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Temping
November 26, 2006 by allison cLast week I went in for an interview with a temp agency. I went through a friend of the family, but treated my meeting like a real interview. It turned out that the interview was not really a strict one. I think I learned more about the woman interviewing me than she learned about me. It was a very laid back interview that I had no reason to be nervous for. Though I’m sure looking and acting professional was the best thing to do, I do not think that for this particular circumstance it was necessary.
Right now my Creative Memories business is finally picking up. Most of my business is through my family, but now that I’m back at home I can tap in on my connections here. Since I will not be staying here for a long period of time, I’m a little sad that I know that I can build a successful business here and not in NY. Once I get back to the empire state I will have my car so that it will be easier to get my business started along with getting a job. I have been doing quite a bit of volunteer work, which will help me in the long run.
At the local YMCA I’ve volunteered to start a newsletter for the Black and Latino club to promote their club and help them with their writing. I am considered their editor, which will help immensly with getting experience with publishing. I’ve recently come across a publishing summer program at the University of Denver that I think that I will try to apply for. My hopes of becoming an editor are still floating next to my new business.
Right now I can positively say that I’m living day to day business wise. Because of all my moving, it is hard to get a permanent job. Personally, I’d rather go back to school and get my masters, but that’s a whole other story. -
It’s been a while
October 23, 2006 by allison cWell, since my last post quite a bit has happened. Along with trying to get my little scrapbooking business up and running, my computer had to be sent in to repair. Turns out, it did not take the seven days that Apple told me, it took 14. Of course with my computer luck, more problems ensued after I got it back. Computers do not tend to like me much.
I went to the local YMCA to try to get a scrapbooking program started. That did not turn out as well as I hoped. The woman I talked to was very pleasant and excited about scrapbooking, but did not realize that it does get expensive. Her program had 150+ kids in it so that was not going to work out well for either of us. Something good did happen out of this though. The coordinator also runs a Black and Latino program, which sounds like it’s taking off. After she found out that I graduated with an English degree, she was interested to know if I would like to help with getting a bi-weekly newsletter running. I was ecstatic to say the least. Although it would be on a volunteer basis, I see this as a great experience building opportunity for my future editing career. She said that she wanted me to work as an editor for all the high school kids who would be writing it! I was very excited. We sat for a good hour thinking of all the segments and articles that we could do. I would be the one helping them get it all together and teach them how to report and write well. On top of that, she said that there are a lot of volunteers and they might be interested in scrapbooking. I also expect to meet a lot of new friends, as I do not have to many out here yet. It does get a little lonely sometimes.
Along with my unexpected foot forward for my editing career, I had my first Get Together last week. I was so nervous and stressed out that I broke out in pimples. The whole thing went pretty well for my first presentation. I just cannot wait for all this to be over and to have a loyal clienttell base. My leader said that the first year would be the hardest, but to try to work hard. I think that when I come back from the holidays and have a full-time job, I will be a little more at ease. With a steady income I don’t think that I’ll be so anxious to get clients. Hopefully since I will not be stressing out about it I will be able to get clients with a snap. Wishful thinking, but it will be easier when I’m not feeling so pressured.
Besides all this, with all of my scheming to get jobs from home I’ve been taken by two scams. Well one scam and one “job” that is pretty much a scam in my eyes. I found a posting on Craigslist for a typist. The ad said that they needed someone to type up ads and that people would give me their information to type up. I thought that it was a legitimate ad, but I had my dad and boyfriend check it out too. After they thought it was okay, I sent in my $14 and got my training information. Well, that was a bust. What they wanted me to do was send out the same kind of ad that I responded to. I was not going to trick people into something that I fell for. I tried to contest the purchase, but that did not work. I deleted the information and have sworn off ‘from home’ jobs forever. I was not going to lead people to fall for dirty tricks. So now, I’m just going to have to find a job outside of the home. For now it is hard because I’m going out of town for a month and a half and do not have a car. At least I know that the scrapbooking is not a scam. Lesson learned: do not fall for easy money. -
The light at the end of the tunnel
October 01, 2006 by allison cThis week I met with a woman at RPI’s family housing to talk to her about a free scrap booking program. To my surprise she had actually heard of Creative Memories before and was enthusiastic about it. Our meeting only lasted about fifteen minutes, but I got myself a gig at the community center hosting a get together. Residence Life is sponsoring the program so I don’t even have to put out fliers, which is good because no one is responding to the ones I posted. The day that we have scheduled isn’t until mid-October so I still have to work hard to find people who would be interested in memory books, but at least I have some hope now. I have to admit, if you couldn’t tell, that I was beginning to become discouraged.
