The job search is happening. It takes up a huge amount of time. So far the job search has been largely fruitless. I feel like a no hoper, an unwanted member of the community with absolutely no discernible skills to offer employers. This, of course, is not the case. I do have skills. Lots of skills. I can make tea, sing and erm do the housework. Kidding. I can do those things but I have a Degree, a Sociology Diploma, a HNC in business (gained long ago but the skills remain me with me), a NVQ 3 in Advice and Guidance and lastly but by no means leastly a Certificate in Computing and Information Technology (this included actual programming and creating web pages in HTML!).
Perhaps my qualifications are too wide. Maybe I should have stayed on one path. I don't know.
I have spent the last 5 years or so as an Information Officer in Local Government. It has been an interesting and, at times, challenging role. I have stood in front of teenagers and talked to them about childcare careers. An actual lesson plan. In front of actual teenagers. Scary. I have delivered workshops and presentations. I have created thematic maps. I have produced reports on the business benefits of social networking. I have managed projects. I have conducted meetings and delivered training. I have delivered complex advice in a simple formats. These things I have done. This job is ending, like many other public sector roles, my role will soon cease to exist.
There have been various other jobs before my current one. Some jobs have been admin based and others have been front of house reception work. Other posts have been marketing based. I have organised exhibitions and open days. I have liaised with suppliers. I have created a website from scratch by raw coding in HTML. I have compiled and written a company newsletter. I have used graphic packages. I have carried out vast casework. I have also done less interesting things like big photocopying, copy typing, database updating, data checking and so the more boring list goes on.
I once worked for BT's Directory Enquiries. When there was only way to get the number of a private residence. These days its all 118 118. I have worked for Britannia Building Society. I have received payment for parking fines and issued parking permits. I have taken calls on vast switchboards. I have spent days and days typing address labels. I have worked at Next during the Summer sale. I have travelled door to door with Avon catalogues. I have never been a papergirl. I did work for one day counting money for a security company but it was too depressing. None of the money was mine. I have worn a bear suit during which time, I had my tail pulled and feet stamped on. I wore the bear suit once to raise money for Comic Relief. I have even spent an hour of my free-time washing a bear suit and brushing it's fur. There is something very strange in large fury paws resting on your radiator and something stranger still in a large bear head sitting in your bath.
I write. By that I mean write for a sort of living. From home I produce articles for various places including Powder Room Graffiti and Constant Content. I get paid to do this. The pay won't buy me a mansion in the country. It might buy me a big bag of sweets. Fortunately I like sweets. I also write copy for a business partnership I share with my fiancée. I update web pages. I have created the odd poster using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I have written company profiles. I have created keyword rich content. Mark and I don't get paid much for this either. Largely because some customers are a little reluctant to with their cash. Some customers though, pay happily and on time. I like those customers. We don't make a profit but we get by.
Despite all of these great things, I can't seem to find another job. The kind of job that you get paid a good salary for. I can't even find the kind that you get a shite salary for. Such as life I suppose.
It's very disheartening.
Perhaps I should simply invest lots of time into winning the lottery.
Sigh.
