*note to my readers: this is the fifth and final installment in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. I started the series with a couple of job search dilemmas I am currently facing and asked if anyone else is encountering similar difficulties. Then I jumped to the other side of the balance sheet and took a look at the "up" side of being unemployed. :) The fourth post in the series is a recounting of the events that led me to my current job search.
This final post attempts to reflect on lessons learned and on the ethics of current work place practices such as "at will employment" from my perspective. I had hoped it would be shorter than it is, but constructivism and the struggle for meaning doesn't seem to be a short process when life hands us certain materials to work with. Sorry about that. :) After this series the posts should be lighter, shorter, and of more general interest to job seekers as I go about my job search.
Here are the links to the previous posts in the series. It was a story I felt that I needed to tell. Thank you for stopping by.
Intro to the series
My job search dilemma
My (other) job search dilemma
My job search joys
Getting down and dirty
Long before we met our daughter-in-law, my husband used to tell me about a guy named Laurence that he worked with at a local factory that had gone out of business many years ago.
Prairie Light eBook Series
| Prairie Light: Seasons of Light | Prairie Light: Prairie Views | |
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Monday, March 27, 2006
Part Five: Ethics and Lessons Learned
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Friday, March 17, 2006
Part Four: Getting Down and Dirty
*note to my readers: this is the fourth installment in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. I recommend starting with the other posts before reading this one, simply in order to place it in context. Since this post is a recounting rather than a reflection or discussion, you may find the other posts more interesting. You'll certainly find them shorter! :) Here are the links for the preceding posts in the series.
The problem with getting philosophical about, or gaining perspective on an actual event is that first you have to review what happened. It occurs to me as I stand on the line in the auto plant, thinking back to my last (fulltime) job (in my field), in between checking spare tires on the cars that go slowly by, that things like divorces and lawsuits are long and incredibly tedious things interesting only to those who lived them. In the end you want to get beyond them (and so does everyone else who knows you). But it’s not simple, is it, because in moving away you also struggle toward the next vista, the one that affords you the bird's eye view, that place where you can lean back and take it all in and perhaps talk about lessons learned and larger ethical issues.
However, for those of you CSI afficionados who appreciate the close camera angles and the gory details, this is my story.
The problem with getting philosophical about, or gaining perspective on an actual event is that first you have to review what happened. It occurs to me as I stand on the line in the auto plant, thinking back to my last (fulltime) job (in my field), in between checking spare tires on the cars that go slowly by, that things like divorces and lawsuits are long and incredibly tedious things interesting only to those who lived them. In the end you want to get beyond them (and so does everyone else who knows you). But it’s not simple, is it, because in moving away you also struggle toward the next vista, the one that affords you the bird's eye view, that place where you can lean back and take it all in and perhaps talk about lessons learned and larger ethical issues.
However, for those of you CSI afficionados who appreciate the close camera angles and the gory details, this is my story.
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Part Three: My Job Search Joys
*note to my readers: this is the third installment in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. Here are the links for the preceding posts in the series.
In my previous posts I've been discussing some of the dilemmas and challenges of work life and of job-hunting. I figure it's time to take a breather from such serious fare and look at the other side of the balance sheet. Life has its hardships but it also has its sweetness. We are currently in the season of Lent, looking forward to Easter and the Resurrection - and yes, to spring. I often think that if the only image we had of Jesus was his Passion, in all its gory detail as depicted in Mel Gibson's latest movie (I'm told), many of us would run screaming the other way. But I don't believe that was God's intent with the crucifixion story. He gave us so much more. He gave us all the stories of Jesus' life and all of Bible history in fact. He gave us the Resurrection. I guess what I'm saying is that we need to put things into their full context. That's also true in our own lives -
In my previous posts I've been discussing some of the dilemmas and challenges of work life and of job-hunting. I figure it's time to take a breather from such serious fare and look at the other side of the balance sheet. Life has its hardships but it also has its sweetness. We are currently in the season of Lent, looking forward to Easter and the Resurrection - and yes, to spring. I often think that if the only image we had of Jesus was his Passion, in all its gory detail as depicted in Mel Gibson's latest movie (I'm told), many of us would run screaming the other way. But I don't believe that was God's intent with the crucifixion story. He gave us so much more. He gave us all the stories of Jesus' life and all of Bible history in fact. He gave us the Resurrection. I guess what I'm saying is that we need to put things into their full context. That's also true in our own lives -
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Part Two: My (Other) Job Search Dilemma
*note to my readers: this is part two in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. Here are the links for the preceding posts in the series.
My other dilemma in trying to find work in my field IS my field, quite frankly. Information Technology is a rapidly changing field. If your present work can't or won't afford you actual work experience and/or training in the latest technologies, as is often the case, prospective employers will often consider you out-dated.
One effect of the rapidly changing technology field is to shift the normal progression of education in a person's life into reverse.
My other dilemma in trying to find work in my field IS my field, quite frankly. Information Technology is a rapidly changing field. If your present work can't or won't afford you actual work experience and/or training in the latest technologies, as is often the case, prospective employers will often consider you out-dated.
One effect of the rapidly changing technology field is to shift the normal progression of education in a person's life into reverse.