After doing nothing for a day, I remembered how lazy and boring things get when you do not want to assert yourself. As a result, I got myself motivated and prepared a list of places that I want to visit on Monday. Taking time to revisit my goals and plan out a strategy looks like something that I’ll have to keep doing to keep my little engine running. I did not spend four years in college to waste away on the couch watching TV.
So if you’re feeling a little in the dumps like I was, try taking time to relax and recharge. Get your goals back in sight and try again. As New Found Glory says “Failure’s not flattering.” -
Starting to feel a little nervous
September 27, 2006 by allison cNow that I’ve started with Creative Memories, I have to find people who want to come to my sessions to learn how to scrapbook. I’m feeling a little apprehensive about it all. I’m in a town full of geeky tech college students. There are way more guys here than girls, so I don’t know if anyone will really be interested. I’ve posted fliers and sent out some email, but haven’t gotten any responses back. One club, which consists of mostly guys, was not interested at all. That is pulling my hopes down a little.
I have an appointment with the program coordinator for the dorms at RPI tomorrow. I’m hopeful for that, but still a little uncertain. What if she decides that this isn’t a good thing for the students? If I can’t get the ball rolling I’m afraid that I’ll crash. My consultant continues to be really supportive so at least I have her, but I’m surrounded by people who are utterly uninterested in scrapbooks.
On top of that, the product that I was planning to make a killing on isn’t going to be released until Nov. 1st instead of Oct. 1st. I’m supposed to make a certain retail min. in order to get a successful start. I’m pretty sure that once I can get a good client base I’ll be set, but right now I’m feeling pretty blue. It would help if I knew people out here, but with the move, I know about five people and two of them are my fellow consultants. They obviously are doing well in this company, but I just feel lost and frankly, scared that I won’t be able to make an income. I just don’t want to be loosing money on this. I of course love scrapbooking so the tools won’t be a waste, but I really want to be able to support myself. -
New job opportunities
September 20, 2006 by allison cI’ve started a new job. It’s a real money-paying job! None of this volunteer stuff; not that I don’t like to volunteer, but I’m actually getting paid now! After reading a suggestion from a response I got from one of my recent posts, I emailed my local Creative Memories consultant and asked if I could be a consultant. It was as easy as that! I’m about to sign my contract and everyone I’ve met is really nice and very helpful. The company is on a pyramid system, but there is plenty of room to move up and not a lot of competition for positions. It’s one of those kinds of things that you benefit from the people under them, but don’t take money from them. The leaders train the new consultants and get rewarded for recruiting as well as training. It’s a very friendly environment. The best thing about it, is that you can do it anywhere. I was having a hard time trying to figure out what I was going to do after my move to New York because I plan to go back home to California for two months to stay for the holidays. This is great because I can virtually do it anywhere!
Not only is the company made to make scrapbooks, but they also help clients organize all of the their pictures and teach them how to do everything digitally if they want to. I just think it’s great because they really encourage their consultants to try their hardest to motivate their clients.
As well as doing CM, I’ve also been hired on by an out of country company who sells products to the United States. I’m the middle man who tells them that the customer has paid on this end and that it is okay for them to send their product. After, I forward them the money and get to keep 10% of the profit. I haven’t actually started, but it sure sounds like an easy way to make money. It is a plus because this is also a job that I can do from anywhere.
I recieved and email today from the man in charge saying that he would send me the packet giving me instructions. When I had applied, I didn’t even think that my application went through because I recieved one of those Mailer-Demon messages directly after sending. It was definitely a nice surprise. More income! Woo-hoo! That’s always a plus. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m curious myself. I was a little wary at first, but the application didn’t ask for any really personal information, so I thought it was okay. I wouldn’t have sent anything in if they asked for my ssn or any account numbers.
Today I found the local post office and on the way I stopped in at the library and applied for volunteer work in the children‚Äôs center. I’m hoping that these three new things will keep me busy here.
I’m really looking forward to CM because I love memory books. There is also a cool product that they are offering that I’m totally stoked about. You can actually make your own picture book of memories. It’s so great for people who don’t have time to make their own memory books. I was even wondering if you could publish children’s books this way, but I’m not sure. It seems like you could since you write your story and have your picture. I guess I’ll have to see. I supposed it wouldn’t really be published, but it would be a nice hardbound book of whatever I write. Now I’m curious if that’s a good way to go for children’s picture books… hmmm.
