08.21.06
Still Hunting
I haven’t posted anything in a while because there’s been nothing of interest to report. I’m still looking for a job, and I have what I think is a fairly promising interview with a state agency on Wednesday. I’m also on the eligible list for state jobs as an Associate Programmer Analyst, and I get about one inquiry a day because of that. So I dutifully send in my applications, and I wait.
There’s also a job with the County of Sacramento that I’d really like: IT Customer Service Specialist, Training Option. So I’ve put in an application for that job and two others that could transfer over to it in time. The problem with those jobs is that the next scheduled “closing date” is in January. My understanding is that if there are openings and the list is getting too small, the closing date could be moved up and I could be put on the list sooner. But that’s not guaranteed … so I just have to wait.
In the meantime, I’m looking for temp work. I’ve told my regular temp agency to look for county jobs, which they usually get a lot of, on the theory that if I have to spend my days temping (potentially taking time away from interviews and other elements of the job hunt), at least I could be making connections in county agencies that could eventually pay off when I appear on the eligible lists for permanent jobs.
But of course I’m also thinking about paying the rent in a couple of weeks. I’ve done a little bit of computer work for a former employer and a couple of individuals, but that’s not reliable in the long term. So, today I started an exciting career as a day laborer.
I showed up at Labor Ready at 5:00 this morning, and a little less than three hours later I was assigned to a job with a company called East Bay Restaurant Supply, which (despite the name) has a Sacramento location on North 12th Street, where Avery Stationery used to be. My job was to help assemble and install a walk-in freezer at a country club that’s being remodelled. A good honest day of hard work—nothing wrong with that. But the funny part is that the country club is in Oakland, which also happens to be the home town of East Bay Restaurant Supply. This meant that I was paid for eight hours of work, but spent four of those hours riding in a van to and from the work site. I’ve been asked to return tomorrow—and I’ll be happy to do so.
So that’s the job hunt these days. Again, if any of my loyal readers know of an opening I’d be suited for, please let me know. I figure eventually the novelty of manual labor will wear thin—probably in direct proportion to the thinness of my wallet.
