the truth of joblessness

About two hours ago, I had a little meltdown, all by myself in my freezing cold basement apartment. The novelty of a cool apartment for summertime has worn off drastically as the temperature outside drops, and the inability to control the heat in my home combined with the reality that most of the vents in our apartment can't open makes me a little more than frustrated. Also, typically frigid. Thank goodness Ames tends to have a predictably high body temperature.

So a meltdown is an interesting concept as I'm tempted to go get those gloves that I've got with the tips cut off, so I can continue to type while I warm up my hands that are finding it increasingly difficult to type, being so chilly. But a meltdown it was, like I haven't had since June as I found myself in the exact same predicament:

essentially jobless

Don't get me wrong-- I'm grateful for my part-time work at the theater which, at approximately 16 hours a week, doesn't bring in much, but at least it's something. Anything. But it's a hard truth that 16 hours a week doesn't stretch as far as it seemed to in college, when my only concern was myself, having fun, and managing to pass classes enough for a degree. It's a Big Deal to be all but unemployed right now, which I guess is why I wandered for a while, crying and huddled under my Christmas Carol blanket, still in my pajamas, and carrying a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke, nursing it like I might a bottle of vodka, without the anticipated payoff of a splitting headache and a foggy line of thinking tomorrow morning.

I've spent the last few hours job searching, a task I've again taken more and more seriously as I've started to feel more and more desperate--the exact routine I executed till mid-June in an effort to sooth that weight in my chest that pounds harder and harder when I start to consider the next few weeks months years if I don't find something more stable, like, yesterday.

Interestingly, I actually had an interview for a job this week. I happen to know it was a highly competitive position, and there is a chance the interview process came down to me and one other girl, who I passed in the hall on my way into my potential employer's office. It's astounding that I made the cut that far, from the 400+ applications submitted to HR, to the 70+ passed on to the employer, to the interview process. I should be grateful enough for that. But it's happened a few times this year that I make it That Far in the process, only to determine that I'm "not the right fit for the position."

Did you know that a Bachelor's degree is kind of not even enough right now? Most of the positions that catch my attention require a minimum of a Master's degree, a thing I'm not really opposed to getting except that I need money to pay for a Master's degree, which can only be earned assuming I can find a job with a wage good enough to save for a Master's degree, which job pays well enough (given my skills and qualifications) that I need a Master's degree to even apply for the position. Chicken, egg, chicken, egg, around and around and around...

Which still leaves me working part-time at less than $10 an hour without benefits.


My point is not to wallow in self-pity (I did that before, remember, with the crying and the blanket and the Diet Coke which is still sitting next to me on that side table there), but really to ask this question:

Should I continue to find myself without a full-time job in the next week or two, do you know of anyone who will hire me??

The position I acquired over the summer was due entirely to the fact that my good friend of many long years was the one hiring and she knew I'd be very capable in the job. Even at the theater, I was hired on a personal basis. I worked at BYU for two years thanks to a recommendation from another friend. I didn't actually interview for any of them. These days, I really think actually getting a job may just come down to Who You Know.

Education
BYU
Bachelor of Arts: English
Minor: Theatre Arts Studies
Acting Merit Scholarship
UVU
Theatre Study Abroad Program-- London & Edinburgh
Edinburgh Fringe & American Association for Community Theater festivals

Skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills and communication-- pleasant "phone voice" and customer service
- Strong writer and editor-- typing = 80 WPM
- Extensive experience handling financial, credit card and confidential information.
- Solid knowledge and experience with Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, Adobe products, and ticketing software-- capacity to learn new programs quickly and well
- Ability to remain helpful and cheerful when assisting disgruntled customers
- Self-motivated and efficiant with time-- need little supervision
- Good team player-- good interdepartmental relations, work well with executive management
- Quick and accurate data entry
- Attention to detail
- Experience in theater administration-- ticket sales, Season Ticket packaging, Door Managing, costuming, etc.

Recent Employment History
Box Office Representative, Hale Theater Orem-- 8/1/2008 - Present
HR Supervisor, Seven Peaks Water Park-- 6/13/2009 - 9/30/2009
Clerk, BYU Bookstore--MTC Branch-- 4/1/2008 - 7/15/2008
Secretary, BYU Teacher Education Office-- 6/1/2006 - 4/1/2008
Secretary, Independence High School-- 3/1/2006 - 6/1/2006