When the new school semester starts after the holidays I also plan to go take some classes at the local junior college. I hate to say it, but I miss school. K-Bachelors Degree really puts you in a routine. -
Up and gone
September 13, 2006 by allison cWell, I finally moved to New York. You might say, ‘wow, you’ll have great chances to get out into the job force, right?’ Wrong. I’m in upstate New York in a little city named Troy. It is located only miles away from the state capitol, Albany, but there are not many places where I would be itching to work at. Sure, I’m probably going to find some kind of job, but I highly doubt that it will be in writing. For now all I’m doing is getting my apartment all settled and my clothes out of my bags.
So far I’ve lined up a small interview with a scrapbooking company. I think that the company gives the option of working from your home because my hopeful future employer asked me to have ‘tea’ at her house before her kids get home from school. I’m just thankful that being called a “consultant” does not mean that all I do is host parties. Hopefully that goes well, since I’m only looking for a part-time job. I will be going home for about two months for the holidays, which means that it is hard to find a good job now and squashes my chances of taking any night classes.
On the plane from California to New York I was reading an old issue of US News Weekly. They said that most of the jobs are now in the business industry. I know nothing about business. I’m starting to think that even though I got my BA in English only three months ago that I should enroll in some business classes at the local community college. -
Finally getting somewhere
September 01, 2006 by allison cAfter coming to the close of my first real assignment at the role-playing game I started working at, I’ve realized that I’m finally getting somewhere. It doesn’t matter if this gig is on a volunteer basis. I’ve only gone through two drafts and I feel like my skills are improving by leaps and bounds. My editors are very nice and easy to talk to while also giving very detailed and informative feedback. If I make a mistake, they tell me what I need to change and why it was wrong. I feel like I’m learning so much!
In college workshops I felt like everyone disliked my writing and would pick at it because they thought that they were the best. I thank them for conditioning me, but now I realize that editors do not have to be so cruel. Knowing that the people who are helping me define my descriptive writing style actually care about how they deliver their comments makes a whole world of difference.
Also, since this game is a non-profit game it makes me feel good that others are having fun at something that I’m helping to create. It is a text-based game so kids and teenagers are forced to read if they want to figure out the clues. I really like how reading can be shaped into fun. When I was avidly applying to graduate school, one of my main concerns was to try to encourage kids to have fun reading. I’m very glad that I’m actually doing that now.
So far this game has made a world of difference in my writing abilities as well as my self-confidence. I think that I’m finally on the right path for a happy and healthy future. Hopefully future employers will recognize this as a credible experience builder, because I am certain that this has been an amazing break through for me. -
Back to the REAL world
August 07, 2006 by allison cWell, I’m back from a month long graduation trip and now I have to figure out what to do with myself. I’ve decided to move out to upstate New York with my signifcant other, but still want to be able to go home for months at a time. This fanciful desire of mine doesn’t make me the best candidate for internships/jobs though, so I don’t know what to do. I’ve thought about volunteer work to beef up my resume and have come to the conclusion that it is my brightest option since I won’t be glued to one state for long periods of time. If anyone has any other suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.
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Relocation
July 08, 2006 by allison cI’ve decide to keep my current relationship alive I’m going to be moving out to Troy, NY so that we can be together while he gets his PhD. Now, after months of job searching I feel as if it was a total waste of time since I will be clear across the country. You may think to yourself, ‘What is in Troy, NY? Where is this Troy place?’ Yeah, well, I’ve been asking myself the same thing. It is a small city that harbors the engineering college called Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). I had never heard of it until recently, but apparently there are a few job opportunities out there. I’m just afraid that I am shooting myself in the foot. Living near San Fransisco there are plenty of job oppotunities, but moving to Troy, which has a population of about fifty thousand, I have a feeling I won’t be too lucky. I guess we’ll have to see when I get out there. You all will be updated on the prospective jobs, however, please don’t move to Troy, there aren’t enough jobs for us all.
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Interview Butterflies
June 28, 2006 by allison cRight now I’m out of town and I got an email from my mom last night telling me that a magazine company called to set up an interview. As I was lying in bed thinking about it, I started getting the gitters. I was playing through my mind how the interview would go. What would I wear? And what kind of questions would they ask me. Once a friend told me that the interviewer asked him what super power he would have if he could choose. I tried to think about it and came up with a super power brain, but that sounded pretty lame. So now I”m just hoping that they don’t ask any questions like that; I’m not super quick with witty responses. I think I’m going to have to read up on how to survive interviews. Eeek.
