(no subject)
Well, today was an interesting day with a lot of ups and downs.
Kyle's job security
Firstly, Kyle was told yesterday that they were going to lay off 50-60 people at the hospital he works at - you know the economy is in the shitter when hospitals have to cut people and pay. He kept his job, but he did have to take his pay cut (it wasn't too big though - his department was the least hit).
student loans
Secondly, I'm in the process of untangling the mess of student loans I have. I have almost triple the amount I originally believed I have at this point. It's really difficult not to get emotional about it when I'm on the phone, talking to people from my school and the lenders. One person says this, another says that, the website says one thing, the statement I recieved in the mail says another. At this point, I'm just trying to take it one step at a time.
At first, I didn't even know where to begin to understand where all this money went (because I am certainly not 10,000 dollars richer, so I didn't get it) and was just too panicked to even really think about it. Today, I finally felt in control and was able to contact the appropriate people without nearly bursting into tears. I'll be getting statements from my school, my bank, and my lenders, so hopefully once I have all of those documents in front of my face, I'll be able to see where the gaps are. With any luck, I'll be able to clear away some of these loans, if I can prove that the school did not recieve the money and I did not recieve the money.
So when I woke up this morning, it was probably the first time since we moved here that I felt really, really unsure about our financial situation. I didn't know if Kyle would return home with a job and I had a massive amount of debt looming in front of me. Kyle was pretty sure that he would keep his job, since his department saves the hospital a lot of money, but wasn't completely sure since he was the new guy.
jjjjoooooobbbbb
But, something good did happen today!
About four weeks ago I had an interview at a company that makes signage for a position as a graphic designer. It went really well, and I was called back for a second interview with the president of the company. I had trouble gauging how that interview went - I was so nervous and he didn't really ask me any of those typical interview questions. That was on a Wednesday, and they told me they would let me know by the end of the week what their decision was.
Well, Friday rolled around and I hadn't heard anything. I received an e-mail on Monday saying that, again, they would let me know by the end of the week. Once again, I didn't receive an answer. Despite that, I hadn't really given up hope as they had been good with keeping in contact with me and keeping me in the loop, so I couldn't imagine that they would hire someone else without informing me that I had not gotten the position.
That Friday (or maybe it was Monday?), Kyle saw a newly listed ad from this same company, for the same position I had interviewed for. At the bottom the salary was listed at 9.50 and hour, which was a lot less than I had stated on my salary requirements. I was livid! How could they lead me on like that for weeks if I was asking for more money than their budget would allow? I mean, that's the whole point of the salary requirements thing, right? So you don't waste your time with someone that is asking for too much. I had even negotiated down from my original salary requirement quite a bit. I felt cheated of all the time I had spent just thinking about it.
I still had a tiny sliver of hope though, and I received an e-mail on Tuesday saying that they would let me know by the end of the week for sure, and that it was between me and one other candidate.
I had been checking my e-mail constantly all day. Almost all of our communication had been done through e-mail at this point, so I figured that I would probably be told about the job via e-mail as well. I was talking to my mother when I heard I had another incoming call, but decided to ignore it since 1. generally I find it rude to just ask the person you're currently talking to call you back because someone else is calling and 2. she was upset, as she recieved the autopsy report on my uncle and it contained some disturbing information, so I just didn't want to leave her on the other end of the phone, crying.
I checked my voice mails shortly after, and got recieved one from the HR person at the company, saying they wanted me to call them back. At that point, I figured that I had gotten the job - I mean, if someone didn't get the position, you'd rather just tell them on a voice mail, right?
SO, to wrap it up, I called her back and she offered me the job! The salary is less than what I had wanted originally and it's a lot less than Kyle makes, but with my field being so competitive and designers not being in demand because of the economy, I almost will take anything at at this point. I mean, I've been searching for 5 months now, applying to anything and everything that sounds remotely like graphic design, with only three interviews in my pocket (and I don't have a poor resume really, I have a lot of experience compared to some people). I have a good vibe about the company and I think I'll enjoy the work I'll be doing. Also, it's nothing that completely new and foreign to me - I feel pretty capable that I can get the job done. I'm just really happy I was able to find a job doing something that I like doing.
It's very exciting, because now that we'll have two incomes, we'll be able to start putting away money for a house and I can actually afford to have a decent wedding. AND I CAN BUY NEW BEDDING. AND A PANINI PRESS. AND NEW BLINDS. AND A ZUNE. The lame thing is that I work from 8 to 5, with a half hour commute, and Kyle works from 8 to 4 with a 5 minute commute. And poor Mercury will be home all by himself all day - all though, I don't think he'll mind too much. He sleeps most of the day when I home anyway, so I think it will just take him a while to even notice that I'm gone.
