Moving as an Act of Moving On

I read an article stating that people were moving less for work. I understand that; moving is expensive, not many companies will help you with expenses to move, and the vast majority of office work can be done online now so moving seems unnecessary. Let's face it: you don't really need to move if it's not for work, or to go to college.

However, there are times when moving seems to be performative, not just moving to a new job in a new place, but to a new stage of your life. Sometimes you need that; sometimes you need to literally move on.

As part of looking for work and narrowing down what career path I want, I've also had to take a look at which companies make use of that service and where lots of them are located relatively close to each other. Short answer: tech-based companies and Not Anywhere Near Fort Collins. So moving has definitely been on my mind lately, and I don't mind the thought of it.

I do love Fort Collins, and it has been exactly what I needed as a place to live when I needed it, but I think that unless I get a remote job, it may be time to move.

A.M.W.

Dream Job Debunking, Boredom, and Alternative Schedules

Why do we talk about dream jobs? I have lost count of how many articles I have read that talk about "finding your dream job" or some permutation thereof in the past three months. I will admit that there are places I would like to work, and job titles I wold like to have, but "dream job"? Not for me.

Imagine having a dream job working for a certain company with a particular job title. You're building it up in your head, getting the basic skill-set, getting the degree for the job, and then after some heavy networking and interviewing, you finally get into the company you want...only to then realize the fantasy of what you're going to do is nothing like the cubicle-dwelling reality. What a let down.

Instead, find a job you are good at and would like to do for a long time, with skills you can build on so you don't get bored. Jobs where you can be content and get paid decently (or even well) are, in the long run, a much safer bet than chasing after a dream job. 

I would much rather have an interesting job where I do not get bored. Boredom is awful, but especially if you are bored at work. You ever read about those experiments where a company or a state will do shorter work days, or shorter work weeks, and then they find productivity goes up and employees claim better home-life balance and that they are happier? I would posit that because the company/state is removing time from the work day where employees would be working steady to make sure they pass the time, but be bored out of their minds, now the employees get to be more productive outside of work, and that motivates them and makes them happier.

I used to do 3 days off in a row, and then 4 days at 10 hours a day. I wish I could have flexed my hours to be more in keeping with my natural night-owl sleep cycle, but other than that, it was actually great. I had one business day off where I could run errands during business hours and/or go to appointments and not have to take time off work, plus the weekend so I could hang out with friends and be social. I would much rather have an alternative schedule than the regular nine-to-five/five days a week.

I hope in the future that companies will see that alternative or flexible schedules can be much more productive for them in the long-run. I hope that people understand that dreams are great, but reality is not always kind, and jobs come and go. 

The important thing is: I still have hope.

-A.M.W.

Learning As A Hobby

I enjoy having hobbies. I love reading fiction and crocheting, just as much as I love reading non-fiction, learning how to code, and speak German. But when it comes to learning and also trying to find full-time work, how can I know that what I'm studying on my own time is worth it?

The answer for me is surprisingly simple: Just as much as job searching and applying to jobs is stressful for me, learning things I'm interested in helps me unwind from all that stress. This is because I use the act of learning the same way I use the act of crocheting as a hobby. It is a calm time, a time where I can shut off the stressed side of my brain and dive head-first into things that interest me and I want to know more about for a couple hours.

I started learning German via Duolingo starting in January, as part of my resolution for growth. Progress has been nominal, and I am nowhere near close to start having conversations yet, but I'm having fun learning words and small phrases. I know that a large part of my family tree has roots in Germany, so I thought it would be an interesting language to learn, and I was right. Learning German has given me a greater appreciation for compound words, and it has also proven to me that English is just seven different languages stacked on top of each other and wrapped in a trench coat.

More recently, I started up basic coding lessons via Codecademy. I have always been a nerd, and taught myself a lot of HTML when the internet became available in my town when I was 12 years old. I've learned more over the years, to the point that I was using HTML every day at work, and I would like to delve deeper in coding. What I've learned so far about the basics has been interesting, and I look forward to learning more.

So what is next for what I want to learn? Nothing so long-term as languages, but there are some very nice, short, learn-at-your-own-pace classes I can take about grant writing. Taking a few of those would look good on a resume and my LinkedIn profile, as well as be a nice challenge for me to stretch my writing skills again.

I hope that whatever your hobby is, it's something that keeps you happy and helps you unwind.

-A.M.W.

Rediscovery and Going Back to An Old Title

Confession: I had forgotten about this blog, which I had the last time I was unemployed. The only reason I found it was because I was updating the sections of my LinkedIn and didn't know what the "Blog" link was referring to, so I clicked on it.

It has been more than seven years since I updated this space, and it is like digging up a piece of my past that I once loved. I stopped updating this space for the very simple reason that I had found full-time employment. I had a wonderful time working for a mid-sized, enthusiast-centered publication company in my town. At first I was in their Customer Support department, and then I earned a promotion-transfer into their eCommerce Operations department. It was both stability and a growing experience, which I needed during that time in my life, and I am thankful to have had it.

Unfortunately, the company went the way of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and while several companies bought up brands held under the parent umbrella, and a couple small companies rose from the ashes, I was laid off at the end of July 2019. Many of the smaller companies either weren't going to have an online store, or they already had somebody to run it, so I as an eCommerce Operations Coordinator was deemed redundant. I received a truly lovely and thoughtful gift basket from my supervisor on the last day, as well as lunch from my favorite deli in town on her dime, which she didn't need to do but I really appreciated. Business is business, and I walked out with no hard feelings, and a smile on my face as I took my last box of cubicle decor out to my car.

After about a month of searching, I was able to acquire a part-time job doing magazine subscription management with one of the small companies created from smaller parts of the old company. It is nice to be part of an office for about 20 hours a week, but it isn't full-time work, so I am looking for the next way to exercise my knowledge and widen my skillset.

I have my eyes set on what I want to do next: Technical Writing and/or Technical Editing, with an interest in Proposal Writing and/or Grant Writing.

I am, once again, a Wordsmith for Hire.