FEAR OF WORKING OUTSIDE MY HOME

Please Find Me

Here's the deal.

I am lost in this technological era on steroids.  Just tell me what you need me to do and I will comply conscientiously with the best of my abilities.

I am 65 years old.  I am not going to pretend to be anything I am not which excellently worded resumes are superb at doing.  At my age my resume could be a book.  I am also a lily white (but easily suntanned) Polish non-woke Conservative biological Christian woman who gets along with everyone and can easily converse on an endless variety of topics because I know a little about everything and a lot about other things.  In other words, I am in this day and age, scorned and put at the bottom of this list.  I am kind.  I am helpful.  But I am also extremely frustrated and bewildered at the state of the state in which we now exist.

I have become so overwhelmed in my attempts to find employment using job sites such as Indeed or Zip Recruiter because there is always something in the job description for which I am not qualified or for which I do not have the required experience, degree or certificate OR for even things my laptop is not qualified.  And then…it's always having to apply online.  Not like the old days where you walk in and fill out an application in the manager's office.  Like what happened to my husband who is a master electrician.  He applied online for a Home Depot position.  They wanted to hire him as a worker in the drywall/lumber department.  Does that even make any sense at all?  He is not physically able to do that.  And now, sadly, he cannot even work (or barely walk) anywhere at all.

No one ever asks me if I went to Life U.

LIFE U

"When asked what school I went to
There is no use in pretending
But graduate?  Oh no, not yet
You see, I’m still attending

It is the biggest school of all
Comprising students of all nations
It’s been around since kingdom come
In every civilization

It teaches every subject
Every trade and occupation
Its student body equals
The whole world’s population

Life U…you never heard of it?
Well what is wrong with you?
Everyone is going there
In fact, you’re going too!

Life U is the utmost finest school
Tuition is enormous
There is no student loan for it
It takes our life to form us

Sometimes the price is bartering
With God and prayers and stocks
But most of it is paid for
By a series of hard knocks

Try your very best in here
And you will never fail
It isn't quite as hard on you
As Harvard, say, or Yale

I know some students who have gone
To Oxford or Cornell
But some of them still can’t write
And don’t know how to spell

What's the final outcome?
No matter how you strive?
Your graduation’s at the wake
No one makes it out alive

Your grades are posted on your tomb
Where you've finally gone to dwell
If you pass you go to heaven
If you don’t you go to hell

If my degree says RIP
I'll know I've truly soared
When the angels finally come for me
And I am welcomed by our Lord"

(I am also an unrenowned poet!)

I have worked in many industries including pre-employment screening (typing up polygraph reports when they were legal for such purposes), was later promoted to Director of Operations for the company's undercover division and went on to work in their HR department.

I then went on to work with my dad as his assistant traffic manager in coffee importing where I fell in love with my IBM Selectric typewriter and learned the wonders of the Telex machine.  I was in line to take his position when he retired but this was not what I wanted to do.

Instead, I became involved in helping my future husband set up his very successful tobacco/convenience stores on Long Island and worked many hours behind the counter and behind the scenes.

After that, I procured employment as a legal secretary for a wonderful small partnership that specialized in commercial real estate loan documents.  I was a legal secretary for about 18 years.

All of those above positions were before the technological explosion although I did help the attorneys transition their antiquated equipment to MS Word and eventually move them on to the wonderful world of email.  All we had before that was FedEx and I had to meet those pickup deadlines every day.  That photocopy machine sure got a workout.

My resume could be a book and, believe me, I certainly have many, many interesting, horrifying and amusing experiences which I could impart and entertain you with but it is completely incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition.  I am nearing my expiration date, folks.

No.  I do not know how to code and if I had the time to return to college I would become a physicist, a microbiologist or a psychotherapist.  Unfortunately, none of those of careers are in my future which is now far behind me.  I am no longer "career" worthy.  I need a paycheck.

After I moved to Florida when I was in my 50s I had a really difficult time obtaining employment.  Perhaps that was because of my age and all of my white privilege but I don't know for sure.  So…I became an entrepreneur starting with my Puppy Love Pet Care business which was a lot of fun and engaged my creative spirit.  I also worked a few temporary jobs one of which was reviewing title reports from my home office and another was working for a very successful plastic surgeon.

I then relocated again to The Villages where, after a horrible stint at home typing, a brief employment at a local law firm and an attempt at selling unique jewelry at the flea market, I finally procured what I believed would be my last and final hurrah:  The Bookstore.  I was amazing at this as to which my former customers will attest!  My bookstore burned to the ground in a horrific fire on September 9, 2019 along with every other vendor's business located in Aisle C at The Market of Marion.  My husband, who managed the housewares store across from me, also lost his part time employment.

We lost EVERYTHING.  And to those who say…"oh, but the insurance…" my reply is that there was no insurance.  Every flea market vendor knows that insurance is cost prohibitive.  My rent alone for 4 booths for a 3 day weekend was approaching $400 ($1600 a month!) and it went up every single year.  It was hard to make a buck but I loved my bookstore and it was at least something.  I also sold books on eBay books on the side which was another small something.  But eBay is a whole other story.  (Stay tuned!)

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