| Food for Thought |
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WARNING: Contents under pressure. DO NOT OPEN IN AN INTELLECTUAL VACUUM. ~ A rubber stamp
In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of. ~Confucius
"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do." ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
"I would not exchange the laughter of my heart for the fortunes of the multitudes." ~Khalil Gibran
"We must be the change we wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi
"How can we say there is peace when so many go hungry?" ~Oscar Arias Sanchez
"Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Attributed to both T.H. Thompson and John Watson
"Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infans. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living. ~Omar N Bradley
"If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." ~Margaret Fuller
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| Saturday, April 22, 2006 |
| Tea and Books, etc. for Hire |
Okay, still mulling the day job dilemma, as in thinking very fast and furiously.
Things are spiralling into a difficult place on at least one account, mostly based on timing, but also because I've had experience with this client before. My boss didn't help matters by complaining to a senior member of the team about a matter I'd already resolved. I know she was trying to head off some issues and thus make my life easier, but the end result is that the bigwigs on the team now likely think that I complained to her, which I didn't, and will then make my life more difficult.
Anyway, I'm planning for the nonce to stay put till about June (or sooner if I. Can't. Take. It. Anymore.). The reason is 3-fold: 1/at that time I will know how much increase, if any, there will be to my salary, thus giving me more negotiating room should I seek work within this same industry (I'm hoping to get out of it. Re the salary range, I'm still a relative newbie and don't have a very good idea of what the ranges are, despite my research into it); 2/I have more time to save up and search; and 3/maybe I can find something that will pay reasonably well and yet not be in this field.
I suppose there could be a reason 4, which is that 2 of my accounts are extremely tight right now and one, which is normally insane, is awaiting final client input on a number of its jobs. Once those come in, I'll have 3 large accounts with a bit of work and very little room to maneuver, deadlines-wise.
The other option I am exploring is to quit and go back to freelancing, probably for my boss. One of my coworkers did that and then came back on full time. The pluses are a straight 7-hour workday with mandatory 1-hour lunch (8h day), no overtime, and a life outside the office. The minuses are no health benefits or money put away, leading to higher taxes at the end of the year.
Believe it or not, I'm not as mercenary as I probably sound. I'd like to think that I am practical now and then (mostly, I live my life with my head in the clouds, hence many of my friends telling me I really should be called "Oblivious").
Like a lot of people, my dream is to make enough money to live comfortably -- and by that, I don't mean fancy cars or houses, beautiful furniture, designer clothing or jewelry, etc -- so that I can pay my expenses with enough room leftover for health or other emergencies, as well as moolah for books. I don't think that's asking for too too much.
Despite my griping, I really am grateful that I am in overall good health, that I have a home and a job. Many people are not as lucky, especially given the massive amount of layoffs -- excuse me, 'right-sizing' and 'downsizing' -- that occur each year. Tens of thousands of people suddenly left without work. And yet the politicians say our economy is looking good. But that's a whole 'nother topic.
So, any of you out there willing to take a chance on me? Or can point me in some direction? Aside from the pros and cons I posted here, these are a few more of my particulars:
- I have primarily a healthcare background.
- Among my jobs, I've been a healthcare employee, an administrative assistant, sales associate, healthcare consultant, healthcare editor.
- I've also experience in financial and medical proofreading, and erotic e-novel editing.
T&B, etc. |
posted by Cheshire Cat @ 4/22/2006 03:29:00 pm   |
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| 8 teabag(s) brewed: |
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I once worked in publishing, and my boss made me a proposal that, since he couldn't afford to pay me more, he was willing to "make the sacrifice" and hire me on as a freelancer. It was only later I realized the bastard was saving at least 15% on my payroll taxes, while paying me the same. So a word to the wise - make sure you get paid more as a freelancer especially since you are also giving up benefits which are important.
The second advice I have on freelancing: make sure, absolutely sure, you put enough money away to pay your taxes!
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I'm sure you'll find the answer T and that it's only a matter of time (not too long) before bigger and better things come along.
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Put your resume out on sites like Monster.com. If you are flexible about location you shouldn't have any trouble.
Other options:
- marry an ailing 80 year old millionaire
- win the lottery
- Bank Hiest (don't rob your own)
- Go into politics. Notice I put bank hiest before politics, at least thieves have some sort of honor.
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Thanks, Charlie; and you're welcome. :-)
Thanks, Nanuk. You're absolutely right re the taxes and benefits situation, which is why I have to think hard about the freelance vs full-time issues. Both have their pluses and minuses, but my 2 priorities are to get some sanity back in my life (meaning life outside the office) and getting paid enough to do it. Heck, isn't that what most people want, lol.
Fuff: XXXXX :-)
Thanks, PK, and lol to the other options.
Yup, I've got my resume up on Monster. That's how I got my consulting work and freelance medical and financial proofreading jobs. :-) Location-wise, I'd like to stay within NYS because I'd otherwise have to pay double taxes (been there, done that. Ouch to the wallet).
So, you know of any old, ailing gazillionaires I can hotfoot to the chapel? No touching, though. Definitely no touching but I'd take care of him and such.
Would love to win the lottery but the odds aren't really good. About as good as me finding the senile gazillionaire, in fact.
Bank heisting. Well, now, I have no doubt that I'd be caught and zipped to jail before I could say, "Show me the money!"
Politics? Uh, PK, I do have some standards, you know. ;-)
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Good for you! Stay away from the politics so you can look yourself in the mirror every moring.
What about professorship? A lot of my compatriots wound up teaching at local community colleges. Even better is the on line course racket. I have taken several on line writing courses - you could teach one of those blindfolded.
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Grrr... I think Blogger is having a bad night. I posted a comment but it didn't show up after repeated views, so I deleted it - and THEN it showed up as deleted.
Anyway, T&B, all I wanted to say is that I don't have a single helpful idea for your situation at the moment. But I certainly wish you well and hope that good things happen for you!
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Lol, PK. I try not to look at myself in the mirror every morning! Not difficult as I'm getting more and more blind these days. Having to resort more often to wearing my glasses when I didn't have to before. Grrr.
Professorship? Oh, PK, you have a highly exaggerated notion of my qualifications, I assure you, lol. Flattering but inaccurate. I'm definitely not qualified to teach, and I'm finding that as I age, my patience and tolerance are reaching new lows every year. By and large, I admire and respect teachers, but I couldn't do what they do... not and stay sane. ;-)
Suz, so sorry about the lost post. Blogger is indeed acting up. I had posted a few posts at mummified last week and they all posted but then disappeared. Very very frustrating.
Be that as it may, thank you very much for your well wishes. :-D I told my brother tonight that I might very well end up working behind a Macy's counter. Hey, employee discounts, lol.
I'm concerned but not petrified about my prospects. The most difficult part is nailing down what I really want to do. I think, given my career trajectories, that I've proven to various employers that I'm flexible and learn quickly. Whether new employer prospects are willing to give me the opportunity to prove myself, however, is debatable.
My wv is 'zhafhph', which makes me think 'zaftig', a word whose meaning I was clueless about and had to look up. It is strangely and ominously appropriate as applied to yours truly.
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I once worked in publishing, and my boss made me a proposal that, since he couldn't afford to pay me more, he was willing to "make the sacrifice" and hire me on as a freelancer. It was only later I realized the bastard was saving at least 15% on my payroll taxes, while paying me the same. So a word to the wise - make sure you get paid more as a freelancer especially since you are also giving up benefits which are important.
The second advice I have on freelancing: make sure, absolutely sure, you put enough money away to pay your taxes!