Published by Deborah on 17 Oct 2005 at 06:11 am
Money, Money, Money, Money . . . Muhnay!
I’ve been enjoying my time off so far. So much so, that I don’t want to look for another job. I was beginning to think that my husband was accepting the fact that I’m home. But when the family came over for my youngest’s birthday party on Thursday and asked me about my job, he said that I was “currently between assignments.”
My brother-in-law then piped up about all the retail jobs that are out there. I thanked him and changed the subject. My sister and aunt told me horror stories about their retail jobs, so I won’t be pursuing those. And, after 20 years in the admin field, I am completely burned out.
Yesterday, my husband expressed his concern that his salary won’t be enough to support us. We need to quit smoking (which costs us $600/month), cut out the fast food, and learn to shop well at the grocery store. Then I think we’ll be okay.
I’m still in the research phase of finding (or developing) my own home-based business. He knows this, so he suggested that I check into becoming a Mortgage Broker or a Real Estate Appraiser. That’s what I was doing all day yesterday (when I wasn’t sleeping off this stupid cold).
Both careers are require certification and licensing, which will cost a lot of money. Then I’ll have to spend more money to market the business. This isn’t something to jump into unless you want to make a lifelong career choice out of this. I don’t know if I’ll like this choice.
I want to do something that I enjoy. I’ve wasted my entire adult life working jobs that I hate because I had no other choice. Now that my bills are paid off, I feel that I can be more selective about the path I choose. Art is my passion, whether I paint, etch scratchboards, write, etc. I’ve veered off this path many times for the sake of money, only to return full circle.
Lately, I’ve been seeing commercials for the Academy of Art and remembering how my mother wouldn’t let me go. San Francisco was too far away, she said. I laugh at this now because she sent my sister to San Diego for college (with an ulterior motive, though). I did graduate with an AS in Computer Graphics in ‘93, but found myself pregnant two weeks after I received my diploma.
Wasn’t it John Lennon who said, “Life happens when you’re making plans?” Twelve years later, I’m back at square one when most people are at the pinnacle of their careers at my age, watching that art college commercial and thinking how much technology has changed. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Pat Kirby on 17 Oct 2005 at 10:15 am #
>We need to quit smoking (which costs us $600/month),
Yowza! Really? I knew the habit had gotten expensive–taxes, and whatnot–but that’s ridiculous. (I’m a bit of a Libertarian on the matter. As long as I don’t have to deal with it in the workplace, I think people are entitled to their habits.)
I worked retail right after I quit the “good” job. (Had I not, I would have taken an AK47 to work and splattered my boss all over his office.) Instead of aiming for a big chain store, I worked for a small, locally owned franchise. Wild Birds Unlimited. By and large the customers were really nice.
Unfortunately, the boss freaked out during a slow period and laid us off. While she hired us all back like a week later, I had already found another job with a printing company–current job.
The advantage, when seeking parttime employement, of having a degree and real experience is that it actually opens up doors. A lot of employers have trouble getting parttimers who are responsible and who have a brain.
Food for thought.
Deborah on 17 Oct 2005 at 10:54 am #
CA keeps raising the taxes on cigarettes, which I find ironic due to the major problems we have with DUIs. I’ve been trying to gear myself up to quit for the past year. I may come to that place sooner than I think.
So, you had a Boss from Hell, too? They’re so much fun. I wanted an AK47 for all the idiots in their BMWs and SUVs who wanted to run me over while I was driving 80mph. It would take me at least twenty minutes to unwind from the commute.
In my experience with my last job (human resources), it was hard to find anyone who was responsible and/or capable. People worked when they wanted to work and couldn’t understand why we had to let the go for attendance problems.
As for the parttime retail, I’ll have to think about it some more. In the meantime, I’ll check out Craigslist and some telecommuting resources. Thanks for sharing your experience and insight with me.
Mark on 17 Oct 2005 at 6:15 pm #
With all that smoking experience I bet you could move here to Oklahoma and get hired in any one of our ten thousand Indian smoke shops.
Deborah on 17 Oct 2005 at 6:24 pm #
You bet!
Strangely enough, we have a few discount cigarette stores in my area.
Karen Lee Field on 18 Oct 2005 at 3:50 am #
$600 per month? Oh my! I nearly passed out when I saw that. That’s 3 weeks rent for me. I don’t smoke but that would be incentive enough for me to stop.
Deborah on 18 Oct 2005 at 9:01 am #
I know. What’s even more sickening is that we spend nearly $500 per month on fast food. That’s rent money on a house, or a mortgage payment if you live anywhere else other than the Bay Area.