The Paper Chase

No, I'm not applying to law school.  I might as well be, however, because of the great load of applications I complete every week.  I detest job hunting.  Doesn't everyone, I can hear you saying.  No, I do more than anyone else--because I've done it more than anyone else. :(

Coming out of college, I was a licensed social studies teacher--talk about an oversaturated job market.  I did a mass mailing to all the high schools in my state with my lovely cover letter and resume (the RSG in me made sure I used high quality, gorgeous Crane paper).  No interviews. No job.  Finally, two days after school had started, I found a job.  At a small, Catholic (yay God!) high school. 

Five years of misadventures later, I was finished with grad school and looking for a counseling position.  This time, I actually had a slew of interviews. I traveled up and down every interstate and US highway in our fair state.  No job.  Then I was offered a position three hours from home, two hours from where I had lived and made a life for seven years.  Desperate, I took it, and moved to Misery.  Loved Misery schools, hated living in Misery.  Found a job near home, moved back to the hometown.  Worked there and loved it for five years, until my position was cut due to our state budget cuts (Thank you Mr. Governor).

So for two years, I've been following every lead, but I have a problem--I'm expensive.  Twelve years of teaching experience makes me not an attractive hire, and difficult to justify to the school board.  So I'm looking outside of the realm of K-12 education.  Lucky me!  Too bad every higher ed job wants someone with higher ed experience--how am I supposed to get higher ed experience if no one has a starting level job?! 

Today, I've decided to once again apply to the mothership--my headquarters.  They have a position open, one that maybe I have a chance to get?  But that means the added stress of making sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed.  That's my goal for this afternoon--to send it off before I chicken out.

Monday Motivation

It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high.  Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world. 


~J.K. Rowling, "Horcruxes," Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, 2005

And Away We Go!

Why do a blog?  It seems so terribly overdone.  Well, I have nothing but time on my hand these days, and my other options are :

1. Even more facestalking old college acquaintances
2. Learning to play online cribbage
3. Cleaning my house

Sooo, blogging it is!  I'm sure this blog will turn into a mish-mash of stories, recipes, and the other crap everyone else does.  Maybe not.  Since I've never been known for sharing too much about myself, this could get interesting. xoxo