Fun image from about 10 years ago

Hi, I'm back after a two-month hiatus, which was mainly caused by working so many hours.  The bank loves to move its scanned documents about, and a few thousand of them daily don't go where they should--some seemingly vanish into the ether...

Anyway, here is a (doctored) graphic I had from the previous, library job.  Working for the mega-but-no-longer-nice library company.  World's largest library company.  The one that stiffs its professional staff.  Still bitter 15 months on, am I.  Oh, yes.  Let's see if a .png file will load.

It loads pretty well!  It's graphics like these that really made me hate pie charts.  (Still love pie, though.)

Busily Employed

Wow, three weeks has gone by quickly, and I'm settled into my new job at Chase in the mega-plex on the north side of town.  Just me and about 10,500 other staff there.  They even have fun facts posted on the website about how large an office park it is.

Following librarianship?  Not at the moment.  I just graduated summa cum laude with a (technically, my school doesn't recognize the cum laudes at grad level) 4.0 GPA from Ohio Dominican University's LEAD program.  I remember back in undergrad how my college buddies said I couldn't handle business school.  Now, with two Master's, I'm looking to teach in graduate business school.  (Just the intro. writing/team building class).  I need to check with the LEAD lead instructor.  It's $2100 per six-week course, and one or two of those would offset the diminished pay at Chase.

Still, no complaints.  I will be starting my 2nd shift and earning that 10% differential in about six weeks.  It will be weird working Thursdays through Sundays and until midnight, but it means I only have to drive my ol' jalopy of a car to work four days a week.

So that's it for now.  More to come when I have time to discuss all things library.

Employed!

Wow, what a difference a week makes.  In my last post, I was feeling blue, unhireable, and distraught due to the year-long drought without a job.  But thanks to the folks at JPMorgan Chase, I now am employed.

I start on August 1 as a account/help-desk rep, but it's an internal help desk gig, not call center stuff.  Plus, the money is enough for the family to live on!  It's not what I used to make, but it's about 90%, and we can get by on that.  Of course, I gotta work second shift until midnight, but aside from that... not too shabby.

I'm getting further removed from the librarian profession, but heck, I'm getting a new Master's and it's in management.  Time to climb the corporate ladder and woo over new fans at Chase.  May even get a new bank account with these guys--world's largest bank, depending on which Wikipedia page you turn to.  (I know:  Don't trust Wikipedia.)

So, more to come, and I actually interviewed for a very good (and good paying) library job last Friday, four days after accepting the Chase offer.  Don't think I'll make it to round two, but it was nice to talk in a relaxed manner.  I only spoke with the HR rep, and she stated that there would be two more rounds of interviews:  Not my strong suit.

So the 410+ nights of restless sleep and 410+ mornings of waking up with a sense of dread and without a job has ended.  It literally is like waking from a nightmare; it took my wife two days to sink in that her husband is no longer aimless and wandering in an unemployment void.  That feeling of desparation and despair is quickly lifting.

More to come.  Time to finish college in 1.5 weeks and buy the Five Man Electrical Band debut album on CD that Amazon has.  I'd link to it, but no doubt my 0 readers would be quick to snatch it up!

Been busy!

Well, this blogger will never soar to the heights of folks like Jessamyn West or some of the other famed librarians.  Not with going on one gawky job interview after another.  I'm overqualified to work in a very tiny, "virtual" library and not familiar with Excel 2010 pivot tables, so there goes another.  But I earned $100 for two days of warehouse pick 'n' pack.  Lord, that is tough work.  And in 1.5 weeks the unemployment runs out!

So it's on to cashing in the first of my retirement packages around August 1 if I don't find employment.  The pick 'n' pack might pick up again, but it's sporadic work; a day here, four hours there.  Wouldn't even amount to 1/4 of my former salary.

But everyone I know who prays is praying for me.  This is all very weird.  At 47, with (nearly) three college degrees, I should be working.  Especially in Columbus, Ohio, which certainly has the best economy in the state.  I'm not asking for a director's gig with tenure (read about Jenica's cushy gig at Attempting Elegance), but even $13/hr. could suffice if it isn't 30 miles across town.

I'm going to ramp up my call center applications.  I'm not going to like it, but obviously I am not the first pick anywhere anymore.  I had a 2nd interview today, but I was one of about four candidates in that pool.  The man I met with, who'd be my bosses' boss, was of the same demographic as me:  white, male, mid-to-late-40's.  That never bodes well.  At least he didn't say, "Why would you want this job?"  I've encountered that question from aloof hiring managers who have no clue what it is like to be out of work for nearly a year.

Ten more days and I hit that one year of unemployment.  So, yeah, I will say on future interviews that I've been picking up temp jobs on the side and removing viruses from PC's for money.  Still gotta see some money from that gigging, but at least I know I can do it.  If I had a few more hundreds in the bank, I'd get my A+ certification.  Been reading an 856 page e-book on it.  Kind of neat stuff to know, and certifications seem to be better to tout than college degrees.

Tonight I pray that the unemployment extension goes through.  Another half year of not working, and I will be financially wiped out.  Some thanks, Oh, See Hell, See.

Gosh, I'm one grumpy (but still unbeknowingly greatest) librarian.

How to Write a Book Review

Popular librarian and author Will Manley shows why librarians often make the best book reviewers, which isn't all that unexpected when you think about it.  Reading his review of  Paul Allen's Idea Man makes me want to spend this evening curled up with this book.  See the well done review here.

This topic is not the type of history that really interests me, but Manley's review will make me look for this title at the library when I stop reading business books and start reading again for the sake of... just getting smarter on my own terms.  Now back to business and the required business books.