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Jul. 12th, 2013
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Jul. 12th, 2013 10:32 pmBecause I'm emotionally masochistic, I'm now going through all of my 2005 entries to my LJ. And I just have one thing to ask:
What the hell am I thinking, making another cross country move!?
While I hadn't forgotten how much of a struggle it was to find a job once I got to Chicago, time had downplayed my memories of just how frustrating my hunt was. Or maybe I was just that much more of a drama llama back then. Who knows?
The job hunt has been my biggest fear about moving back to Arizona. This economy is not the best for job hunting, even for college graduates. Let's not even begin to mention how difficult this economy is making cross-country job hunting. Now, this is where some might say, "Hey, but you're almost done with your IT degree, and Info Sec is in high demand right now!" The problem is that I'm only "almost" done with my degree. By the time the move comes around I'll have, what, 4 classes left? 2 classes and half a term? That's close but no cigar, kiddos. As for my Info Sec minor,it seems like no one really cares that you know about systems security and all that jazz unless you are CISSP certified, and that requires a minimum of 5 years of experience in the info systems security field. Then there's the fact that, so far, my cross country job hunt has come up goose eggs. I knew what I was getting into when we started this back in February, so it's not like I wasn't prepared. I know that employers are less likely to hire someone who does not have some sort of physical presence in the city, even just a PO box. I knew going into this that I was going to be playing the role of Sisyphus. But at the same time it's still disheartening. A large part of the reason why I went back to school to make myself more marketable to employers, but so far it seems like it was to no avail.
Finally, we come to the trip. This is the best option for finding a job in Arizona if the transfer doesn't come through. My plan is to spend a week ground pounding both Phoenix and Tucson job hunting. Dropping off resumes, filling out apps, what have you. I've joined a couple of Arizona job networking boards on LinkedIn in the hopes that this will help me find employment. I still have friends out there, several of whom have already suggested a couple of places for me to try. My list is growing, but is this really going to work? I've heard stories of people successfully pulling this stunt off, but that's no guarantee that it will work for me. I've also tried working with the career services department at DeVry trying to line things up in an attempt to help stack the deck in my favor (oooh, so many metaphors in this post!), but they only help they gave me was to try job placement agencies. Mind you, this was already part of my strategy, and I have a list of agencies with offices both here in Chicago and Arizona (which includes the agency that found me the job at IPD) all set and ready to go. But will it work for me? I don't know. I really hope it will...hell, I'll even take a temp phone support job at this point, as long as it gets my foot back in the door down there.
What frightens me most is that this whole thing is on my shoulders. With my tech skills, I'm the most marketable one to send out for this hunt, the one most likely to be hired. But what if it doesn't work? We've already priced the trip, and it isn't cheap. Not to mention that going will consume half of my available vacation time with the other half set aside for Disney Land (and, dammit, I'm NOT missing out on this trip! I'm especially not passing on another chance to finally meet my friend Cyndi!). So if this doesn't work, what then? Do I quit my job, drive out, and pray? Tech temp jobs won't be that hard to find, but do I really want to risk rolling the dice like that? At the same time, Molly and I can't stay here in Illinois for much longer. Not only is this what we want, but every day I long more and more for the desert. This has been building for years, and now every fiber of my being tells me it's time to go home. Last I felt like this I moved to Chicago, and before that I moved to Tucson. I've asked the Universe for guidance and, each and every time, I get bombarded with cars with Arizona license plates, cars with UofA stickers, and music that sings of home. A part of me always knew that I would go back again someday, and it seems like that time is now.
*sigh* I know I'm just frustrated. Like I said, this whole thing is on my shoulders. That's an awful lot of responsibility for me to carry. It would be easy if it were just me, Smokey, and Sirius going back, but it's not. I'm the pathfinder on this little adventure, which means this whole thing is dependent on whether or not I succeed or I fail. And I can't allow myself to fail if this is the next step of my life path. If I don't get the transfer, I'll figure it out and find something. I know I will. I've done my research, and I've already gotten a lot done. True, there's more to be done before I go, but I still have time. This all doesn't need to be completed now. I'm also no longer an unskilled laborer. I have a college level education and am experienced in the business and information technology disciplines, both of which are extremely valuable skill sets in any economic state. Once again I'm just chomping at the bit, impatient to get the journey started.
I'll probably miss Windycon and Midwest Furfest this year, but by this time 4 months from now, I will be living and employed in Arizona again. I won't let myself fail in this. I can do it because I know I can. I know I will succeed because I want to, because I'll give me self no other choice. I don't know why the Universe is guiding me back. All I know is that it is, and I will make this work. Some how, I'll make this work. I'm a survivor, and I always do my best when I get tossed into the deep end. Well, this is about as deep as it gets.
