One down, next up?
The phone call went alright, but the quality sucked. I wish the women would have called my landline. The sound was really choppy at times. And the whole thing was super superficial. It was pretty much just her ticking off the boxes she had on hear guideline of what she has to inform me about. And because I was glad that she acknowledged that there aren't many suitable job positions open right now (she didn't even mind when I told her the two she mentioned weren't really my cup of tea), and therefore she didn't bother setting a goal, I decided not to push my luck by going too deep. I did bring up a few points (like me wanting a longterm option, or unsure about all that AI business, not having an interest in doing sales/marketing stuff, and mentioning the topic of the suitable career path that were suggested to me - something she didn't really catch on with, but I'll get to that separately). I'm not sure if that was all that smart, and I'm not sure it had any impact. She didn't pick up on the AI topic, and I decided not to make a fuss about it at this point. And while she did pick up on the accounting topic, she didn't connect the dots when I mentioned I'd need extra training for that IF I decided that could be something. She rather said I'm overqualified for that type of job, but I could apply for such jobs if I felt like it. Sigh. I hate this "overqualified" talk. It's BS. If there's a job I'm interested in doing and I'd be really excellent at it and satisfied with the tasks and the pay, what does it matter what I've done before? Maybe the jobs I'm properly qualified for are too much for me. Maybe I need to take a step back. And anyway, what use is it to be "over"qualified, but not properly qualified for an accounting job - how could I apply for such a position now?
In the end I just took all the information and to-dos, nodded like a good girl, and shoved everything aside afterwards. The call only lasted 22 minutes, thankfully. Not sixty. I didn't check my e-mails for the coaching pamphlets she suggested to forward (because I stated that I'm still undecided what would be best for me, kind of as an explanation why I haven't applied anywhere by now in case she'd ask, which she didn't). I didn't enter my strengths yet. She mentioned that part is missing, and once it's there, my profile would be live for potential employers. Like I want any of them to approach me proactively ... And I was told I could/should indeed already go that next step of marking myself unemployed (although I'm not, at this point), yet I didn't dare confront her with the question about the unemployment money. Maybe she wouldn't even be in charge and couldn't tell, no idea.
So that burden is a bit off my shoulders now, though of course I know I should get going soonish.
That part about the doctor's appointment, though, phew ... Didn't think it would be so hard. I don't remember how exactly it went when I got my first appointment there back when I had issues with my foot, but I'm pretty sure they just said I should come a certain time the next day and they'd try to squeeze me in. The way these things usually go. You know, the "bring a lot of time" kind of offers.
As I was ready earlier than the phone call, I actually attempted to get this appointment clarified before the call. Nobody picked up, and it even sounded as if the connection had died. Then I tried again after the call, but the line was busy. It was still busy when I tried for the third time. I had wanted to call it a day, but kicked myself in the butt to try it one last time right before the practice closed for the day, and I finally got to talk to a person! But it wasn't what I expected. Like, at all. The lady informed me that they offer consultation hours for urgent cases at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. "Great," I thought. That's even earlier than the office hours I knew of. 11:30 sounded perfect. But then the lady got awkward and told me that a lot of people had called today and wanted to come tomorrow and that she would only take 4 max. That confused me a great deal because I had no clue what message she was trying to convey to me, not being familiar with the way they deal with their practice. Until I came to the conclusion that she cannot actually schedule appointments for those urgent-case consultation hours. So it's not like the first 4 people called and she'd tell them OK and then the next 2-3 call and she tells them they're booked out for the day and offers something else, no, it seems to be on a "first come, first served" basis on the day itself. 30 minutes each day. The next option would be Monday, 7:30 a.m. God help me ... I was trying to tell her that I wouldn't want to wait that long in an acute case, but she just kept repeating that she can only accept 4 people maximum tomorrow.
