So as of today it has officially been 4 weeks since I was laid off. This is the middle point of my self granted two months of looking for a Project Manager job before I just started looking for 'whatever' job I could to pay for the bills. I'm actually trying to be a little more flexible than that, in that I'll take Technical Writing jobs that will still give me project experience towards getting my PMP. So far the hunt goes...moderate. The market is clearly very strong, and I'm getting at least one call a day from recruiters, but since I'm transitioning, I'm not in as strong a position as I was before. A year of PM experience + 10 years tech writing experience does not command as strong a position as 12 years of Tech writing experience. But it is worth it, because there are, in fact, many MANY more positions out there asking for 5 years PM experience than there are tech writing jobs of any kind.
Morale has been good for the most part. I'm not as disciplined as I'd like to be. A job helps me keep an organized schedule, and I thrive under pressure. Without that external pressure (besides 'find a job'), I have to force myself to have structure, which is energy that takes away from other things. I'm getting some creative work done, but not at my full capacity. I'm thinking about tricks around it, we'll see what I can do.
I will not be able to get the PMP this year. The good news is that my education credits do not expire. The bad news is that all of my volunteer experience counts for nothing. It has to be paid corporate experience, so my motivation to start side businesses, officially registered as corporations has gone up dramatically. I need 2500 more hours to qualify, and I'd like to take it next year. That way even if I do take a tech writing job, I can still get my PMP, which is HUGE in terms of getting a PM job.
Last weekend was fun. We cleaned the house of doom with Mom, Skip, Grandma and I, along with three friends (Claire, Russell, and Will) and a woman mom found on the ATML. She is a production assistant and I told her she should talk to Mom for networking possibilities. The house looks a LOT better, but some minor complications arose from things we discovered in the house. Some specialists will need to be consulted but I'm hoping to go back in early June or late May. Two more times and it should be pretty much 'done' to the point that we might be able to start trying to sell it. I really want to finish this before I leave Atlanta. I also saw a concert at Wild Bills from Riff Raff. Low cost cover charge. Sunday I took up an invite from another friend of mine (Daniel Hollinger) to the Ren Fest. It was fun. There were a lot of people there. I bought a wooden cup that I might photo along with the leather vest I bought at dragon con and finished paying for a week before I got laid off. :)
Last week Mom and I also went to see Hannah. It was pretty fun. We both enjoyed it.
All for now.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
And now the fun starts
So...the whole lemons and lemonades bit...
If you'd asked me that question six months ago, I would have taken a large metal object and shoved it where the sun doesn't shine. But I'm learning.
The truth of that saying isn't that you should be gleefully denying of reality, because that's just dumb and hurts not only yourself but people around you (in fact I'm coming to believe that a significant amount of the world's misery if not all of it comes from lies that people tell themselves that they want to be true) but at the same time understanding that things are subjective, not objective.
Who determines the meaning of my life? Well, in some ways everyone. But in the most important way its me. One of the best games I ever played was a game I was truly far behind in, and made up my own side quest. The game in question is called, appropriately enough, Junta, in which all of the players are members of the elite families and cabinet. The goal of the game is to steal as much money for your swiss bank account as possible. It became readily apparent early on due to random chance that I couldn't win, so I decided not to be president. Normally you WANT to be president in that game, because it allows you to steal the most money but sometimes it also makes you a big target. So through all kinds of bizarre politics people wanted to foist it on me and I refuse. I had a blast.
My point is that I have felt a need for quite some time to grow emotionally. And I have felt that I would never be able to do so in the amount of time I wanted. Well, now I can turn the joke that is the script of my life into an opportunity. I can react in a cool way instead of have a nervous break down about it.
This is not, unlike Hollywood movies going to make me somehow successful. I don't have a script writer. Trust me, as a writer I would know this. There are certain signs. The lack of exploding cars is a one of them.
This small attitude change isn't going to change my life in any significant way, but it will make it more enjoyable. And ultimately, that's what life is about. Enjoying what you have the best you can as much as you are able without being miserable about it.
So am I going to still want things I can't have and strive for the impossible? Absolutely. Because that's me. That's the theme of my life. Comically attempting stupidly impossible things and getting routinely crushed for it my running gag. If anything, I may begin to try even more outrageously impossible things for my own amusement.
