Still Looking
Hello all,
It is high-time for an update. I've been meaning to write for a while, so I finally sat myself down to do it.
In my last post I was in Seattle looking for a job. I'd never been to the west coast, much less Seattle or Washington, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Seattle is a beautiful city and I thought the people were nice. I measure that by if they wave at back when you wave at them, or if they actually act a bit conversational when you cross paths. I even met the mom of a PCV in Mongolia. I gave my email to her, but I don't know if I'll ever hear from the PCV or not. Of course, I don't know what the internet situation is in her daughter's part of the country.
Seeing Dylon was also a pleasure. I was afraid maybe we'd have changed so much we wouldn't have much in common, but it wasn't the case at all. That is to say change is inevitable, but Dylon and I still had plenty of common ground and common personality to get along like gangbusters.
I was also afraid that the weather would ruin me. Fortunately that was not the case. Seattle isn't as dreadful as people make it sound, rain-wise. It is indeed wet, but not a constant rain, and the sky, while often cloudy, is not a monotonous grey hue. That said, I still prefer more sun than what they get there, but overall I didn't find the weather to be a huge obstacle.
Looking for work is a bit of a nightmare though. First off, as lame as this sounds, I don't really know how to go and look for work. The main tool that is at my disposal is the internet, and using that to find a job is like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. There are plenty of jobs out there, but most of them I don't qualify for because a lack of five years experience in this, or an advanced degree in that, or knowledge of computers/website design or so forth. In the jobs that I applied for I never heard a single reply. I think that is something that could be improved. I'm sure there are dozens to hundreds of applicants for some of them, but it doesn't take a long time to format a stock email response saying "Dear ___, we appreciated you interest but we regret to inform you the position has been filled. Sincerely, M----" so that the applicant can have an idea where he/she stands in that prospect. I don't mean that to sound bitter, but that seems to me like it's a simple courtesy, especially since most/all jobs searched for online request your information via email.
It was in speaking with an acquaintance of mine though that I started to realize that in all the jobs I was seeking, something international was the common theme, and that perhaps I should continue to seek work internationally then. When I decided on that I came home to save money. So here I am back in Nebraska for the time being.
Job prospects:
I am seeking work in Europe, preferably Germany. Since it's early on in the game, I don't want to write too much about it, but I'm optimistic with a place I've found. Nevertheless, I have no idea how many people they take on in this position.
If I don't get that, I've thought about going to Berlin anyways. I have a friend who lives there and has offered to put me up while I look for work. My only issue with that at this time is that I'd be back at square one again. I really don't know how to test the waters over there and see what the job prospects are.
I've also thought about seeking work with an NGO of some kind. I haven't yet investigated what kind of work is available through them, but lately I've been getting curious about maybe working with refugees from other countries. I spoke with a contact about that kind of work and found that it sounded very interesting to me. There are no refugee organizations around where I live, so I can't try it out domestically, but even if I move to another city again before going abroad, I could look into this possibility. Currently I've been starting to get interested in Africa, which is interesting for me because beforehand I was interested mostly in Europe or South America. It's fascinating how interests evolve.
Teaching English. This would be a good skill to have. I don't know what kind of teacher I'd be, but I'd be willing to take a class in learning some teaching skills to better gauge if this is something I'd be interested in.
Other ideas: Please send suggestions.
I spoke to a professor about the possibility of graduate school but after talking to her became convinced that now is not the time for me to think about it. I simply am not interested in anything specific enough to devote that kind of time, energy, and money towards. My current interests are world religion/philosophy, but at this point, I'm more curious in pursuing that from an armchair scholar's perspective. There is a true pleasure in sinking into a chair and reading a book about the origin of Satan and not have to worry about being responsible for writing a dissertation about it. Perhaps academic life is not the career path for me.
So I'll keep writing as things develop, but that is where I stand for now.
Peace to my fellow RPCV family!
It is high-time for an update. I've been meaning to write for a while, so I finally sat myself down to do it.
