutions for small to medium sized businesses, not to mention some residential clients as well. I have some people to thank for this position because I’m not going to claim the win on this one all on my own.
First and foremost, my wife Tash and kids. Tash watched me struggle since I decided to take the self employment plunge with all forms of nonsense from racism to politics. She’s kept my head in the game this entire time and when it came to making the shift to working for someone again, she was right there, sending me jobs that fit my skillset from Craigslist, Indeed, and virtually anywhere else she found them posted while I managed client work. Compilation emails in the morning AND the afternoon would land in my inbox daily… even on the weekend. This was integral to my sanity while searching. It really did let me know that there were jobs available, contrary to the naysayers (yes, there were a few). My kids had a hand in this as well. It’s no secret that I have 4 kids that are all 10 and under in age. Even with there limited understanding of the intricacies of the cost of living vs income entering the house, they never once were impatient or overbearing while I was on the hunt. But it was looking at their hopeful faces that helped to keep me going. And then there were some new friends.
My new neighbor, Nate, happens to work for an employment division for the City of Bend and he sat down with me a little over a week ago to discuss a few avenues I could take that I may not have thought about before. He mentioned a place I’d driven by a few times called Worksource Oregon and that was all it took really. I was there the next day when I submitted my resume and literally within 5 days, I had a pre-screen interview. Let me tell you that going into an interview, let alone this entire process, was slightly nerve wracking. I felt like I might as well have been going in front of Umbridge at Hogwarts. But you know what, my interviewing Patronus was strong because I nailed it. And not only that interview, but the actual interview. 2 days later I was stepping foot into the office (and quickly stepping back out on my first service call) of my new job!
I know a lot of people that are currently searching high and low for work. I know it’s difficult. Sometimes you feel like it’s going to be an endless, fruitless search and you wonder if anyone will actually recognize you for your talents. I understand that it’s hard when you receive a rejection email or call and you find it difficult to separate the feelings of self worth and the fact that you could quite possibly be competing with 200+ applicants (some of the jobs I applied for, this was the case). For what it’s worth, DON’T BELIEVE IT. Seriously, don’t believe it. You are worth so much more than you realize. Keep pushing hard, be steadfast, and above all, use your talents independently until you land a gig. It will be SO worth it.
I’m going to close this down for now as I need to get ready for the work day tomorrow. And you know what? I love being able to say that…
