Before I went to New York I made the decision that when I got back, I would get myself a thankless job. Or rather, I would actively seek out a thankless job. Whether the thankless job would want me is another matter to consider. Mostly, I thought that there might be an outside chance that there would be a thankless job waiting for me. However...the thankless job @ The AGO did not work out. I won't lie - I was pretty crushed. It was a standard retail job - something I have more than seven years experience doing...working for the retail portion of the King Tut exhibit that will be @ The AGO for the next six months. Not only do I have a degree in art history, but I've taken a number of university courses in Egyptology. Keen readers will also remember that I'm a dedicated volunteer @ The AGO, so I'm clearly committed. Apparently all of these qualifications do not even qualify me to be so much as a hat check girl @ The AGO, let alone a retail employee. How dare I dream so big? As a result of these results, I've kinda entered into a new phase of my depression...and after a year of trying to shoot the moon, I've decided that maybe a good job is just not for me [and yes, I know that The AGO job was not a great job - but it was akin to being dumped by some loser - all your friends say "you were too good for him/her" but really...at the end of the day - how great does it feel to be dumped by a loser?!?].
I'm hoping it's not too late to get a thankless pre-xmas job, although I fear it might be. Another issue is that I really can't stay in Toronto over the xmas holidays. If I had got the AGO job, my family/specifically my mum would have understood - I don't think they would be so supportive of me bailing on xmas because of some crummy retail job. I wouldn't say that I'm excited about going around and applying for these sorts of jobs [and then the inevitable interview with some kid who is 10 years my junior, but who would be my boss]...but I'm so over useless office jobs. I've decided that I cannot be someone's secretary. Yup, I'm bringing the term "secretary" back. If I read a job description and it could be termed secretary, I am not into that job and I won't be going for it. Office work tends to be dreadfully boring anyway, but I was kinda hoping that my education and work experience would qualify me to do more than a female high school graduate in the 1960s. Therefore, I reject it for something that is seen as infinitely crummier - the exciting world of retail and customer service!
That's a crappy position to be in, but I can totally understand wanting to get something. The nice part about a throw away job is that when your shift is done, you can walk away - and when you get something better, you can move on without feeling too bad about it.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, do I ever understand where you're coming from. I definitely have a thankless job resume, too. I have yet to apply for a job that I'm not qualified for and yet here I am, working holiday retail. But, don't give up! I know it's hard. I'm down in the dumps more days than not, but I still have hope that the perfect job for me is out there somewhere. It's just a matter of time...
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the support. I feel like I'm always complaining about the same things, so I'm grateful for anyone still reading [and of course, grateful for those who I interact with in "real life" too].
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, I love crummy retail jobs and things like that. It's a bit scary, really. I think I could be happy doing a job like that for some time and that terrifies me. Because I know that someone with education and experience should want more. Also, I will never be able to have a house and holidays and a comfortable life if I let myself go.