In my last post I was in Seattle looking for a job. I'd never been to the west coast, much less Seattle or Washington, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Seattle is a beautiful city and I thought the people were nice. I measure that by if they wave at back when you wave at them, or if they actually act a bit conversational when you cross paths. I even met the mom of a PCV in Mongolia. I gave my email to her, but I don't know if I'll ever hear from the PCV or not. Of course, I don't know what the internet situation is in her daughter's part of the country.
Seeing Dylon was also a pleasure. I was afraid maybe we'd have changed so much we wouldn't have much in common, but it wasn't the case at all. That is to say change is inevitable, but Dylon and I still had plenty of common ground and common personality to get along like gangbusters.
I was also afraid that the weather would ruin me. Fortunately that was not the case. Seattle isn't as dreadful as people make it sound, rain-wise. It is indeed wet, but not a constant rain, and the sky, while often cloudy, is not a monotonous grey hue. That said, I still prefer more sun than what they get there, but overall I didn't find the weather to be a huge obstacle.
Looking for work is a bit of a nightmare though. First off, as lame as this sounds, I don't really know how to go and look for work. The main tool that is at my disposal is the internet, and using that to find a job is like looking for a needle in a stack of needles. There are plenty of jobs out there, but most of them I don't qualify for because a lack of five years experience in this, or an advanced degree in that, or knowledge of computers/website design or so forth. In the jobs that I applied for I never heard a single reply. I think that is something that could be improved. I'm sure there are dozens to hundreds of applicants for some of them, but it doesn't take a long time to format a stock email response saying "Dear ___, we appreciated you interest but we regret to inform you the position has been filled. Sincerely, M----" so that the applicant can have an idea where he/she stands in that prospect. I don't mean that to sound bitter, but that seems to me like it's a simple courtesy, especially since most/all jobs searched for online request your information via email.
It was in speaking with an acquaintance of mine though that I started to realize that in all the jobs I was seeking, something international was the common theme, and that perhaps I should continue to seek work internationally then. When I decided on that I came home to save money. So here I am back in Nebraska for the time being.
Job prospects:
I am seeking work in Europe, preferably Germany. Since it's early on in the game, I don't want to write too much about it, but I'm optimistic with a place I've found. Nevertheless, I have no idea how many people they take on in this position.
If I don't get that, I've thought about going to Berlin anyways. I have a friend who lives there and has offered to put me up while I look for work. My only issue with that at this time is that I'd be back at square one again. I really don't know how to test the waters over there and see what the job prospects are.
I've also thought about seeking work with an NGO of some kind. I haven't yet investigated what kind of work is available through them, but lately I've been getting curious about maybe working with refugees from other countries. I spoke with a contact about that kind of work and found that it sounded very interesting to me. There are no refugee organizations around where I live, so I can't try it out domestically, but even if I move to another city again before going abroad, I could look into this possibility. Currently I've been starting to get interested in Africa, which is interesting for me because beforehand I was interested mostly in Europe or South America. It's fascinating how interests evolve.
Teaching English. This would be a good skill to have. I don't know what kind of teacher I'd be, but I'd be willing to take a class in learning some teaching skills to better gauge if this is something I'd be interested in.
Other ideas: Please send suggestions.
I spoke to a professor about the possibility of graduate school but after talking to her became convinced that now is not the time for me to think about it. I simply am not interested in anything specific enough to devote that kind of time, energy, and money towards. My current interests are world religion/philosophy, but at this point, I'm more curious in pursuing that from an armchair scholar's perspective. There is a true pleasure in sinking into a chair and reading a book about the origin of Satan and not have to worry about being responsible for writing a dissertation about it. Perhaps academic life is not the career path for me.
So I'll keep writing as things develop, but that is where I stand for now.
Peace to my fellow RPCV family!
posted by Tristan | 7:08 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Tristan. I'm currently in the exact same boat you were about one year ago, even down to the gritty details of interest in the West Coast and Berlin. I wanted to send you a personal email, but I could not find your address. From one RPCV to another, I was hoping to learn about your current work situation and general happiness, for some inspiration and hope.
Thanks, Jill
jill.e.preston@gmail.com
Post a Comment
<< Home