Picking up from last time –
We were talking about being angry! How fun, huh?
There are few things in my life that have ever made me angrier. I was mad at them for not letting me in. No warning whatsoever? Tell me what you need me to change. Or if there’s nothing to change and there’s simply not enough work, tell me that before I sign the lease on this apartment. Please don’t stay silent and then surprise me.
And this was possibly a lesson for me. Most of my jobs are only a few months long. So, this may never be an issue again. But if I do get some kind of long-term job like this, it’s probably best to ask your boss to have a talk with you – to say, “Hey, I’m sure we can both tell there doesn’t look to be a lot for me to do. Can we talk about adding some responsibilities or figuring out a way for me to better be able to serve the company?”
In this case, that probably would’ve been a better route than keeping my head down. (Of course, in many situations, there’s something to be said for keeping your head down.)
So, while that can be debated, the real lesson I took away from this is that I should’ve stood up for myself – multiple times.
I should’ve refused the job when they didn’t pay me what I’d decided I was worth. And probably should’ve quit once I saw we were doing parties for a tobacco company, since that is something I so don’t believe in.
I shouldn’t have acted in fear. Should’ve waited for another job. Of course, it’s so easy to say that now. Now that I work pretty regularly, it’s easy to say, “I would’ve found something else.” But with a grand total of two PA jobs and one transcribing job on my resume (again without college), what did I really think I was going to get?
So, maybe there isn’t really a lesson in this job. Maybe I should’ve done everything the way I did it, trying to hold on to whatever job I could get.
Ultimately, this wasn’t a terrible job. It just wasn’t the right fit.
I’ll never know what would’ve happened had I stayed in New York. I might’ve found something. I might’ve wound up destitute. As I’ve said way too many times in this post, I just don’t know. But as Disney always says, keep moving forward.
So, I was let go on a Thursday. And I started my next job the following week.
Saw a listing for another transcribing job online, applied, was interviewed almost immediately, and poof, started work. Maybe life in LA was going to work out okay.
And this is where I’ll pick up next time.