"The Book of Me, Written by You" - Jobs and Careers

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations.

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

This is a journey of finding yourself and how your loved ones see you in their eyes. Further, this can be online and carried forward to share, if you wish, to future generations. - See more at: http://joannfitz.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/the-book-of-me-written-by-you-topic-1.html#sthash.2TuO2bVu.dpuf

The prompt for the week is:    

Jobs and Careers

The Brief:

• Did you have a Saturday job, holiday job?
• Where was it?
• What did you do?
• Can you recall who you worked for and with?
• What was the biggest / most important thing you learnt here?
• Did it inspire your future?
• Do you have any pictures / photos / clippings?
• Did you have full / part time job?
• Job or career
• Does it not matter?
• Is it the same?
• Did you enjoy what you did? - Why?
• Was it a passion or a means to an end?
• Who did you work with?
• Did you have work place reviews?
• Did they fit with your personal plan?
• Did you have a career / employment work plan?
• Did you stay at home?
• Or did you really want to?
• Did you have employment hopes and dreams
• Regrets

While growing up, I started having "jobs" outside of the house at about the age of 12. These were a range of things from babysitting, to picking up trash outside of businesses, to helping deliver newspapers, to wash dishes, to be a prep cook in a bar, to washing down stock shelves that were layered with oil and then you have the toilets to scrub before businesses opened again just to name a few things I've done before the age of 18. Yep, I was a worker.

Work after high school
By the age of 18, I worked on Saturday's and after school at the High School's pool as a student swimming aide. By the summer, they put me in charge of kids from 4 to about 13 that couldn't even put their faces in the water and there were about 2 dozen of them! I still remember when I couldn't

figure out why one of the kids wouldn't even get into the water which puzzled me. When the mother came to get the child I asked her what would be the reason for this. After asking me if I couldn't handle her son, I told her that's not what I asked - I asked why he wouldn't get into the water. After awhile she broke down saying his twin brother died from drowning. Duh! And she didn't think about telling someone? *sigh*  On a positive note, by the end of the summer, I had all of my students up at different levels but they were more than one level up from my basic level, so I was very pleased. In fact, one of the kids that had the biggest problem of putting her face in the water, made up to jumping off of the diving board but she wouldn't do it unless I did it first and then they couldn't keep her off of it. The little boy I mentioned above with the twin? He was swimming above and below the water by the end of the summer, but he hadn't made it to jumping off of the diving board - yet.

Summer vacations
Between high school and trade school and starting the local community college (see prior posts for this information) I worked for temp agencies. It was interesting if nothing else due to the fact I had no office experience to go by. The best one was a local oxygen supplier for people with breathing difficulties. You never knew what you were going to run into and more often than not you would get panicked people, not because they ran out, but they were on their last part of breathing oxygen. Most of the time it was going to be delivered on that day, but the customers "forgot". I think that's how I've learned not to panic with most situations and just deal with what you can and start a list - lists are
what makes the world go around and have saved me loads of times over the years. Also, you are rewarded if you keep up great work as I actually was awarded a Tiffany necklace because of my work.

Working at the community colleges
After that summer, I started at the local community college as I've listed in prior posts. After about a year, I found out I could work in the labs between classes. I wouldn't have to leave the place, and I could fit in work between classes instead of just having to find a place to hang out. I learned about
backing up, different types of computer and audio visual equipment, and just want people, who spend hours in the labs, actually do. Interesting if nothing else. Besides, it brought in the much needed money as my mother was laid off from her job.

As I've just stated, my mother lost her job, which was a big blow to us because even with unemployment checks, we were not going to have enough to buy food with, run the cars or any of the other necessities you have. I then started working at the local Super 8 Motel, as a front desk clerk. I would work mainly on the weekends, but during the summers or when they needed me I would work. In fact, I even started helping out at the Middletown, NY Super 8 for awhile too. What would be tricky would be when I was slated to work until 4pm at one and start at the other one at 4pm. I told them I didn't care what they did, but I needed

Super 8 in Montgomery where I spent almost 4 years working

about 30 minutes between these times - I had to get something to eat AND drive from one place to another unless they knew of some way they could beam me there. Somehow it all worked out. The main thing that I learned while working at these places? Be nice but be strong with everyone. If you weren't this way with customers, they would walk all over you. If you weren't this way with the bosses and other workers, again they would walk all over you. After almost 4 years of this, I finally had enough, and walked out after giving notice. However, the management must have thought I was kidding as when I went away to college, they actually called my house asking if I could work - after I gave notice and walked out. I guess some people are thick headed like that.

