On Returning to the Work Force

I guess I've been writing a lot about this lately, just as my early blog posts last spring were about quitting my job. I think I had a lot of lofty goals (lots of steemit, bike touring, etc.) but figured I would have to return to being an instructional designer by fall. I did spend a lot of time on Steemit, but I didn't expect the price of steem to go so low. I didn't get to tour like I wanted but I did get quite a bit of cycling in over the summer. That leg rash slowed me down for a month.

The biggest surprise was that I didn't return to being an instructional designer. I knew I didn't want to return to working in an office, but I figured I'd find a work-from-home contract job where I could still ride my bike in the off time and maybe not work again next summer. I really had a lot of time to contemplate things. I came to realize how bullshit my old job was and I didn't want to return to such work no matter the conditions. I didn't want to work for a corporate giant. I didn't want to work in an office. Now it's hard to avoid that altogether but I started to pick up some jobs that I found I actually enjoyed.

A friend got me a job one day as a stagehand, which is unionized. Wow, this was mind changing how much better work conditions could be when you have representation. It's hard work, and sometimes the hardest job I've had. But it doesn't bother me because I am paid well. I enjoy working with a crew. It's exhausting at the end of the day and I am happy when I get home. It just could take awhile to get in the union fully and get more regular work. But I have set up my life in a way that makes me readily available.

Another friend asked if I could work for her non-profit at the weekly local farmer's market. So I took this job too. It doesn't pay as much but I wasn't really doing it just for the money. I enjoyed being at the market. My job was to process food stamps, which we double through a New York State program promoting the purchase of fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately I am quitting this job as it is getting in the way of the stagehand work, which is my highest priority job.

The job offer that makes me feel luckiest is a new one I started a couple week ago in a small start-up manufacturer. We take hockey pucks and baseballs and turn them into bottle openers. This isn't some assembly line in a factory. There are only 4 employees, 3 of us actually building the product. I actually am involved from start to finish, so I have a sense of building it myself and making sure it comes out just right. It's in a building run as a business incubator. The building is subdivided into small units rented out to different start-up businesses. There is a wood shop, a screen printer and even a guy making wooden bicycles. They have classes to teach craftsmanship. I have no experience with this sort of job but I picked up on it easily. I love just getting to build things with my hands.

This job was the perfect fit because it is part time and flexible enough to allow me to miss work when I have a stagehand gig. So now I can earn a regular paycheck while still being available for the job I'm trying to work my way into.

It's strange working 5-6 days a week when I had the summer off from any regular work. Still, there's some degree of calm to finally know I can pay bills with a regular paycheck. There was a lot of anxiety over the summer wondering if I was messing up my life.

I think everything will be alright.