So now I am unsure what to do. I'd hate to go there and be sent home again. I'd feel bad for coming extra early and taking someone's spot who might be in more severe pain. I'd feel worse for coming extra early and realizing that I'm still too late. I did make the "mistake" of shaving my legs sometime in between, and now my pain got slightly worse again, so in principle it wouldn't be wrong to get a doctor's opinion on the matter. On the other hand I'm pretty sure what it is, and from all I read I pretty much expect the doctor to just confirm that it's nothing severe and that I should avoid anything that could strain the muscle for another couple of days. In which case I'd be relieved, and I could tell my mom to relax, but it would also mean that I could have spent the time relaxing my leg instead. And giving the spot to someone else. I'm once again not sure how I want this to turn out. I mean, I did succumb and acknowledged that seeing a doc would be wise and I overcame my anxiety and dialed that number four times, so I should probably keep trying tomorrow. One way or another. But dang. When did it become so difficult to get help? And aren't most people who want to see an orthopedist those that have a pain they need to get rid of? Why only 30 mins each day? Do they really have so many chronic cases where it doesn't matter how much in advance you make the appointment? Sorry, I really don't understand this.
In the end I just took all the information and to-dos, nodded like a good girl, and shoved everything aside afterwards. The call only lasted 22 minutes, thankfully. Not sixty. I didn't check my e-mails for the coaching pamphlets she suggested to forward (because I stated that I'm still undecided what would be best for me, kind of as an explanation why I haven't applied anywhere by now in case she'd ask, which she didn't). I didn't enter my strengths yet. She mentioned that part is missing, and once it's there, my profile would be live for potential employers. Like I want any of them to approach me proactively ... And I was told I could/should indeed already go that next step of marking myself unemployed (although I'm not, at this point), yet I didn't dare confront her with the question about the unemployment money. Maybe she wouldn't even be in charge and couldn't tell, no idea.
So that burden is a bit off my shoulders now, though of course I know I should get going soonish.
That part about the doctor's appointment, though, phew ... Didn't think it would be so hard. I don't remember how exactly it went when I got my first appointment there back when I had issues with my foot, but I'm pretty sure they just said I should come a certain time the next day and they'd try to squeeze me in. The way these things usually go. You know, the "bring a lot of time" kind of offers.
As I was ready earlier than the phone call, I actually attempted to get this appointment clarified before the call. Nobody picked up, and it even sounded as if the connection had died. Then I tried again after the call, but the line was busy. It was still busy when I tried for the third time. I had wanted to call it a day, but kicked myself in the butt to try it one last time right before the practice closed for the day, and I finally got to talk to a person! But it wasn't what I expected. Like, at all. The lady informed me that they offer consultation hours for urgent cases at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow. "Great," I thought. That's even earlier than the office hours I knew of. 11:30 sounded perfect. But then the lady got awkward and told me that a lot of people had called today and wanted to come tomorrow and that she would only take 4 max. That confused me a great deal because I had no clue what message she was trying to convey to me, not being familiar with the way they deal with their practice. Until I came to the conclusion that she cannot actually schedule appointments for those urgent-case consultation hours. So it's not like the first 4 people called and she'd tell them OK and then the next 2-3 call and she tells them they're booked out for the day and offers something else, no, it seems to be on a "first come, first served" basis on the day itself. 30 minutes each day. The next option would be Monday, 7:30 a.m. God help me ... I was trying to tell her that I wouldn't want to wait that long in an acute case, but she just kept repeating that she can only accept 4 people maximum tomorrow.
So now I am unsure what to do. I'd hate to go there and be sent home again. I'd feel bad for coming extra early and taking someone's spot who might be in more severe pain. I'd feel worse for coming extra early and realizing that I'm still too late. I did make the "mistake" of shaving my legs sometime in between, and now my pain got slightly worse again, so in principle it wouldn't be wrong to get a doctor's opinion on the matter. On the other hand I'm pretty sure what it is, and from all I read I pretty much expect the doctor to just confirm that it's nothing severe and that I should avoid anything that could strain the muscle for another couple of days. In which case I'd be relieved, and I could tell my mom to relax, but it would also mean that I could have spent the time relaxing my leg instead. And giving the spot to someone else. I'm once again not sure how I want this to turn out. I mean, I did succumb and acknowledged that seeing a doc would be wise and I overcame my anxiety and dialed that number four times, so I should probably keep trying tomorrow. One way or another. But dang. When did it become so difficult to get help? And aren't most people who want to see an orthopedist those that have a pain they need to get rid of? Why only 30 mins each day? Do they really have so many chronic cases where it doesn't matter how much in advance you make the appointment? Sorry, I really don't understand this.