At any rate...on to more practical matters.
Job Search = Teh Suck. A few leads, mainly due to Miles, a rather kick ass recruiter referred to me by Skip, but nothing major. The plan is to go another 6 weeks trying to find a BA job, then spend 3 months trying to find a tech writer job, then move out West. Where? Dunno. But I've been meaning to move for some time...and unless I get a job here, I will go out there. Its one of the things I figured out in my last trip to Cartersville.
I'm doing two things much differently this time. I'm paying for monthly membership in a freelancer site to see if I can get some work that way. And I'm networking more. Neither has yielded results but it will be amusing to try.
Let's see...what else? Graphic novel is on Chapter 5. Novel 4 is in editing stages. Seven Timelines is ready for kickstarter when Kitten gets better to give me the presentation....
I am going to try to write a short story a week, starting with finishing Unfood this week. Every other story will be set in the real world...ish. I want to try being a 'real' writer for a while to see how it feels. I'm resuming board gaming. I have decided that I gain no practical benefit from not playing rpg's but I'm still burned out on them. Go figure.
Life goes on. Vaya con Dios.
If you'd asked me that question six months ago, I would have taken a large metal object and shoved it where the sun doesn't shine. But I'm learning.
The truth of that saying isn't that you should be gleefully denying of reality, because that's just dumb and hurts not only yourself but people around you (in fact I'm coming to believe that a significant amount of the world's misery if not all of it comes from lies that people tell themselves that they want to be true) but at the same time understanding that things are subjective, not objective.
Who determines the meaning of my life? Well, in some ways everyone. But in the most important way its me. One of the best games I ever played was a game I was truly far behind in, and made up my own side quest. The game in question is called, appropriately enough, Junta, in which all of the players are members of the elite families and cabinet. The goal of the game is to steal as much money for your swiss bank account as possible. It became readily apparent early on due to random chance that I couldn't win, so I decided not to be president. Normally you WANT to be president in that game, because it allows you to steal the most money but sometimes it also makes you a big target. So through all kinds of bizarre politics people wanted to foist it on me and I refuse. I had a blast.
My point is that I have felt a need for quite some time to grow emotionally. And I have felt that I would never be able to do so in the amount of time I wanted. Well, now I can turn the joke that is the script of my life into an opportunity. I can react in a cool way instead of have a nervous break down about it.
This is not, unlike Hollywood movies going to make me somehow successful. I don't have a script writer. Trust me, as a writer I would know this. There are certain signs. The lack of exploding cars is a one of them.
This small attitude change isn't going to change my life in any significant way, but it will make it more enjoyable. And ultimately, that's what life is about. Enjoying what you have the best you can as much as you are able without being miserable about it.
So am I going to still want things I can't have and strive for the impossible? Absolutely. Because that's me. That's the theme of my life. Comically attempting stupidly impossible things and getting routinely crushed for it my running gag. If anything, I may begin to try even more outrageously impossible things for my own amusement.
At any rate...on to more practical matters.
Job Search = Teh Suck. A few leads, mainly due to Miles, a rather kick ass recruiter referred to me by Skip, but nothing major. The plan is to go another 6 weeks trying to find a BA job, then spend 3 months trying to find a tech writer job, then move out West. Where? Dunno. But I've been meaning to move for some time...and unless I get a job here, I will go out there. Its one of the things I figured out in my last trip to Cartersville.
I'm doing two things much differently this time. I'm paying for monthly membership in a freelancer site to see if I can get some work that way. And I'm networking more. Neither has yielded results but it will be amusing to try.
Let's see...what else? Graphic novel is on Chapter 5. Novel 4 is in editing stages. Seven Timelines is ready for kickstarter when Kitten gets better to give me the presentation....
I am going to try to write a short story a week, starting with finishing Unfood this week. Every other story will be set in the real world...ish. I want to try being a 'real' writer for a while to see how it feels. I'm resuming board gaming. I have decided that I gain no practical benefit from not playing rpg's but I'm still burned out on them. Go figure.
Life goes on. Vaya con Dios.
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