Is Cross-Stitch Analog?

If you read my “You’ve got the Job!” post,  you will see how excited I was to get my current new job. As you might know, school just got too expensive for me. I decided to sit out this quarter with the goal of finding a more consistent job that would not only pay a huge bulk of my expenses, but would also be part-time allowing me to resume school next quarter.

I scoured the job boards and shot out resumes after resumes, customizing each to fit the need of respective job descriptions. During my job hunt though, I glimpsed at job boards where my husband lives…(just to see)…and one job in particular caught my eye…

But, before I continue, let me regress to re-visit my “big picture” career goal.

When I decided to go to hotshot advertising school, there was a good reason. At that time, I was a freelance graphic designer of six years. I already had my Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree with an emphasis in graphic design and had worked as a Marketing Specialist, as well.

There were great perks to being a freelancer such as having a mobile office that isn’t bound to a specific place and time and people treating you quite differently when you’re not a salaried employee of theirs. You get to say things like, “I own my own business,” and set your own rates. Nevertheless, there were definitely disadvantages. My salary was dependent on seasons, budgets and when someone decided to finally write that check. Working at home, it was difficult separating “the office” from “the home” and there was no such thing as closing time nor weekends. For every client I had (which were many and I was grateful for), I had that equivalent number of bosses. Though I met and discussed creative strategies with owners, brand managers and development directors, I didn’t have a large agency to support my ideas nor a creative group of people to collaborate design concepts with. This last part, I found, was the biggest disadvantage to being a freelancer. I could have continued with gathering more clients and earning more money, but I wasn’t gaining momentum with my creative development.

That’s when I decided to change my career goals to: Obtain a job as a graphic designer within a collaborative creative environment in order to gain credibility and a better portfolio. This was my new “big picture” career goal I would pursue.

Attempt #1: Move from a modest city to a larger growing city where opportunities were sprouting in every crack. I would slowly ween off of my freelance clients while applying for graphic design positions in anticipation of stopping all services once I started my new job.

Guess when my husband and I made the move? It was the fall of 2008 – the fall of the great financial institution meltdown. So, while I’m giving up my clients and letting them know I’m moving to bigger and better things, I’m applying to jobs that designers from London are applying for too. But, during this time, no one realized how fast and dramatically the economy would turn on it’s back. Well, it happened and my goal of getting that advertising agency/design firm job didn’t.

Attempt #2: Go back to school to see if I can build my credentials and plump up my portfolio. I looked at getting a Masters in Graphic Design or Master of Business Administration to tack on the advertising aspects, but these didn’t seem right to me. A Masters in Graphic Design sounded like I was doing more of the same thing I already was and I wouldn’t necessarily gain any credibility. Getting a MBA seemed too administrative and not creative enough.

Then there was hotshot portfolio school.

Hotshot portfolio school would graduate me with two years of agency experience, a great portfolio and life-long job referrals. It takes two years to complete, has disciplines that emulates the creative structure of a design firm (art direction, design, photography, copywriting and interactive media) and all instructors currently are or have been involved in the industry. The school is most reputable for its connection to the mega design firms that carry accounts such as Haagen-Dazs and Microsoft. In fact, the buzz is, if you’re in the know of hiring creatives, this boutique school is the place to get your talent from. But, it’s really expensive and more creatively/academically challenging than any other challenges you’ve had before. Trust me, I consider myself an overachiever…here, I am not. Also, keep in mind, the standard self-proclaimed Masters-of-the-Universe Superstar attitudes are abound here…an environment I suffocate in.

So, now we’ve come full-circle:

I’m trying to gain some credibility and fluff-up my portfolio at hotshot portfolio school so I can get a graphic design job in collaborative creative design environment. Hence, the “big picture” career goal. But, it’s expensive, so I’ve sat out this quarter and have found a good part-time job that will pay a big chunk of bills and allow me to start again next quarter.

It was during the first week at my new job when a call came from a company, located where my husband lives, asking me to come in for a job interview. It was that one job that caught my eye while nonchalantly looking at jobs in my husband’s part of the world. In fact, it was one of those jobs that required a salary rate be stated, so I daringly put that more than normal salary amount that would only disqualify me as a candidate unless they were serious about considering me. Apparently, they were serious.

Given that I was on the spot to commit to an interview that required risking a bad start at my new job and spending the time and money to make the travel, I was somewhat out-of-sorts. I couldn’t just decline it without knowing exactly what the stakes were, so I scrutinized the poor person arranging the interview before I gave an answer I might regret. Not recommended as a response when being offered a job interview, I asked: could a phone interview be considered (“no”), how quickly will a decision be made (“by the end of the month”), when is the position available exactly (“now”) and of course the ever no-no question on the phone, how much is the position paying (“didn’t you request a salary of…”). I had completely forgotten about the salary part and was informed (very impatiently) that there were 60+ applicants for the job that was narrowed down to 10 people for in-person interviews.

