Rush Hour On The Internet
HONK, HONK: Just when you thought it was safe to get back to whatever you were just doing, a ping! It’s me again. I’ve been rolling my eyes in space. For whatever reason I have just become deflated by looking at Monster, Craigslist, LinkedIn, Jobdango, et al. You know when you are seeking creative work and you have sort of absorbed all of your normal channels, even the variations on them, and look to the generic offerings out there. You start imagining yourself contemplating “ya, I “could” do data entry for 40 hours a week at 75WPM for 10 bucks/hr”. And the delusions get to you, eating away at your core steadily, slowly decaying your vision. You think about considering taking any job that pays more than minimum wage just to dignify the matter. Sometimes when we seek gainful employment we can be blinded by the challenge of the unknown, and we risk our credentials, our history in the name of climbing some invisible ladder, some bite off the head of a dragon to get to where we want (and I’m not taking Rock n’ Roll). TIME OUT!
But one of the unknowns is when the bottom falls out of the economy and you are left sorting through crumbs…no, wait, more like the residual crumbs that have been finely sifted through every possible hurdle. You know you have talent, skills, spirit (team-player or independent), you have taken tests and sent resumes and re-scripted cover letters and got great recommendations. And in the end you rarely even get a reply, a postcard, you are faced with the dulling din of fewer opportunities than you imagined, not even receiving a rejection from many sources. Some consider taking higher ground by high-tailing it outta here on the next Greyhound. Others find support networks and strategize with their community. With so many Oregonians out of work right now - remember, you are your only safety net.
THE NEXT BIG THING: When you just can’t stand staring into your flatscreen iMac no longer - go out! I was coming home from a run to the Hollywood District (it was so convenient living there), and on the way back up runs a brand-new lightrail car in training. Man, for all its faults Tri-met got something right with these futuristic (almost retro so) tube-like things on rails. Sleek + sexy. It’s a cross between something from Logan’s Run and Disney’s Monorail, although cars like this are already on the tracks in some other cities (like the MBTA). I know “Boston, Boston, Boston”….lol. I’m unsure when these officially debut, but the Fall unveiling of the new Green Line will probably be sooner than we think. The new WES cars are interesting too. Probably too many Lionel trains when I was a tike.
RESIDUALS?: Lastly, unBlogged, right here, has become ’syndicated’, or some such, through a few different services, so my click-through from individuals has increased by 50% since January 1! Since this is completely a non-income producing vignette (though feel free to click here to do whatever you can) its just a lil’ announcement to let you know you are in good company I guess. I would say I have some major surprises up my sleeve, or tease you about writing some monster article, or creating some big hoopla, but, instead, I will practice restraint and hope you may just write in a wee comment every once in a while. Hey, it can get lonely out here within the tiny integers of darkness…..but out of the fog comes the results of many clicks and taps on the keys worldwide - the countries who have visited this humble site this past year (in green…that means Greenland hasn’t been by).
Tags: Craigslist, Jobdango, LinkedIn, MBTA, Monster, Trimet, unblogged