(no subject)

[judecorp]

I'm so frustrated right now I could cry.

When I was offered the Early Intervention job, I was stuck in the dilemma of whether to take the job when I knew it wasn't a job I wanted, or try to find temp work so I could continue to interview for other positions, including the Dream Job. I was heavily encouraged to take the full-time job because it was more lucrative and more stable, and I felt obligated to do so since we are in dire financial circumstances.

Today I got called for an interview with Youth on Fire, a drop-in center for homeless and street youth. It was a job that was strongly recommended to me by being_homeless and I was quite excited about it. When I didn't hear anything from them, I pushed it out of my mind. But I just spoke to someone there who wanted me to come in for an interview, and she offered me three different interview times next Tuesday.

I can't make any of them because of my job. I have home visits and assessments all through those times, and I can't just call families and cancel their appointments because I want a new job - it's not right or ethical to do that. Unfortunately, because I was handed about 15 new cases on my first day, all of whom need to have assessments done (they take 2 hours each and require 3 staff members), my schedule is totally blocked up with assessment after assessment after assessment that all need to be done ASAP. And once I find 2 other staff members and lock them into a block of time, it's impossible to reschedule because people's schedules are so busy.

So my worst job fears are coming true. I was offered a chance to interview for a really good, challenging job with a really progressive and amazing organization, and I had to decline because I was unable to meet with them. I didn't want to take this EI job because the very last thing I want is to be locked into this kind of work that I'm not interested in, and now it looks like that is exactly what is going to happen.

The whole situation makes me want to throw up.

Comments

[happy2beso.livejournal.com]

Maybe quit that job and wait til you find something else?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

At this point, wouldn't that be majorly irresponsible? I mean, the whole reason everyone and their mother told me that I would be stupid not to take a full-time job is that there's no guarantee that I /will/ get something dreamier right now...

Right now I'm the only one with a paycheck. Jen accepted a (too low paying for her) retail job today which she will start soon, but she won't be getting paid for a while... so we /need/ the money. We're becoming strapped.

[happy2beso.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I was just kidding I think.

I want you to be happy! Come move out here and be my roommates. You won't need a job except for paying your bills. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I wish, Lara. I wish.

[stoic2them.livejournal.com]

give me her resume and i can get her a 30k/yr desk job. well, she can get it. i can just advertise her. does she want it? it's not the greatest job, but it's regular hours, no weekends and decent pay. let me know...

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I'mma have her email you if she's interested. Look for email from a kieron person.

Jobhunting sucks major ass.

[tetonkid.livejournal.com]

yipes. i know what you mean. hey -- any chance you can explain the situation to the YoF people? maybe they'll be flexible.

i hope it works out!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I explained it to her, and she was really nice about it but said she didn't have a lot of room to be flexible. She's coordinating interviews with several interviewers, and so it's hard to find times to coordinate. She was actually quite flexible and offered me three times. I just couldn't take any of them. :(

One of them was workable if YoF was closer to me geographically, but I didn't want to risk being late for my client (especially since it's the client where I got the parking ticket and need to leave extra time to find parking next week) and jeopardize their care for my own personal gains.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

First off, I love you, and I'm sorry you're having such a bad day.

Is there any way you can explain to the YoF people your schedule conflicts? Is there any other time of day they can make it, maybe? I don't know their hours, don't know if their hours are ever outside of 9-5, but maybe that's a possibility. I know I'd be really flexible for a candidate I was interested in who had a conflict, maybe they are too?

I know you're having such a bad time and everything seems insurmountable--it's always so hard to know just where to start when the world seems against you.

I don't want you to think that your support network here is weak--we love you, and you know we'd do anything for you at all if we could. The only reason I'm not over there right now is because it sounded like it was not so good of a time. If you need me, at anytime at all, all you have to do is pick up a phone and ask. I promise.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I explained my situation to the woman who called me - I let her know that I was unemployed for 7 weeks and needed to take a job, so I took one, and I don't have time off. I told her that I was definitely interested in coming in, and was not above lying or sneaking out of aforementioned job, but that I absolutely couldn't do it on the three offered times, because I had already scheduled assessments and assessments are hard to schedule. She then offered me one other time on Monday and I had an assessment then, too. So I explained to her that I was handed a bazillion cases and so I have a bazillion assessments.

She told me she would ask the other interviewers and let me know if we could work something out. She was actually really nice about it, but let me know that the other interviewees had already locked in their times and were coming on Tuesday. I offered later in the afternoon on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, and she said that the center is open in the afternoons and they don't want to do interviews then. Suck.

The only reason I'm not over there right now is because it sounded like it was not so good of a time.

I wish you would have asked /me/ and not Jen if I was okay to have company. Because it's somewhat sad that two people decided what was best for me without ever asking me. And now I feel majorly guilty that plans got broken on my behalf. I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't come over. I'm sorry that you and Jen decided I was too weak for company or whatever. I'm just plain sorry.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

I wish you would have asked /me/ and not Jen if I was okay to have company. Because it's somewhat sad that two people decided what was best for me without ever asking me. And now I feel majorly guilty that plans got broken on my behalf. I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't come over. I'm sorry that you and Jen decided I was too weak for company or whatever. I'm just plain sorry.

I need to get YOUR phone number so's I can call you on days like today. The only current number I have is hers. And beyond that, there is no need for guilt, or sorries, or any of that. I think you're reading more into it than actually happened. May I come over another evening?

