Breaking Out
Last week, I interviewed and successfully obtained summer employment at an amusement park outside of the Twin Cities. I’ll start in May. The pay isn’t great, but it is full time (40-50 a week). I didn’t take the job for the money. More important to me is that it will give me 3 to 4 months to live in the MSP metropolitan area where I can look for other avenues of full time employment. This is a modification of a plan I wrote about here a few weeks ago, where I would just pick up and go live in a city while I search for employment there. But this way, I’ll be ensured an income stream while I make this plan come to fruition. The Cities were one of the places I thought about moving to, but I was also considering other places too. But I think it is better I go somewhere I know I will like, and I place that I have connections too. For example, I’m currently listening to the current, a radio station that is located there) while I write this.
There’s much for me to do in the coming up while I prepare for the move. I know they have a decent public transit system, but I do have concerns about actually getting into the city to use it, as I don’t think it runs that far out of town on a consistent basis. I’m still not sure I can afford a car, but I can get pretty far on my bike. Still, I am considering maybe getting a moped too. I also need to decide where to live. I know my place of employment offers dorms that will probably be the cheapest option, but I looked into it, and I don’t think that would be a good option for me. I’d have to share the room with 4 other guys (or worst, bros), and I haven’t had the greatest experiences with non-feline roommates. I would probably have to leave Kitty, my family’s cat that I brought to first Milwaukee then Texas, behind at my family’s home. She’ll be 14 this year, so I’m not sure how much longer she’ll live. Of course, if I go the apartment route, my expenses will be much greater. I figure I’ll probably making about 1000 a month after taxes, and probably half of that would go to rent, and that’s without utilities. Plus, transportation becomes a problem too. Like I said earlier though, I didn’t take the job for the money. It might be a good idea to start putting down roots in the area. These are things I need to really consider, and make up my mind about soon.
This doesn’t mean that I have to stop applying to museums in other parts of the country, but I think I will. Let’s face it, my current plan just hasn’t worked, so I need to take a new tact. And I think part of that tact should be putting down roots somewhere. But that doesn’t mean I have to give up museums completely. The other thing I want to do is get involved with the area’s museum community on a voluntary basis. This will make me a known commodity, with the hopes that I’ll make it easier for me to get a job if they know me and what I can do. I’ve tried to do that while living here, but it hasn’t work out so well. I’m hoping that the somewhat larger operations in the cities will be better equipped to deal with someone with my skills and experiences.
So there’s still a lot for me to figure out. I am scared and nervous about all of this too. Theres a chance I might not like this job, and everyday will be hell for me. But it is better than what I got now, and it will only be for a few months. If I truly hate it, then all the more motivation to find something else. And if I don’t find something else, then I’ll just move back here. I’m sure my current job would take me back around the xmas season again. The important thing is that this is forward momentum. This is the thing I need to do to make my life better. I’m hopping that the energy and excitement of living in a new area will be enough that by the time the job starts to wear on me, it’ll be over. And that’s what I need this year to be.
There’s much for me to do in the coming up while I prepare for the move. I know they have a decent public transit system, but I do have concerns about actually getting into the city to use it, as I don’t think it runs that far out of town on a consistent basis. I’m still not sure I can afford a car, but I can get pretty far on my bike. Still, I am considering maybe getting a moped too. I also need to decide where to live. I know my place of employment offers dorms that will probably be the cheapest option, but I looked into it, and I don’t think that would be a good option for me. I’d have to share the room with 4 other guys (or worst, bros), and I haven’t had the greatest experiences with non-feline roommates. I would probably have to leave Kitty, my family’s cat that I brought to first Milwaukee then Texas, behind at my family’s home. She’ll be 14 this year, so I’m not sure how much longer she’ll live. Of course, if I go the apartment route, my expenses will be much greater. I figure I’ll probably making about 1000 a month after taxes, and probably half of that would go to rent, and that’s without utilities. Plus, transportation becomes a problem too. Like I said earlier though, I didn’t take the job for the money. It might be a good idea to start putting down roots in the area. These are things I need to really consider, and make up my mind about soon.
This doesn’t mean that I have to stop applying to museums in other parts of the country, but I think I will. Let’s face it, my current plan just hasn’t worked, so I need to take a new tact. And I think part of that tact should be putting down roots somewhere. But that doesn’t mean I have to give up museums completely. The other thing I want to do is get involved with the area’s museum community on a voluntary basis. This will make me a known commodity, with the hopes that I’ll make it easier for me to get a job if they know me and what I can do. I’ve tried to do that while living here, but it hasn’t work out so well. I’m hoping that the somewhat larger operations in the cities will be better equipped to deal with someone with my skills and experiences.
So there’s still a lot for me to figure out. I am scared and nervous about all of this too. Theres a chance I might not like this job, and everyday will be hell for me. But it is better than what I got now, and it will only be for a few months. If I truly hate it, then all the more motivation to find something else. And if I don’t find something else, then I’ll just move back here. I’m sure my current job would take me back around the xmas season again. The important thing is that this is forward momentum. This is the thing I need to do to make my life better. I’m hopping that the energy and excitement of living in a new area will be enough that by the time the job starts to wear on me, it’ll be over. And that’s what I need this year to be.