All of a sudden I had to think really really fast about the pros and cons.

And I realized, I’m getting the opportunity for a graphic design position at a company that will allow for a collaborative environment so that I can gain credibility and a better portfolio. I actually had another version of how to reach my “big picture” career goal. But this would only be an opportunity and I risk my current standing of reaching the same goal if the opportunity doesn’t become real. Then I thought how nice it would be to get paid for achieving my goal (getting a graphic design job), versus paying for reaching those goals (going to school). Not to mention I can have a marriage while living with my husband, I can get paid the salary I want and there wouldn’t be two-households to pay for.

Okay, I had to go to the interview and would be foolish not to.

Since that initial interview, I’ve moved to the next round where the 10 in-person interviews were reduced to five. Those five had to submit an assigned design piece. After the design pieces were submitted and later discussed with each candidate, two were to come back again for a last round of in-person interviews with the “Big Boss.”

I am one of the two. The interview with the “Big Boss” happens next week.

In the meantime, you’re asking, “What ever happened to the new job you just got?” First of all, know that my boss and associates are really, really awesomely reasonable people. I was honest with my boss. I let him know that this opportunity was a delayed response from my initial job-search, the fact that I didn’t think it would really materialize and how I would be foolish to ignore or deny it. I also let him know that other opportunities have arisen that I’ve declined and that I really enjoy this job. Lastly, I let him know that if this graphic design position didn’t pan out, he’d have my loyalty until I graduated from hotshot advertising school. He completely agreed that I would be foolish not to consider this other opportunity. He also let me know that bringing up the matter in a honest fashion told him a lot about my sincerity regarding it. He’s cool. I’m still working there while I zip back and forth for in-person interviews. The buzz is some sort of counter-offer is being devised to keep me from potentially leaving, but I’m not sure it will include more quality time with my husband.

So…there’s my version of the potential “I quit” scenario. Not as entertaining as my last post, but I think I’ll save that method for one of those not-so-cool bosses.

The bigger issue for me right now is if I do get the design job, should I give-up hotshot portfolio school? That’s a whole different topic for another day…sigh…

If there’s a “Top 10 Spiteful Ways to Quit Your Job,” I’m pretty sure this will be on it shortly. This (former) employee sent an email with the following series of photos to all of her fellow employees. You’ll drop your jaws for it…

Full Article Here

Quick note: “Teet” is a dairy product and the different characters sitting inside paper cups (lined inside the bus packaging) are tea bags.

I was able to click these few photos before the security guard at the front desk told me it was not permissible. That’s so my genius scheme of scaling the walls, glass cutting the windows and placing ink jet printers on the black market can be foiled with poor planning due to lack of intel..Who knows why, she  just said to please stop.

Sooo….these are the photos I was able to sneak off the property. You’ll see the courtyard, rotating doors and lobby of my office building. The office itself is still getting setup, so those will come later. Also, there’s a pic of the door of The New York Times bureau office. Told you it was next to the offices I work in!

P.S. WordPress phone app initially used to create blog. See comments or “Ramen Phone App” tag for more.

I’ve been scouring the job-boards and Craigslist for every work option I can muster for myself…stressful, stressful, stressful. Even more stressful, is when nobody takes the time to let you know that you didn’t make the list at all, not to mention the short list (“We don’t care enough to let you know that ‘we just don’t care enough.’” – you get my point).

On top of all that, I couldn’t get just any job (I have that DJing). It had to be a job that can actually allow me to continue going to school and pay a big chunk of the bills. It was getting to a point where sitting-out for the quarter was turning into sitting-out for good. Going home would have been the next best option. Not an ideal option, but still an option.

So, finally after:

1- an initial phone interview,
2- an in-person interview with “the boss,”
3- a separate in-person interview with “the sales rep,”
4- an online Briggs-Myers personality test
5- and the submission of personal and professional references (and consequently, waiting nervously for those to be contacted)

I finally got the email saying a follow-up phone call was needed – ohhhh boyyyy. It was going to be either good news or bad news. It was like being in a race where you couldn’t see where any of the other runners were on the other tracks – eek!

It ended up being a call to say, “You’ve got the job!” – YAY!

Building I'm working in

So, this is great. It’s part-time (15-20 hrs), making it a good fit to start school again in October. It’s pretty good pay, considering it’s a part-time job. I was offered $4 more and am going to do less administrative work and more marketing work than was originally advertised! Woo hooo!

I’m going to be in an office on the 11th floor of a 12th floor building (next to the New York Time’s bureau office, but I’ve heard no one’s ever there), there’s a mall at the “Mall Level” (I’ll hold back from getting lunches there, but holding back from getting coffee ….*bite on knuckles…*) and I can ride my scooter to save on gas money.

I’m starting on Monday and will make sure to put up some pics.

Talk to you later!

—Ramen Girly