Go forth, and achieve!

It's tough to remember sometimes that jobs aren't any different from any other area of life. As in, you don't just pick one because it's there (well, you shouldn't, anyway)...you are intentional and motivated and have gravitated toward this particular job which has captured your fancy in some small way. For instance, sometimes I have to step back and put my jobhunting into perspective: if this job was a man, would I go for him? Because I'll admit it, I can be pretty picky about men...unless I'm trapped in the wilderness with a few okay ones for long periods of time and forget what the guys in the outside world are like.

But that's beside the point.

Not to sound snobby (job-snobbing is a luxury I really can't afford--literally haha!-right now) but really, when I look at a potential future workplace, I have to ask the hard question of, am I settling? Trust me, I've been around the money-chasers in all of my former (and fun) jobs before, and you start showing wrinkles at around age 27. They sigh a lot, and it gets old.

And yes, I am a bit of a romantic, so maybe this is excessive, but I have to tell you...whether man or workplace, I personally have never been physically able to stick with something that bores me or leaves me wanting. I actually get stomachaches, and feel claustrophobic, like the future is stretching out before my eyes and it's kind of...boring. And it is better to not start something at all with a dead-ender, than to be the flighty, claustrophobia-ridden downer.

Also, I have to watch for abusive behavioral tendancies. This mostly concerns work, as I've never put up with such bull from a guy (for long, anyway). So why have I let my workplace bully me into submission at times?? I've taken a lot of crap over time, and I think it's time to end the vicious cycle. Like I said, if I would never let a person walk all over me, why should I allow myself to be an employer's doormat? Especially with a degree, dangit. Seriously...whatever the economy says, it's still worth something.

And I have to watch the woe-is-me attitude as well. Girls (and guys) who play the sad-faced single card aren't worth the time, because if you really want something, you'll find it. Same with jobs...I can't blame the timing, lack of resources (untrue anyway), and especially I can't play the "what-if" game with myself and my resume. Because you know what? This girl is worth hiring! I am valuable to you! (Whoever you are). And the sexiest thing to guys, from what I've remotely observed in other people of course, is a woman who has something solid to offer in the relationship, a mutual partnership that teaches everyone something new and encourages growth. So I'm not going to play the needy shameless employee option...it's just not desirable. (Nor is cockiness and God knows I don't have enough on my resume to worry about that yet.) So a lovely note of encouragement to all you job-seekers and employment-wishers out there: there is hope! The economy will not slow you down if you go where you know you are wanted (even if they don't know it yet), and you have valuable insights, experience, and skills to offer. So, as my mom always tells her classes before they leave,

"Go forth, and achieve!"