Job Hunt, Week 6, Day 4

This is Tower Falls at Yellowstone. I decided that I would include some photos in my posts just to liven things up a bit. It really doesn't have much to do with the post itself. It's just something nice to look at.

Today I applied for two jobs; one I am probably over qualified for that does not pay very much and another that I am barely qualified for that would be comparable to what I was making before. I am almost at the point of trying for just about anything. Unemployement keeps us off the street, but it barely gets us by, so there is an ever-growing sense of urgency to get a job. Pickings are pretty slim these days and I find myself taking chances on jobs that I have little chance of getting just in case I can beat the odds.

I have been doping a lot of my searching while at the library and I have noticed something that has me shaking my head a bit. It amazes me the people who will talk on their cell phones in the library as if they were at home in their own living rooms. I have heard one side of conversations that never should have taken place in public, let alone in a setting where they can be so easily over heard. It is like people are so accustomed to talking at home that when their cell phone rings, they seem to be transported into some virtual private space where they believe they cannot be heard. When I am at the library, my phone is on vibrate and let calls go to voice messaging because I do not want everybody there knowing my business. I even heard one guy sitting right behind me discuss his company's payroll, including the banks they had accounts in and the people that had to be paid, along with the amounts of their checks. It just boggles my mind that someone would discuss that kind of confidential information right there where anyone can hear.

Next week the job hunt will take some time off. My wife and I were going to go to Zion National Park last weekend, but with high wind warnings (gusts up to 60 mph!) making setting up a tent and cooking virtually impossible, we decided to try for next week. So far it looks good. I could sure use some time hiking and enjoying nature to help rejuvenate. Hopefully, this time will work out for us. Then I will have new photos to post.

The Search Continues

Since Friday marks the end of my sixth week unemployed, I thought it might be interesting (to me, anyway) to chronicle my search for employment here. Not only will it help relieve some of the stress involved, but it make help me come up with new ideas. I really did not anticipate being out of work for so long, so I might as well make it a constructive experience.

Yesterday and today I have made the usual rounds of various job posting sites and found that there is little new for me there. I have applied for a couple of jobs with the National Park Service that I was qualified for, but I have heard nothing back on any of them. I applied figuring that I might as well look at this time as a chance to possibly change careers and do something I truly love, but that has not gotten me very far yet. I press forward each day, hoping I will find that one unique opportunity that will result in a job that I enjoy, rather than just another job.

I have also taken the opportunity to set some things up regarding my photography. I have a Flickr site (search for utvikingsfan1964) and a site on www.qoop.com (search for Scott Bishop) where I have a few photos posted so far in the off chance that someone sees them and likes them enough to purchase them. I would love to be able to use my photography as my career because I could combine it with my love of the outdoors extremely easily. At this point in time and due to the recent job loss, I tend to be rather self-critical, so I have to remind myself that just because I have not sold anything yet, it does not mean I am a talentless hack.

Today I completed a profile on BrightFuse, another business networking site, in addition to my job search. I have been working from the Provo library while my dear wife has been doing her volunteer work here. While I have not applied for anything today, I continue to contemplate a job located in Dugway. I only contemplate it at this point because I really do not want to relocate to Tooele. Anyway, minimal success today. I'll be back here again tomorrow, the picture of optimism...at least for awhile.