Change is constant but all at once?

Somehow it feels like once I blog something, it becomes official. I can tell people and sign papers and stuff but until I post it here, it's like it hasn't really happened. Anyways. I've tried starting this entry a few times. Here it finally is.

I have news. Big news for me.

I have a new job.

Well, I have ANOTHER job. I'm not quitting my day job. Far from it. But, I did get another job on top. Why?

"They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get different results."

I've been slowly going insane for the past year. I have debt. Approximately half of it is from CM, half is just from bad choices. I have been, with the help of some wonderfully supportive friends, working to get it under control but I'm still just managing it. I have finally realized that if I want to get rid of it, I need to increase my cashflow and get serious about eliminating my debt.

I've been batting around the idea of a second job for awhile. Thinking about what I might want to do and what I CAN do, without quitting my day job. I like my day job. I really do. I like what I do and I'm good at it. The thing is, I'm hitting my seven year itch (actually it's more like 8.5 but who's counting?) and I'm getting tired of sitting behind a desk. So, I started thinking about where I could work that would be totally different from what I do 9-5, Monday to Friday.

My first thought was Starbucks. I love it there. It's a great place, a great company, I have friends that work there and I'd love to join that team. The thing is they're open until 11pm most nights and then you have to clean up. Now I'm not stupid. I KNOW I need my sleep and if I worked from say, 8-4:30 and then 5-11 I would NOT be able to function the next day. I want to increase my cashflow but not at the expense of my health and sanity.

So I turned my attention to the mall. Christmas is coming so I figured they'd probably be looking for seasonal staff. That way I can get some hours and get a feel for what working two jobs is like. I logged on to their website and found a few options but in typical Heidi fashion I didn't follow up.

A few days later there was a big quarter page ad in the paper advertising a job fair at the mall. It was great. It gave me a deadline because really. If you're going to drop off a bunch of resumes, why not do it when they're expecting you and willing to look at them!

The job fair was on Thursday. Last minute I found my old resume (not the one I used for this job but one that I could tailor to retail a lot easier) and banged out a cover letter. The cover letter was kind of an after thought but I think it really made a difference. Here's my cover letter.

Thank you for taking the time to review my application. My name is Heidi and I am employed locally, full time from 8 – 4:30 Monday to Friday. I am interested in securing a part time position to supplement my income and expose me to new learning opportunities.

The retail field is new to me although I do have some sales experience through my time with Creative Memories, a direct sales organization. I have extensive experience with customer service both in person and over the phone and enjoy working with the customer to find a mutually acceptable solution. I work well in a team or alone and am a quick learner.

I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your staffing requirements further.

Not bad considering I hardly took any time on it hey?

So, Thursday, armed with about ten resumes and cover letters, I went to the mall. I had reviewed the list of stores that were hiring and I applied at about 1/3 of them. Places I would like to work and could be comfortable in. One of them had me fill out an application form. One had me fill out an availability form and said they'd be calling on Wednesday (which, you'll note is tomorrow).

Friday morning at 9am I got a call. "Can you come in for an interview tomorrow?" (Saturday at 9) Yep! Saturday I had the interview, "Can you start training tomorrow?" Yep! I had my second round of training yesterday (Monday) I'll be on the schedule for next week.

I'm working at Northern Reflections. It's a women's clothing store. They have really nice casual clothing. I am required to purchase and wear the clothing but I won't have that many shifts (at least until the Christmas season starts in earnest) so I can build up without breaking the bank.

So there. That's my big news along with my thought process for why and the story of how it happened. With all the other change that's going on (Seth moving out, Robert moving in, Meredith moving away) adding a new job on top is kind of crazy but it's working. In store retail is totally new for me but so far it hasn't been overwhelming or strange which is good.

It's kind of funny too because when I did my first practicum (at the job that I ended up staying at for 7 years) I was only supposed to be there for 50 hours and then I was going to do 50 hours either in the library or a retail location. So I've always wanted to TRY retail. Now I get that chance! And I can use it to take control of my life.

Yeah me :)

~Heidi