Well, some of you know already, but I thought I owed it to my project here and the rest of you to let you in on the big happening as of late in my life: I'm moving back to Seattle. Tomorrow. Seriously.
It started with my last trip back there for Michael and Lia's wedding. Apart from the visit evoking strong homesickness, It also brought about the draining of my savings account. I decided I needed to look for employment, and about 3 weeks ago, intent on staying in the Pocatello area and finishing out the harvest, I applied to Convergys (After having applied to numerous other, more "me" jobs, but less "attainable" jobs in the past). After receiving a second interview from Convergys, who deal primarily with telephone support of Direct TV subscribers. Now, I'm not knocking the company, and many of my family do currently, and have worked there in the past. Convergys seems to be doing well and hiring employees and growing when many other companies in the area seem to be floundering.
But just the same, I started getting a feeling of disease with the situation. First of all, my options for my planned trip back to Seattle for Dana and Lauren's wedding were not looking good. Convergys has a mandatory 5-week training that means I would have had to miss the bachelor party, buy a different plane ticket to go over there, and try for some kind of vacation in the first 2 months of employment. That doesn't seem like a good starting position for me. It just didn't feel right.
About the same day of my first interview (I believe it was Thursday, July 14, one week exactly before today!), I called the warehouse manager at Micro Computer Systems, the company I worked for previously in Lynnwood, and asked him how the summer was going. He mentioned that the summer had not been going as well as he was hoping, and I asked him how much he would hire me back for, if I were to come back and work for him. Some figures got thrown around, and I ended up really thinking hard about it that night, and discussing it with my parents.
We talked about what to do with the vegetables and the chickens (Who haven't even started laying yet!), and who was going to cook dinner anymore, and general farm maintenance inquiries. At the end of the day, It came down to me knowing that I had always been planning to leave at about a year from moving here (And it has been 11 months, believe it or not), I had run out of my savings, and I had a good opportunity to hit the ground running in a geographical and social environment that I genuinely enjoy.
The tentative plan here now is this: I'll be working in the warehouse at Micro, delivering, driving, and doing warehouse work. I'm not at all thinking that the warehouse will be permanent employment for the long term (Not from my own intent, but the company notoriously runs out of summer warehouse work sometime around the end of September, and I can't count on anything past that), so I'm going to be putting out feelers in the meantime, seeing what I can come up with. But from what I would imagine to guess, it is much easier to get a job in an area when you are actually in that area. Go figure.
So here I am. Off on the verge of another journey. Have I left the last one unfinished, or did I just get the ball rolling for my parents to continue on what I have been doing? I guess that is something I'm going to have to decide and live with by myself. I'm not sure if I'll post to this blog again. I might make a different one, if I'm inspired to by some projects I take on in the PNW.
Until next time,
-Jon E
It started with my last trip back there for Michael and Lia's wedding. Apart from the visit evoking strong homesickness, It also brought about the draining of my savings account. I decided I needed to look for employment, and about 3 weeks ago, intent on staying in the Pocatello area and finishing out the harvest, I applied to Convergys (After having applied to numerous other, more "me" jobs, but less "attainable" jobs in the past). After receiving a second interview from Convergys, who deal primarily with telephone support of Direct TV subscribers. Now, I'm not knocking the company, and many of my family do currently, and have worked there in the past. Convergys seems to be doing well and hiring employees and growing when many other companies in the area seem to be floundering.
But just the same, I started getting a feeling of disease with the situation. First of all, my options for my planned trip back to Seattle for Dana and Lauren's wedding were not looking good. Convergys has a mandatory 5-week training that means I would have had to miss the bachelor party, buy a different plane ticket to go over there, and try for some kind of vacation in the first 2 months of employment. That doesn't seem like a good starting position for me. It just didn't feel right.
About the same day of my first interview (I believe it was Thursday, July 14, one week exactly before today!), I called the warehouse manager at Micro Computer Systems, the company I worked for previously in Lynnwood, and asked him how the summer was going. He mentioned that the summer had not been going as well as he was hoping, and I asked him how much he would hire me back for, if I were to come back and work for him. Some figures got thrown around, and I ended up really thinking hard about it that night, and discussing it with my parents.
We talked about what to do with the vegetables and the chickens (Who haven't even started laying yet!), and who was going to cook dinner anymore, and general farm maintenance inquiries. At the end of the day, It came down to me knowing that I had always been planning to leave at about a year from moving here (And it has been 11 months, believe it or not), I had run out of my savings, and I had a good opportunity to hit the ground running in a geographical and social environment that I genuinely enjoy.
The tentative plan here now is this: I'll be working in the warehouse at Micro, delivering, driving, and doing warehouse work. I'm not at all thinking that the warehouse will be permanent employment for the long term (Not from my own intent, but the company notoriously runs out of summer warehouse work sometime around the end of September, and I can't count on anything past that), so I'm going to be putting out feelers in the meantime, seeing what I can come up with. But from what I would imagine to guess, it is much easier to get a job in an area when you are actually in that area. Go figure.
So here I am. Off on the verge of another journey. Have I left the last one unfinished, or did I just get the ball rolling for my parents to continue on what I have been doing? I guess that is something I'm going to have to decide and live with by myself. I'm not sure if I'll post to this blog again. I might make a different one, if I'm inspired to by some projects I take on in the PNW.
Until next time,
-Jon E
Congratulations on going toward your dream, Jon. I so enjoy your blogging and, from my own experience, the Idaho experience seems to stay with one, even if it is in the background. I know your folks have enjoyed you there and I know I have enjoyed vicariously enjoying you there. Good luck in all you do..... I will certainly be looking forward to you next blogging. Prayers and blessings go with you. Barb
ReplyDeleteGood luck to you on you next adventure. I sure do wish we had gotten the chance to trade "brew" but maybe that will come later down the line. Be safe and keep us posted. Hugs and prayers for success and happiness.
ReplyDeleteWendy