Kyle's job security
Firstly, Kyle was told yesterday that they were going to lay off 50-60 people at the hospital he works at - you know the economy is in the shitter when hospitals have to cut people and pay. He kept his job, but he did have to take his pay cut (it wasn't too big though - his department was the least hit).
student loans
Secondly, I'm in the process of untangling the mess of student loans I have. I have almost triple the amount I originally believed I have at this point. It's really difficult not to get emotional about it when I'm on the phone, talking to people from my school and the lenders. One person says this, another says that, the website says one thing, the statement I recieved in the mail says another. At this point, I'm just trying to take it one step at a time.
At first, I didn't even know where to begin to understand where all this money went (because I am certainly not 10,000 dollars richer, so I didn't get it) and was just too panicked to even really think about it. Today, I finally felt in control and was able to contact the appropriate people without nearly bursting into tears. I'll be getting statements from my school, my bank, and my lenders, so hopefully once I have all of those documents in front of my face, I'll be able to see where the gaps are. With any luck, I'll be able to clear away some of these loans, if I can prove that the school did not recieve the money and I did not recieve the money.
So when I woke up this morning, it was probably the first time since we moved here that I felt really, really unsure about our financial situation. I didn't know if Kyle would return home with a job and I had a massive amount of debt looming in front of me. Kyle was pretty sure that he would keep his job, since his department saves the hospital a lot of money, but wasn't completely sure since he was the new guy.
jjjjoooooobbbbb
But, something good did happen today!
About four weeks ago I had an interview at a company that makes signage for a position as a graphic designer. It went really well, and I was called back for a second interview with the president of the company. I had trouble gauging how that interview went - I was so nervous and he didn't really ask me any of those typical interview questions. That was on a Wednesday, and they told me they would let me know by the end of the week what their decision was.
Well, Friday rolled around and I hadn't heard anything. I received an e-mail on Monday saying that, again, they would let me know by the end of the week. Once again, I didn't receive an answer. Despite that, I hadn't really given up hope as they had been good with keeping in contact with me and keeping me in the loop, so I couldn't imagine that they would hire someone else without informing me that I had not gotten the position.
That Friday (or maybe it was Monday?), Kyle saw a newly listed ad from this same company, for the same position I had interviewed for. At the bottom the salary was listed at 9.50 and hour, which was a lot less than I had stated on my salary requirements. I was livid! How could they lead me on like that for weeks if I was asking for more money than their budget would allow? I mean, that's the whole point of the salary requirements thing, right? So you don't waste your time with someone that is asking for too much. I had even negotiated down from my original salary requirement quite a bit. I felt cheated of all the time I had spent just thinking about it.
I still had a tiny sliver of hope though, and I received an e-mail on Tuesday saying that they would let me know by the end of the week for sure, and that it was between me and one other candidate.
I had been checking my e-mail constantly all day. Almost all of our communication had been done through e-mail at this point, so I figured that I would probably be told about the job via e-mail as well. I was talking to my mother when I heard I had another incoming call, but decided to ignore it since 1. generally I find it rude to just ask the person you're currently talking to call you back because someone else is calling and 2. she was upset, as she recieved the autopsy report on my uncle and it contained some disturbing information, so I just didn't want to leave her on the other end of the phone, crying.
I checked my voice mails shortly after, and got recieved one from the HR person at the company, saying they wanted me to call them back. At that point, I figured that I had gotten the job - I mean, if someone didn't get the position, you'd rather just tell them on a voice mail, right?
SO, to wrap it up, I called her back and she offered me the job! The salary is less than what I had wanted originally and it's a lot less than Kyle makes, but with my field being so competitive and designers not being in demand because of the economy, I almost will take anything at at this point. I mean, I've been searching for 5 months now, applying to anything and everything that sounds remotely like graphic design, with only three interviews in my pocket (and I don't have a poor resume really, I have a lot of experience compared to some people). I have a good vibe about the company and I think I'll enjoy the work I'll be doing. Also, it's nothing that completely new and foreign to me - I feel pretty capable that I can get the job done. I'm just really happy I was able to find a job doing something that I like doing.
It's very exciting, because now that we'll have two incomes, we'll be able to start putting away money for a house and I can actually afford to have a decent wedding. AND I CAN BUY NEW BEDDING. AND A PANINI PRESS. AND NEW BLINDS. AND A ZUNE. The lame thing is that I work from 8 to 5, with a half hour commute, and Kyle works from 8 to 4 with a 5 minute commute. And poor Mercury will be home all by himself all day - all though, I don't think he'll mind too much. He sleeps most of the day when I home anyway, so I think it will just take him a while to even notice that I'm gone.