As for working the labs and at Super 8, I was approached to tutor other students by advisers. I asked they why on earth would they think I would be good at it and I would be screwing up these students as badly as I was. They denied that, and thought I'd do a good job. I worked as a tutor on and off for the next 3 years. I tutored in different things from WordPerfect and Lotus (yes it was that far back ok?) to coding in COBOL and answering questions in RPG. I have to admit the coding stuff was great! Lessons learned here were sometimes you had to be patient even when you wanted to slam someone's head into the keyboard/monitor/desk and sometimes you had to say things in more than one way. Further, make sure you backed up and talked with the teacher of the class so you knew if you had to try other things.

Life after colleges
After starting at SUNY, and working more jobs at the temp agency and other part time jobs, I learned that you must be able to get along with the bosses and there are better ones out there than others. Ones that would listen and ones that wouldn't.

Employment in Australia
I found this country is probably one of the hardest to actually gain full time employment - and keep it - in. I've never had jobs that I had a hard time keeping and they were sad for me to leave. I even had one where they were looking for any and all reasons to fire the person that normally had the job so I could stay. I had to talk them out of this due to ligation but even then it was over 2 weeks of talks with them.

I started with Hayes Employment which I had a temp job with. I figured it was a foot in the door with IT and AV equipment with a college. No problem. I know all about the politics that went along with it. It was supposed to be 2 nights a week unless they needed someone. Well, that 2 nights went to 5 nights fairly quickly (within 2 weeks) and I was getting called in even after I told them I wouldn't be available on certain days. What I found was the other 2 people in the full time positions, were calling me in and then going down to the local pub and drinking and picking up women. I lasted less than 3 months (a month after I found out and told them to stop or else I was out).

Then it took me another 4 months to find another position. This one I found on my own with P&O. It

wasn't hard but it was frustrating as they listed me as an EDP Operator (who uses those terms in the late 1990's??). However, they expected me to keypunch, run the mainframe and backups, play IT help desk and a range of other IT duties. Don't get me wrong, I loved it, but I was pulling about 50-60 hours a week, without the IT pay and without the title. Then they sold off about half of the business. They wanted me with the new business but in the accounting department. When I asked about duties they said the same thing as I was currently doing. Really? I asked about pay (the same) and then about a title (the same). Again really? My boss was going to stay with the head company, but I was to go with the new company. I could see it would be a bad decision, and I was made redundant and given a package. Again, off to look for that job.

The ACFE office where I spent hours

I had a few odds and ends jobs here and there but nothing stable.

After 3 long years of looking, I finally landed a job with Adult, Community and Further Education which as a small business. It was only after I was there, temping, for a bit, I realized it was part of the
Victorian Government, which I figure would be stable (as in I was going to be employed) so I could settle in and deal with politics of the place. After nearly 6 years there, my whole level was made redundant. Off to the woods I go, looking for that job.



Current
Since then, I've went back and gotten my Certificate IV in Web Based Technologies. I've also taken up writing my blogs (a personal blog, a genealogy blog, and an IT blog). I have started reading and doing family genealogy and indexing again.

I have been teaching at a few Learn Locals which teaches community people different skills. Its very rewarding and its very interesting. However, the downside is there just isn't enough promised work or the base rate isn't very high, which isn't the fault of the Learn Locals - its because the government doesn't give enough money out for these types of services.

I am looking for work doing Web Based Technology (web design, web content) type of work, but as I don't have any commercial, only personal for our web page for about 18 years, and I'm trying to keep up with the technology in this area, but not many businesses are looking to give people a shot - they look at the lack of experience in this area or the age of the applicant - and they reject the applications. Its very frustrating.

The Future
I will continue on looking for web paging work. However, I think I'm going to be forced to either go back into admin and finance, which is what I was doing, or spend the money to someone to basically buy a internship. I remember when internships you were given an interview and either accepted or not. I feel buying (or paying money for a company to get you one) is wrong. That's why I'm having such a hard time with that one.

However, that being said, I don't want to stop the teaching - weather its at night or on the weekends, I'd still want to teach and help out the community.

If you are looking for people to hire, why not hire someone that is a tiny bit older? I still have a good 30 or so years before the government will let me retire.

  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

"The Book of Me, Written by You" - When I grow up I want to be........

The prompt for the week is:    

When I grow up I want to be........

The Brief:

• What did you want to be?
• What inspired you?
• Did you become what you wanted to be or did you do something different?
• - was that deliberate or simply the way things worked out?
• Did you follow your childhood dream and it not be at all what you though?

When I first read this topic, it took me back to primary or elementary school. I think it was in grade 1, we had to draw and cut out us dressed in what we wanted to become. Problem wasn't that I didn't know, but how on Earth did you draw an astronaut? I asked the teacher and she didn't know, so I had to pick something else and didn't know what. I sat there almost the entire time thinking...what can I become. The only thing else was a cowgirl because I liked the thought of riding on a horse all day long. It was done quickly as most of the time everyone else had I sat there thinking of what I could do, so had very little time left to actually do the work. These were to be used for Parent/Teacher conferences so you can take your parents over to where you sit and talk about what you want to become. The thing is we never went because my mother had to work, so the whole thing was work gone to waste. As if that wasn't enough of a disappointment, but my desk was the only desk that wasn't touched - everyone had basically nothing left on the desk, but mine was still sitting there as I left it the day before. Talk about not being like everyone else.