Allons'y.
What the hell am I thinking, making another cross country move!?
While I hadn't forgotten how much of a struggle it was to find a job once I got to Chicago, time had downplayed my memories of just how frustrating my hunt was. Or maybe I was just that much more of a drama llama back then. Who knows?
The job hunt has been my biggest fear about moving back to Arizona. This economy is not the best for job hunting, even for college graduates. Let's not even begin to mention how difficult this economy is making cross-country job hunting. Now, this is where some might say, "Hey, but you're almost done with your IT degree, and Info Sec is in high demand right now!" The problem is that I'm only "almost" done with my degree. By the time the move comes around I'll have, what, 4 classes left? 2 classes and half a term? That's close but no cigar, kiddos. As for my Info Sec minor,it seems like no one really cares that you know about systems security and all that jazz unless you are CISSP certified, and that requires a minimum of 5 years of experience in the info systems security field. Then there's the fact that, so far, my cross country job hunt has come up goose eggs. I knew what I was getting into when we started this back in February, so it's not like I wasn't prepared. I know that employers are less likely to hire someone who does not have some sort of physical presence in the city, even just a PO box. I knew going into this that I was going to be playing the role of Sisyphus. But at the same time it's still disheartening. A large part of the reason why I went back to school to make myself more marketable to employers, but so far it seems like it was to no avail.
Finally, we come to the trip. This is the best option for finding a job in Arizona if the transfer doesn't come through. My plan is to spend a week ground pounding both Phoenix and Tucson job hunting. Dropping off resumes, filling out apps, what have you. I've joined a couple of Arizona job networking boards on LinkedIn in the hopes that this will help me find employment. I still have friends out there, several of whom have already suggested a couple of places for me to try. My list is growing, but is this really going to work? I've heard stories of people successfully pulling this stunt off, but that's no guarantee that it will work for me. I've also tried working with the career services department at DeVry trying to line things up in an attempt to help stack the deck in my favor (oooh, so many metaphors in this post!), but they only help they gave me was to try job placement agencies. Mind you, this was already part of my strategy, and I have a list of agencies with offices both here in Chicago and Arizona (which includes the agency that found me the job at IPD) all set and ready to go. But will it work for me? I don't know. I really hope it will...hell, I'll even take a temp phone support job at this point, as long as it gets my foot back in the door down there.
What frightens me most is that this whole thing is on my shoulders. With my tech skills, I'm the most marketable one to send out for this hunt, the one most likely to be hired. But what if it doesn't work? We've already priced the trip, and it isn't cheap. Not to mention that going will consume half of my available vacation time with the other half set aside for Disney Land (and, dammit, I'm NOT missing out on this trip! I'm especially not passing on another chance to finally meet my friend Cyndi!). So if this doesn't work, what then? Do I quit my job, drive out, and pray? Tech temp jobs won't be that hard to find, but do I really want to risk rolling the dice like that? At the same time, Molly and I can't stay here in Illinois for much longer. Not only is this what we want, but every day I long more and more for the desert. This has been building for years, and now every fiber of my being tells me it's time to go home. Last I felt like this I moved to Chicago, and before that I moved to Tucson. I've asked the Universe for guidance and, each and every time, I get bombarded with cars with Arizona license plates, cars with UofA stickers, and music that sings of home. A part of me always knew that I would go back again someday, and it seems like that time is now.
*sigh* I know I'm just frustrated. Like I said, this whole thing is on my shoulders. That's an awful lot of responsibility for me to carry. It would be easy if it were just me, Smokey, and Sirius going back, but it's not. I'm the pathfinder on this little adventure, which means this whole thing is dependent on whether or not I succeed or I fail. And I can't allow myself to fail if this is the next step of my life path. If I don't get the transfer, I'll figure it out and find something. I know I will. I've done my research, and I've already gotten a lot done. True, there's more to be done before I go, but I still have time. This all doesn't need to be completed now. I'm also no longer an unskilled laborer. I have a college level education and am experienced in the business and information technology disciplines, both of which are extremely valuable skill sets in any economic state. Once again I'm just chomping at the bit, impatient to get the journey started.
I'll probably miss Windycon and Midwest Furfest this year, but by this time 4 months from now, I will be living and employed in Arizona again. I won't let myself fail in this. I can do it because I know I can. I know I will succeed because I want to, because I'll give me self no other choice. I don't know why the Universe is guiding me back. All I know is that it is, and I will make this work. Some how, I'll make this work. I'm a survivor, and I always do my best when I get tossed into the deep end. Well, this is about as deep as it gets.
Allons'y.
