Woman plans, God (or whatever) laughs.
So. Things have been a bit trying as of late. You may recall that in August I quit my job so that I could teach a course at U of L. It was a huge leap of faith for me to do this, knowing that once the semester ended I would be unemployed. But I leapt and figured (hoped) that the net would appear.
Early in the semester a friend and classmate of mine who works for the state mentioned that she would be hiring someone in December. I expressed interest in the job, and she seemed thrilled at the prospect of hiring me. In late November she told me that she had requested permission from the state to hire someone. She never promised me a job, but things looked good. She explained to me that the whole process, from posting the job to actually hiring someone, would take about 3 weeks.
Boy, was I relieved. The pay for the job was great, much more than I've ever made before. The job would be challenging, would involve lots of training and a certification, and was something that I could actually make a career out of. I immediately started envisioning all of this, especially the money. Neil and I have been working really hard the past couple years to get our debts paid down, and we've been making good progress. But with this new job it suddenly became possible that we could be debt-free in 2008. Then we could spend more money fixing up the house and traveling. I also decided that to celebrate once I got hired, I would buy myself an iPhone.
I have to mention here that in December 2006 I very narrowly missed being hired by the Kentucky Foundation for Women. I was one of three finalists for a job there and I got the rejection letter in the mail the day before Christmas. I never knew something like that could break my heart, but it did, a little. Surely my end-of-the-year employment ambitions would be met with more success this year. I'd already had one major Christmastime employment disappointment. This would be the job that would make up for all of that.
This job, however, has yet to appear on the state's web site. I know this because I check it multiple times a day. I have watched other jobs in other counties appear on the list, stay their requisite 10 days, and then disappear again. No mention of the position I'm interested in. No problem, I figure, it's probably just hung up somewhere in the state bureaucracy. I emailed my friend about it a few days ago, but I haven't heard back from her yet.
Then, yesterday, I see in the paper that the state's finances are a disaster and that there will almost certainly be a state-wide hiring freeze starting next week.
Yeah.
And, to make this whole situation ever-so-much more delightful, our decrepit piece of crap furnace bit the big one in November, and we had to replace it to the tune of $7,000. We didn't have $7,000. We didn't even have a fraction of $7,000. We have financed the entire thing, effectively doubling our debt.
I am trying to remain upbeat. I had a very good interview at a temp agency yesterday and they think they'll have something for me next week, so I will have some income again. I've also applied for a position with a non-profit that I'm really interested in working for, and I think I'll at least get an interview with them. Something will come along. But, barring some kind of miracle, 2008 is not going to be the financially comfortable year I'd hoped for. It will more than likely be another year of scraping by and watching our meager incomes make tiny, barely visible dents in our debt. There will definitely not be an iPhone.
Like I said, I'm trying to stay upbeat. I do actually believe that negative attitudes attract nothing but more negativity. But I am mere months away from completing an education that, including undergrad, has cost me over $30,000. Right now it doesn't feel like I have much to show for it.
Early in the semester a friend and classmate of mine who works for the state mentioned that she would be hiring someone in December. I expressed interest in the job, and she seemed thrilled at the prospect of hiring me. In late November she told me that she had requested permission from the state to hire someone. She never promised me a job, but things looked good. She explained to me that the whole process, from posting the job to actually hiring someone, would take about 3 weeks.
Boy, was I relieved. The pay for the job was great, much more than I've ever made before. The job would be challenging, would involve lots of training and a certification, and was something that I could actually make a career out of. I immediately started envisioning all of this, especially the money. Neil and I have been working really hard the past couple years to get our debts paid down, and we've been making good progress. But with this new job it suddenly became possible that we could be debt-free in 2008. Then we could spend more money fixing up the house and traveling. I also decided that to celebrate once I got hired, I would buy myself an iPhone.
I have to mention here that in December 2006 I very narrowly missed being hired by the Kentucky Foundation for Women. I was one of three finalists for a job there and I got the rejection letter in the mail the day before Christmas. I never knew something like that could break my heart, but it did, a little. Surely my end-of-the-year employment ambitions would be met with more success this year. I'd already had one major Christmastime employment disappointment. This would be the job that would make up for all of that.
This job, however, has yet to appear on the state's web site. I know this because I check it multiple times a day. I have watched other jobs in other counties appear on the list, stay their requisite 10 days, and then disappear again. No mention of the position I'm interested in. No problem, I figure, it's probably just hung up somewhere in the state bureaucracy. I emailed my friend about it a few days ago, but I haven't heard back from her yet.
Then, yesterday, I see in the paper that the state's finances are a disaster and that there will almost certainly be a state-wide hiring freeze starting next week.
Yeah.
And, to make this whole situation ever-so-much more delightful, our decrepit piece of crap furnace bit the big one in November, and we had to replace it to the tune of $7,000. We didn't have $7,000. We didn't even have a fraction of $7,000. We have financed the entire thing, effectively doubling our debt.
I am trying to remain upbeat. I had a very good interview at a temp agency yesterday and they think they'll have something for me next week, so I will have some income again. I've also applied for a position with a non-profit that I'm really interested in working for, and I think I'll at least get an interview with them. Something will come along. But, barring some kind of miracle, 2008 is not going to be the financially comfortable year I'd hoped for. It will more than likely be another year of scraping by and watching our meager incomes make tiny, barely visible dents in our debt. There will definitely not be an iPhone.
Like I said, I'm trying to stay upbeat. I do actually believe that negative attitudes attract nothing but more negativity. But I am mere months away from completing an education that, including undergrad, has cost me over $30,000. Right now it doesn't feel like I have much to show for it.
posted by Erin at 10:43 AM
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