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Monday, March 13, 2006
Part One: My Job Search Dilemma
But before we get started, a couple of odd thoughts ...
Job Interviews - are you tired of the insanity? Can't there be another way (or three) that employers and employees can get to know one another or size one another up before critical decisions are made? A more frank, out-on-the-table, on-the-level meeting of the minds? Perhaps, for me this blog can accomplish that.
But beyond that, did you ever wonder who winds up getting these jobs that you read about and apply for on Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.? Wouldn't you love to follow them around for a week or few just to see what the job is like and if you really would like to do it?
On to part one, the first installment in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. The series will discuss a couple of dilemmas I am encountering on this particular job-search, take a breather and a look at some of the advantages I've found in being in job-hunt mode, then recount (as briefly as possible) the events that lead me to my job search, then back off for an philosophical overview of ethics and lessons learned. I hope to find some kindred spirits out there, smilarly engaged in job-hunting, and also some sophisticated and savvy employers. In short, I hope to help and to find help.
Job Interviews - are you tired of the insanity? Can't there be another way (or three) that employers and employees can get to know one another or size one another up before critical decisions are made? A more frank, out-on-the-table, on-the-level meeting of the minds? Perhaps, for me this blog can accomplish that.
But beyond that, did you ever wonder who winds up getting these jobs that you read about and apply for on Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.? Wouldn't you love to follow them around for a week or few just to see what the job is like and if you really would like to do it?
On to part one, the first installment in a sort of "catch up series" on my personal job-hunt. The series will discuss a couple of dilemmas I am encountering on this particular job-search, take a breather and a look at some of the advantages I've found in being in job-hunt mode, then recount (as briefly as possible) the events that lead me to my job search, then back off for an philosophical overview of ethics and lessons learned. I hope to find some kindred spirits out there, smilarly engaged in job-hunting, and also some sophisticated and savvy employers. In short, I hope to help and to find help.
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Introducing a Series on Job Hunting
Greetings on a balmy March day in the midwest!
My next series of entries will revolve around a common theme - a candid look at the challenges of finding work at this point in my life, the rewards of a career, and the ethics of certain work place practices from my own experience. Here's how I hope things will evolve- the next couple of entries will deal with a couple of key dilemmas I am experiencing in my job search. Hopefully some of my readers will be able to relate and even offer their own perspectives. Then I would like to jump to the other side of the balance sheet and take a look at some blessings and things I have to be thankful for in my work life. The final post, if I get to it, will deal with some ethical questions about realities in our present day work environment that have touched me personally, issues such as "at will employment" and equity and fairness, and how I feel about these things.
Scattered throughout, you will find my hopes and dreams and my fears. :) So if you're curious, consider this post your road map, and drive on to part one!
JuneBug
My next series of entries will revolve around a common theme - a candid look at the challenges of finding work at this point in my life, the rewards of a career, and the ethics of certain work place practices from my own experience. Here's how I hope things will evolve- the next couple of entries will deal with a couple of key dilemmas I am experiencing in my job search. Hopefully some of my readers will be able to relate and even offer their own perspectives. Then I would like to jump to the other side of the balance sheet and take a look at some blessings and things I have to be thankful for in my work life. The final post, if I get to it, will deal with some ethical questions about realities in our present day work environment that have touched me personally, issues such as "at will employment" and equity and fairness, and how I feel about these things.
Scattered throughout, you will find my hopes and dreams and my fears. :) So if you're curious, consider this post your road map, and drive on to part one!
JuneBug
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Looking toward spring
In our neck of the woods, spirea is one of the earlier blooming bushes of spring. I always look forward to the fragrant grace of spirea's long, cascading white branches. Here is a pic of abundant spirea blooms taken with my Olympus C3030 digital camera.
Happy Spring Shutterbugging!
JuneBug
I wanted to use this photo for computer wall paper, but it didn't possess the sharpness and detail I had hoped for at larger sizes - perhaps due to camera shake or memory limitations or whatever. At any rate, I tried out Photoshop's palette knife effect to make the image look more like a painting. I was pleased with the results. The image seems almost impressionistic in how it relays a moment of light and color on a young spring morning.
Click on image to see full size photo
Happy Spring Shutterbugging!
JuneBug
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
Friday, March 03, 2006
The Down Side of Flower Power
Something insidious has been happening in our society. It's been going on for a long, long time, but I just put my finger on it the other day when listening to President Bush's speech in India.
Neither Benny or I are big fans of President Bush or the Iraq war. Having grown up in the Viet Nam era, it makes me feel so sad that we're back at it with a new generation of young people after so long. But when President Bush said, "Don't fall for the assumption that people are satisfied with the status quo of tyranny and abuse in their countries - rather, side with the rebels and the forces of freedom, and give them the opportunity to make their own choice," it made me think.
Neither Benny or I are big fans of President Bush or the Iraq war. Having grown up in the Viet Nam era, it makes me feel so sad that we're back at it with a new generation of young people after so long. But when President Bush said, "Don't fall for the assumption that people are satisfied with the status quo of tyranny and abuse in their countries - rather, side with the rebels and the forces of freedom, and give them the opportunity to make their own choice," it made me think.
A sixties child, an idealist, and a survivor / refugee from the 20th Century! (although sometimes I really miss the 20th Century. ;) )
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