and the fun just keeps on coming
[This entry is imported from my old blog at Nothing But Memory.]
Well, I went to work yesterday feeling a bit better. I had come up with a tentative plan B of taking some computer courses at the local college, thinking that I could do that while still working part-time and all would be good. But as soon as I arrived at the store I got pulled into the back room for a meeting with my assistant manager at which time she informed me that I'm being let go at the end of the month because basically they can't afford to keep the number of staff they have right now and since I was the most recent hire I had to be the one let go. And the really fun and ironic part of all this is she actually said something about how the fact that I was moving away in September for school anyway factored into the decision. yay, I am fortune's fool.
I know I said in my last entry that I wasn't crazy about the idea of a career in retail, which is true, but I do like my job. I really do. I was certainly quite willing to keep working there for at least another year or two. I was looking forward to staying on past September. The whole thing is just so frustrating. I feel like two days ago I had if not a life then at least some kind of plan that might lead to one. When my original plan went kaput at least I had a job. And now I have nothing, or at least it seems that way. I don't know. I love Heather, the assistant manager at our store. She's really sweet. I think the letting go was harder on her than it was on me. I can't say that I was entirely surprised because I knew that the store had gone over its labour budget last month, and I knew that one of the other girls who was supposed to be leaving for another job in the end decided not to go, and I knew that if it came down to a choice between her and me they would pick her (although really I think I'm a better employee. I just don't think they know that ... the customers maybe have a better idea). Anyway, Heather thinks very highly of me: she thinks I'm smart and capable and that retail isn't the right field for me. She says I could get a better job in the government or something, and I appreciate the fact that she thinks that, and that she told me so. But two things: first, I really liked working at Lush. Second, the fact is that an English degree won't get you a lot of government jobs from what I can tell. A piece of advice to all people about to start university: do not major in English. Really, just don't go there unless you're positive that you're academic enough to be a professor. I used to think people who said humanities degrees were useless were just ignorant, but now I see they were actually just practical.
Wow, this is quite a depressing post. Sorry about that. So I'm left again with the question what do I do now. Obviously, I'm going to have to get a new job, but I can't really do that until June because I need a week off at the end of May to go to Nashville for the Buffy conference, which seems a bit pointless now but I can't really back out of it I guess. I also can't start a new job and ask for a week off right away.
On a lighter note, I watched some Buffy last night and this morning. It's like comfort food. My gut wanted "The Freshman" last night. Guess I could identify with it. I need someone to give me a Dadaist pep talk.
Well, I went to work yesterday feeling a bit better. I had come up with a tentative plan B of taking some computer courses at the local college, thinking that I could do that while still working part-time and all would be good. But as soon as I arrived at the store I got pulled into the back room for a meeting with my assistant manager at which time she informed me that I'm being let go at the end of the month because basically they can't afford to keep the number of staff they have right now and since I was the most recent hire I had to be the one let go. And the really fun and ironic part of all this is she actually said something about how the fact that I was moving away in September for school anyway factored into the decision. yay, I am fortune's fool.
I know I said in my last entry that I wasn't crazy about the idea of a career in retail, which is true, but I do like my job. I really do. I was certainly quite willing to keep working there for at least another year or two. I was looking forward to staying on past September. The whole thing is just so frustrating. I feel like two days ago I had if not a life then at least some kind of plan that might lead to one. When my original plan went kaput at least I had a job. And now I have nothing, or at least it seems that way. I don't know. I love Heather, the assistant manager at our store. She's really sweet. I think the letting go was harder on her than it was on me. I can't say that I was entirely surprised because I knew that the store had gone over its labour budget last month, and I knew that one of the other girls who was supposed to be leaving for another job in the end decided not to go, and I knew that if it came down to a choice between her and me they would pick her (although really I think I'm a better employee. I just don't think they know that ... the customers maybe have a better idea). Anyway, Heather thinks very highly of me: she thinks I'm smart and capable and that retail isn't the right field for me. She says I could get a better job in the government or something, and I appreciate the fact that she thinks that, and that she told me so. But two things: first, I really liked working at Lush. Second, the fact is that an English degree won't get you a lot of government jobs from what I can tell. A piece of advice to all people about to start university: do not major in English. Really, just don't go there unless you're positive that you're academic enough to be a professor. I used to think people who said humanities degrees were useless were just ignorant, but now I see they were actually just practical.
Wow, this is quite a depressing post. Sorry about that. So I'm left again with the question what do I do now. Obviously, I'm going to have to get a new job, but I can't really do that until June because I need a week off at the end of May to go to Nashville for the Buffy conference, which seems a bit pointless now but I can't really back out of it I guess. I also can't start a new job and ask for a week off right away.
On a lighter note, I watched some Buffy last night and this morning. It's like comfort food. My gut wanted "The Freshman" last night. Guess I could identify with it. I need someone to give me a Dadaist pep talk.