(you can say no but I will just show up and toss pebbles at your window until you call the cops.)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I don't know what I'm reading into whatever. It's not really a conversation for the Internet as far as I'm concerned.

Basically, I just feel bad that we all had plans to hang out, but it got decided that I didn't want to have plans anymore. And that wasn't true. So instead I got bad news AND had no fun.

[(Anonymous)]

Sometimes life hands us really, really good emergencies like interviewing for a job on a day you're really busy at a job you'd like to leave. The current job is surely prepared for employees to have emergencies and calling in or rearranging what may seem impossible to rearrange now will surely be less of an emergency than burying your heart and soul in a job you hate. Get out the day planner, finagle, rearrange, negotiate. . . do what you must to take the interview.

Random, anonymous, unrequested advice over and out.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

I wish I knew who you were...

You're right - my job definitely expects and is prepared for people to be sick or have emergencies come up. That's life and it happens.

The problem is that when I schedule all of these assessments, I have to bring 2 other people with me - and one of them has to be one of the 8 "experienced" people at my job. At any given time since I begun my employment, at least 2 of the "experienced" people have been on vacation at a time. (It's summer time, people are on vacation a lot.) So basically, in order to schedule an assessment I have to: 1) call the family and find out their availability, 2) make sure I am available at those times, 3) find an "experienced" person who is available at one of those times, 4) call the family and confirm, and 5) find a third person. This actually takes a lot more time and aggravation than one might think, because "experienced" people also have full caseloads and therefore don't have a lot of flexible time.

At this point, I don't think it's right to screw over clients and other staff members because I want to chase a rainbow.

[(Anonymous)]

I'm just a wandering nobody LJ'er too lazy to log in who saw your post in a friend's journal. My own vacation finds me rested, relaxed and my faith in all things human once again, if only temporarily, restored. So I guess I'm tipping way more than the usual two cents today.

Your responsibility is understandable and admirable, but it's not like you're bailing on experienced people and clients to go blow your paycheck at Bloomies or have a nooner. Your intentions to find a job which you love but still get to help people is about as pure as they come. That doesn't sound like a rainbow to me, it sounds like sanity. I hope your coworkers are as good to you as you are to them. You sound like an awesome colleague.

Best of luck with the dilemma.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm glad you've had a positive and successful vacation. I am envious! I won't have any vacation time until 6 months from now (provided I hang in at this job) so I'll be chugging along.

While it's true that bailing on clients for a job interview is better than bailing on clients to suck down a few cold ones, neither is an ethical course of action. After all, it's not the client's fault that I want a new job... and in the end, since I accepted the Early Intervention job I have a responsibility to the people for whose care I have been entrusted.

[cfred.livejournal.com]

At this point, I don't think it's right to screw over clients and other staff members because I want to chase a rainbow.

I was in that boat when KPMG called me and wanted to set up an interview. I was at a client site the day they called, so it was awkward to get the interview lined up. Then, I had another trip coming up (3 days at a client), so I had to push the interview back after that.

I got the job anyway, though. So I guess, even though it seems rough now, if fate means you to have the job, the interview will get rescheduled.

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Well, I hope your luck rubs off on me. It sounds like this organization isn't terribly flexible when it comes to interviews, but they could turn around and surprise me!

[(Anonymous)]

Hi I am another person just floating around LJ. and I have to agree with the above post. My sons had early intervention, one just had a assesment last month (but he was not eligble :( ). I had to cancel on the day of his assesment. Stuff happens. Like My older son coming home with "spots" on him. Yikes ! They were so cool when I called up and rescheduled. And then my next appoinment they had to reschedule due to conflits on their part. As a parent, well shit happens last minute all the time. Though it might be stressful, we are use to it because that's what having kids is all about "juggling".

So go after the dream job... otherwise you will be kicking yourself. and remember ..things always happen for a reason !

and just a FYI. as a parent I thank god for Early intervention every day !! I think the people who work there are wanderful and sooooo great with kids ! it is such a wonderful program !!!

hope you do not mind me posting !

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your wonderful words!

I am definitely aware that parents have things that come up! (In fact, I was supposed to work until 8 tonight but I ended up home by 6:15 because we got to a home and the parent was not available. Oops!) I guess I just have that guilt around being 'the new person' and I don't want to tick people off. Not yet. Later I will tick them off enough, I'm sure!

Early Intervention is a fantastic program! I agree! I think the people I work with are smart and great and the job is very valuable and rewarding (and the kids are soooo cute). It's just not what I really want to do with my career, you know? But I decided today that I need to come up with ways to love my job - because it just might be my job for the long haul.

Thanks for everything - post anytime!

[being-homeless.livejournal.com]

who is your interview specifically with?
I'm actually on CCAAs committee to hire a new program director... I could drop hints thursday at the meeting... call me. I've got the hookups. after all they have me on a commitee to pick their programs DIRECTOR... would they not trust my 2 cents on a social worker??? :)

- your local hookup. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

The person who called me was Monique Tula - she's like the Director of Harm Reduction Services or something like that. She was very, very nice.

If you wanted to say something, that would be cool... but I don't know if there's much to say because if I was in their shoes, I don't know how much I would bend over backwards for someone who was unable to be even the littlest bit flexible.

[being-homeless.livejournal.com]

Monique is like my coolest person ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love hanging with her! she has dreads and is soooooooo awesome!!!!!
OMG I love her. she's comew to hear me speak and stuff. shes one of my fans! :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Hee - hopefully she'll be one of MY fans soon! :)