Then as I was growing up, I loved the library so I had thought of going to work in one of those. However, I'm a loud person when I get going, so a quiet library and me just didn't work well together.




As time went on, I found typewriters, which lead to talk about business and banking and then eventually computers. I thought about becoming a bank teller but that seemed boring. Then I thought about being a business person, but thought it wasn't varied enough for me. I didn't mind the financial side of things, so I decided to see if I could do something with computers, financials and business. This lead me to grade 11 and I wanted to go to the Vocational Center, also called BOCES to us.I already had a few classes of business taken, so I figured a computer class with business was pretty good and that lead me to Business Computer Technology which I completed by the time I finished year 12. I found I was good at it and even went to a conference where we competed against each other and tied for 5th in all of the state of New York for Financial Information Processing.

By the time I attended Orange County Community College in Middletown, NY, I was feeling pretty confident only to have that dashed the first few terms as the requirements had doubled from what I was used to, so I was feeling a bit like a fish out of water. However, within 3 years, I was actually tutoring other students, helping in the labs and doing pretty good in my courses. In 1994 I completed my Associates degree in Computer Information Systems.

I did start at SUNY of Technology at Utica/Rome in Rome, NY, but found I just didn't have enough financial help to actually continue. Topped with that, I had met my husband and had planned on getting married.

Since then, I have strived to be apart of different aspects of the IT world - however, we have a love/hate relationship - I love the stuff but companies hate or don't like my qualifications enough to let me keep or give me a job in that field.

In 2013, I decided to take another hobby I was doing - our personal website - and get a Certificate 4 in Web Based Technologies which includes creating websites. I finished the course in 2014, with a High Distinction based grade. I am currently waiting for my certificate to arrive in the mail. I'm now gearing up to go out and see if I can get a position in the business world doing this type of work.

So to answer the overall question, I guess I'm still trying to grow up and figure out what I want to be...

I cannot believe how hard it is to get into this field. I chose this field because I figured with the changing in technologies, it would be easier to get a position but I'm finding that its almost impossible.  It is a real let down, but I feel if I can get a start with a business who isn't going to sell half of its business or there's another financial crisis I will be fine in this type of employment.

  Check back for the continuation of "The Book of me, Written by You" series.    

29 January 2013 - A New Beginning

Hi Everyone & Welcome to those of you who haven't read this before. :)

As everyone who knows me, knows, I've been fairly busy with my job for the Vic State Government. However, since the afternoon of 25th January 2013, I no longer have a job. Yep, another redundancy. Great. At first it hurt, then the thought of all those people we were helping and they are not going to get the help like they were any longer. That, in turn, will reflect upon the learners we are helping; however, the state government does not see it that way. They needed to "cut the fat" and so decided to slash our department by 50%.

Anyhow, its time to move on and get back into my IT knowledge. Thankfully, I've had 3 major organizations ask me to help them out - 2 by teaching and 1 by stats. The stats one, is having problems because of requirement problems (ie they say they haven't submitted the documents, but they say they have). The other 2 asked me to teach digital literacy but only one has given me paperwork to fill out.  On 6 Feb 2013, I will start teaching 2 classes - Intro to Word and Computers the Next Step.

As if I was in any danger of being board, I've also signed up to take classes to get my Cert 4 in Web Based Technology. I figure I love doing that type of stuff, so why not get something that I love. That started today. Although I'm a bit confused as usually we get power point presentations and books, but it seems all I've got are links and not really any documentation. Very confused on that one.

Today felt like I was on holidays instead of being basically unemployed.

Once I got going, I went for a 3 km walk with Buddy. He's now computer exhausted and sleeping away. Then I measured up some windows thinking maybe I'll get some new blinds on the bottom of some of the rooms. I also made a list of some stuff that I need for my desk. Off I went to the local shopping centre to find some of the things on the list. I put some pictures in to be printed, but with the salesgirl's attitude, I wasn't going to stick around for a 3 hour break. Then I came home and put most of the things away and ate lunch. By that point, Brett was almost home from work.

I did get to watch most of the news, Home and Away, and Packed to the Rafters. Thankfully all the shows are coming back on. Packed to the Rafters was pretty good. I felt for Rita because we have gone through miscarriages and things. I do have one annoyance though - why don't you finally let Ben get on with his life? Why keep bringing up his dead wife. I can understand having a hard time with the death, but come on - its been years. Give the guy a break and let him move on already!!

I figured as I'll be online more and have less and different responsibilities, I'll start this blog back up again. I'll also have to factor some time in to redoing the websites.

Can I get any comments out there? Or am I sitting here talking to myself? (Its probably the latter but Ohhh what fun I have!! *grin*)