Tackle It Tuesday: A New Job

I used to be a teacher. I taught full time music for three years and then part time music for three years.

And then my teaching license expired.

And I was glad.

You see, I was a good teacher, but I really didn't enjoy it at all. I put on amazing awesome programs, but I didn't love going to school each day looking forward to bright shiny faces of children the way a teacher should.

Even as a mom, I'm not a warm fuzzy kind of gal and it has been to the detriment of my children at times. They aren't a soft and gentle as I would have liked. Maybe they would have been if I had been more that way. A person with that kind of a hard personality is not someone anyone would want teaching their kids at school.

So I resorted to teaching piano as a "career" once my teaching license expired.

And that I have always enjoyed, and I am very good at it as well.

But due to the economy we live in, Steve and I have found ourselves sinking further and further into a financial hole that we just can't get out of.

When it became apparent back in June that we weren't going to make it, I had high hopes that most of the students that usually leave for the summer would come back and we would be okay.

It didn't happen.

And further we sank.

So I decided that it is finally time to get my teaching license renewed and start teaching again. After researching what I would need, it became clear that even with financial aid it wasn't going to be possible at this time.

And further we sank.

So finally it became clear. Kristi, you have to get a JOB. Not necessarily a career, but at least a job. You've got to carry your share in this household.

Now, back before kids, I got interviews and job offers from every job I applied for. I don't think it was because I was awesome, but rather because I could sell myself.

That seems to no longer be the case. All job applications are on computer and no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to figure out a way to stand out in a crowd. And thanks to this current economy, it is indeed a CROWD. It used to be that a few days after you fill out an application you could call and check. Now, every screen says "Don't call us, we'll call you". I applied for tons of jobs in which my qualifications are exactly what they were looking for and still got rejections. Lots of them!

So as we continued to sink lower financially, my self esteem sank along with it. And self worth and value. And mood.

It was at this lowest point that I started trolling the mall for jobs.

And I landed at Kohl's.

And I started wondering if it would really be so bad to work an overnight shift and sleep in the day while the boys were at work. I grew up with my mom working 3rd shift so I know what it's all about. I know I learned to leave mom alone when she's sleeping so I'm sure the boys could too.

So I applied. And waited. And got a call for a very strange group interview. And waited. And FINALLY got a call last week with a job offer.

So, today I am tackling my first day at a new job. Not a career. A retail job that will hopefully help get us caught up, let me work without putting the kids at a babysitter, and rake in some nice discounts for the holidays to boot.

Unfortunately, it is only seasonal, but they said that they hire on about 60 percent of their seasonal help as permanent after the holidays.

I definitely have some concerns. I hope they are going to be able to work around the two symphony weeks that I have coming up since those were commitments I already made. I mentioned them at the interview but I don't want to go into my first day requesting six nights off. Especially when your future as a permanent employee is riding on your performance.

The weird thing is this...I'm kind of excited about the job. After being in charge of PEOPLE for so long, I think it will be nice to just do STUFF. I think it will be nice to show up, do my job, and go home. No hassle.

So that's my tackle today.