I’m not the best employee. I think too much. I question. I daydream. I invent.
I’m not the best entrepreneur. I’m not rolling in dough and I like to sleep.
I’m a damn fine human being though. Next week, a week from today I will start working a 40 hour a week temp job. I hope to remain a fine person during this process.
6 months of working somewhere I worked 20, count ’em, twenty years ago. A score of years ago I stopped working in libraries because I have a Masters in Science, not an MLS. Working in libraries I was relegated to being a para-professional. There was no exam I could take and pass to join the profession. I was a member of a permanent underclass. I detest hierarchy.
Then there was the Quality problem. The academic research library at which I worked doing desk reference was undergoing a restructuring. TQM. I played the game. I was on the Strategic Long Range Planning Committee that was the initial group that led the way for the rest of the library system to implement Continuous Process Renewal. That team won recognition from the governor of the state. This required meetings, working in teams, at which I would spend at least half of my working the day. It was hell for me. I love process, but even as someone who loves to write about writing or talk about talking, it was too much for me.
I moved on to be a paraprofessional in an academic museum. I was a section head, but still considered an hourly employee. This is the thing about working in a university that sucks. The glut of qualified people near a university depresses the wages in the market. But here, I thought, there would be room for advancement as I had the right degree to move up in the ranks. But I picked an “unsexy” area in which to apply, get a job, and work. Visitor services, facilities, and security. Long story short, the new director, 3 years into my tenure there, was a pig. When I came back from the funeral of my brother he walked by then stopped and said, “Oh I was sorry to hear about your brother.” He then turned toward me and said, “There are so many things I want to do before I die. I’ve never slept with a black woman.” WTF. I should have sued for hostile working environment (I have more stories about him) but I didn’t, I resigned.
So 20 years on from leaving the library, I have a business that doesn’t make much money, but that makes me happy. I’m not getting enough done on it though. Working at home is problematic for many reasons that I’m not going into here beyond whispering the word… distractions.
So when I accidentally ran across a posting for a temp position, I thought, this may be the “stirring” that the dutch oven that is my life, needs. Why?
- Money. A steady paycheck for a few months will help me do some things that are not feasible without it. I would like to help my daughter with a few things as she begins her grad school career.
- Cleaning. I could hired cleaners, always my first action when there is extra cash. I love a clean home and do not love scrubbing.
- Priorities. This will force me to prioritize blogging, traditional book-writing, and ebook-writing in a way that I do not now do.
- Sadness. I think with the transition that is looming in my family, keeping myself very busy with things beyond my own concerns might be very good for me.
- People. I will meet, and in some cases become reacquainted with, people who share my love of information, information preservation, and dissemination.
In 6 months I will revisit this post and see where I am at and how these five considerations played out. Wish me luck.
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