So, in my warped sense of twisted logic... I think I need to move to Australia. Let me outline my points here and you can be the judge.
Point 1: I think I am done with Boston. To take one of my favorite phrases (taken from a short story by Haruki Marukami) and reshape it to explain what I mean--- Boston for me is a marriage of convenience, not an act of love. I do really like Boston. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now. I came up to this city because a lot of my college friends were in and around here, and let's be real, I am definitely more of a city girl these days than anything. But, it was about convenience in the end. Not too far from home with lots of people I knew. I love the city, but I am not in love with the city. Maybe that's why I have applied for more jobs (in total) outside of Boston than in Boston. So... I hate to say it Beantown... I think we need to part ways for a while. It might not be permanent, but, I need to try out new cities before I can come back to you.
Point 2: I am not a quitter, but there aren't a lot of jobs around. I am pretty positive I am not going to find a dream job at this time. I am not, in fact, quite sure if I know what my dream job is-- it is still up in the air, just a glimmer in my eye, but not a reality yet. My potential dream jobs likely live in non-profits and have to do with Art... not exactly growth markets that thrive in poor economic times. So... I could take a job that is nothing I really want to do, suffer through the bad times with it, want to poke my eyes out every single day, get little to no vacation time, and cry on my couch every night. Or... I could go to Australia. Dramatic? Maybe. But read on.
Point 3: I've talked to both of my recruiters (they don't know about eachother... shhhh! don't tell) and they have individually mentioned that I should consider temping for a while and hopefully one of the temp jobs will become permanent. Initially, I thought this was brilliant. I am an excellent employee. I can pretty much do any job and am a reputable Jill of all trades. I have health insurance until November, so I don't have to worry about that-- why not temp and hope it is temp to perm and then perm? Then I remembered.... I am not trapped in Boston. I don't have a husband. I don't have children. I don't have a mortgage. I don't have a dog. All I really have is a couch that I adore, some unfinished art on the walls, a really comfortable bed, and a whole lot of shoes (and coats and clothes in general). All of these items are happy to go whereever I go without complaint, or sit in a storage unit for months and blissfully await my return. It's true. I can see sticking out a temp job hoping it becomes permanent if I needed to stay in this city (or wanted to)... but it is hard for me to stay here and do a mindless temp job when I can be doing a mindless temp job elsewhere.
Point 4: If I am planning on moving away anyway... it should be somewhere cool and interesting. BUT, it's costly to move across country or to a new city without having a job. It's also scary. So, if you are going to move somewhere brand new and embark on an adventure (maybe your last big adventure)... it should be a good one, right? This is where Australia comes in.
Point 5: Australia has a Work and Holiday Visa that was essentially created for wandering souls like myself.. those of us who are only truly happy when they are out in the world. You can enter Australia and work for up to a year on this visa. This means you can pick up temp jobs along your travels to make some money and experience a new city, culture, continent. You need to be 18 years to 30 to partake in this Visa and have a certain amount of money in the bank. I qualify. I am not sure if I will ever qualify for this Visa again. This really truly could be my only chance to take this oppportunity.
Point 6: Australia is very very far away and I have never gone there because the flight can be $$$ and once you are there, you want to see it all and 2 weeks (the average American holiday) won't get you far. I have been spoiled at this job with vacation time, getting upwards 4 weeks a year since I started. Taking an Australian vacation was always an option, provided I had the money for a plane ticket. Once I get a new job... I might not get 4-6 weeks of vacation time a year. I might only get 2 weeks (THE HORROR).
Point 7: Have I mentioned in this blog that I am soon to be unemployed with no prospects of a new job? Have I mentioned I have applied for over 30 such new opportunities in 10 plus industries with the hopes of finding one and have 2 lovely recruiters looking as well and nothing has come along? In my world... this is what we'd call lemons, people. LEMONS.
Point 8: I'd like to take these lemons I have been dealt (small, non-juicy, Market Basket lemons, shipped in from CA... not large Sorrento lemons fresh from a market stall) and make lemonade. Doesn't Australia seem like the most refreshing lemonade? I think it does.
IN SUMMATION:
I think all the stars have aligned: (1) I am unemployed as of August 1 (2) A severence check will fully stock my previously lacking bank account (3) No jobs in sight... except for temping. (4) I hear about the Australian Work Visa thing (5) I qualify for the Australia Work Visa
How is this not FATE? I happened to talk to a girl I went to Stonehill with about her Australian husband/fiancee and how she moved to Australia for a few months an how easy it was right at the time in my life when I was going to be unemployed, severed from my job by a hefty check, no jobs in site, floundering in the pool of "what am I going to do next" and am not yet 30. Right? How can I avoid these signs....
NOT TO MENTION: My horoscope has been telling me to throw caution to the wind, take chances, and abandon my nature to over plan things.
The 5%:
I have been saying I am 95% sure about Australia. This means I 100% want to go to Australia, but 5% panic about the future. If I go, can I really afford it? Will I spend all of my savings? Will I come back to the States unemployed, broke, and no way to make money because there are still no jobs in sight? These are the scary questions lurking in the back of my brain.
Then I tell myself, Jenn, you are pretty responsible and smart, and a fairly good planner. While I am in Australia, I can continue the job search and keep things on my radar. I've been wanting to do something with writing for a while now... freelance writing doesn't have an office. It doesn't have a cubicle in East Bum US office park to report to Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm. Maybe whilst I am living up the Aussie dream, I can pursue my real dream: to have someone pay me to write by first doing it for free to get some clips together. Maybe, this crazy opportunity will open up doors that I would have never known existed had I not gone to Australia....Maybe I will meet someone who wants to give me a job when I get back. Who knows! I certainly don't, and maybe that's for the best.
So, do you agree or disagree. Anyone? Anyone?
I will take comments now, please.
(Post Script: I will continue the post about Job Searching--The next steps, Keeping organized, Etc, shortly.)
3 comments:
I know that teaching isn't one of your ideas of a fun time, BUT I feel I need to share something with you.
http://musesmusingscorner.blogspot.com/
That is the blog of a friend of Dave's. She just left last week for Rome, where, for the next month, she will be taking a class on teaching English as a Foreign Language to Italians. She's doing this in hopes that she can get a job teaching English there. Her blog is a chronicle of this.
She heard about the program from a friend of a friend who had done the same program, worked there for 6 years, and actually met her husband over there.
Anyway, my point is that I know Australia is a lovely option, but I also know that you like Italy, too. And therefore, I had to mention it because maybe teaching wouldn't be so bad if you could do it in Italy!
Oh yeah, forgot to mention...Angela was in a similar boat. Not sure if she quit her job or was let go, but she and her job parted ways about a year ago. She had to move back home, and spent the last year substitute teaching and occasionally working at the local community college (doing a writing class, I think). But nothing was permanent, and she wasn't getting hired for the permanent jobs. And therefore, when she found out about this opportunity, she decided to go for it.
Sounds similar to the Australia opportunity, but still, I needed to mention it.
If you didn't go I am so ashamed...if you did...let's hear about it!
Post a Comment