Good news. Seriously.

I got a job interview. I'm trying not to get too excited (ok, I'm really too shocked to even be excited), but given how things have been? With the no-jobs-at-all-ness? I'm pretty excited. This, in large part because it's not just a job interview, it's an interview for a job I would actually like to have. Again, with the shock. I've been considering applying to be a cop (but those shifts really suck), I've applied to be a receptionist at a hair salon, I've applied to work for free, and so on. And I'm a lawyer, for chrissake. So this interview? For a job as a lawyer? But not a sucky firm job?

I'm probably about to wake up, aren't I? Please say I'm already awake. And that it's real. And even more important, please assure me it will go well. It took a year to get this interview. I can't wait another year.

Insomnia

I'm not one to suffer from insomnia. Usually. In fact, I can sleep some 20 hours a day if I need (want?) to. Well, that particular rule is out the window. Here is a bulleted list of the potential reasons that I can't (bad word) sleep at night:

• The job market
• The fact that after looking for over a year, all I can find are low-paying, short-term jobs
• My law degree, which cost $100,000 and is worth about $10/hour. I made more before law school.
• Planning my wedding
• Paying for my wedding
• Guilt over the fact that Rex makes money, but absolutely hates his job. I get to stay at home all day.
• Staying at home all day, feeling like a total loser.
• Rent, which apparently has to be paid every month. We don't make enough to pay it every month!
• Medical bills. A few thousand worth.
• Medical billing companies that have no sympathy for the unemployed.
  
• The fact that I'm not actually applying for jobs full time. That's what they tell you to do. What they don't tell you is that (a) there aren't enough jobs to take up that much time applying (b) after a while, it's hard to motivate because it feels so futile.
• Basically? It all comes down to money. You need it for EVERYTHING, but we really don't have any. I have $76 in my bank account, which is great when you don't have a job and therefore don't have more coming in.
  

I'm so stressed out!

The life of leisure I'm leading

Some might call this being an unemployed deadbeat. After spending ALL DAY sitting in the sun at my favorite coffee shop, alternately doing nothing and chatting with friends and acquaintances, I call it a successful life of leisure. Women of leisure usually have money, and are not desperately in need of work so they can pay rent (nay, they own). Today I say FIE! I've chosen this life of leisure (no I haven't) and I won't give it up for anything (except any reasonable offer of employment)! Oh, but it's so nice. Why must I work? Why can't I live this life forever?

On Unemployment...

Well, I'm still unemployed. I finally applied for Unemployment, but they got my income screwed up so I'm still waiting (UI thinks I made $0.00 last year, which = no $$ for me. They're wrong!). Applying for unemployment was no small feat. The problem, in CG's words, is that you have to be a lawyer to figure out the damned unemployment system. It's true--I figured it out, but the paperwork is NOT easy to understand. First, the online system boots people out randomly. If you're in the middle of your claim (or almost finished, as the case may be), you have to start all over. And it's S-L-O-W. So you have to have lots of free time. Not exactly a problem for me! After the fun of filing online, you start to get mail. Lots of mail. The first batch includes lots of letters that make it look like the check is on the way. The next batch includes a debit card for the money they'll be sending. The problem? Tucked away in one of the letters they send (which you get with an avalanche of information) is a little box that says "Monetarily Eligible." Below that, it either says yes, or no. "No" in that box means there is no money on its way to the debit card they sent, and you have to file more information. "Yes" means money may or may not be on its way, and I have yet to figure out what you do in that situation. I got a "no," because of the aforementioned UI glitch where they said I made $0.
Who is supposed to know to look for the box, in the middle of a whole series of boxes in a whole slew of letters, to find where it says "monetarily eligible?" Is that language that the vast majority of the population can understand? And why are they paying for postage on the 6 or so separate letters/packets I've gotten? Wouldn't it be cheaper to just send everything together? Why do I have a debit card with no money on it? How do I find out if there's money on it, or when they put money on it, and so forth? C'mon people, I'm a lawyer. If I can't figure it out, we're all doomed.

Getting political

Since I'm still out of work, I figured I better do something with my time (in addition to looking for work, of course). So, I decided to teach myself web design and design websites for both of my parents, who are both self-employed, and who don't have websites (*gasp*). The real kind, not web-in-a-box--I'm looking to develop my skills here, people. Skill I seriously lack. And who doesn't want a web designing lawyer on staff?

The other thing I'm getting into (though both things are unpaid) is political. I always thought politics were hideous, horrid things. Not unlike the plague. The older I get, the more it turns out that I really like politics. So. I'm volunteering with a Democrat's campaign for my House District here in Colorado. It's a solid Dem district, the issue is beating the more conservative, more well-known candidate. I like a challenge. And I'll work for free. Looks like I found my niche (till my $700 in total assets runs out).

Out of work lawyer...

That's me! I passed the Colorado Bar Exam (with flying colors, even!), so it's official--I'm a real life lawyer. That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm an out-of-work lawyer. The $100K-plus that I spent on the degree isn't doing me much good right now, as I sit at a local coffee shop trawling the job ads online. So, if you hear of any law jobs in the Denver/Boulder area, or contract work, or have any other money-making ideas (except direct sales--I'm already on that one), let me know! I'll give you my first born child, for the right job.

Worst economy in how many years?

I'm about to be unemployed. One month from today, I will leave the lap of luxury (y'know, the $10/hour one where I make less than an unemployment check?), and be without work. It's not for lack of trying. Oh god, there has been trying. I'm applying for anything and everything I can find, but with 150-1400 people competing for single positions, the odds are a teeny bit stacked against me. And many others. The 149-1399 others for each and every job. I'm getting rejection letters like Miley Cyrus must get fan mail. So, knowing that finding "regular" employment ain't gonna happen anytime soon (especially if I talk like that!), I'm striking out on my own. Sort of.

Enter Stella & Dot. It's a direct-sales jewelry line, which means that I'm technically a small-business owner, working for myself, but get some hand-holding (and someone else is responsible for the creative genius part). Stella & Dot is a pretty fabulous jewelry line, one with prices just about anyone can afford. So, I'll be hosting parties and selling online, in the hope that July rent can be paid. We're good on rent till then (thank goodness), but after that, well, you know what happens. Landlords don't like people who don't pay rent.

If you need a little sparkle in your life, some retail therapy, or want to get some friends together and have a party and try on jewels, cruise on over!

Two days off work...

We had a rather impressive snowstorm here yesterday (about 18 inches at my house), and because the traffic is known to get gnarly going to Denver, Rex and I decided not to go to work. Good call, because we heard it took some people 4 hours to make the commute, instead of 30 minutes. We got today off, too, because the House was in adjournment (I can only guess it's due to the snow).

Here's what I did instead of work:

• Work. At least it felt like it. I've been applying to any job I might actually want. Several a day, which doesn't sound like much until you've done a USAJobs.gov application. They take FOREVER. (NB: I did not use the KSA service I told you about). Cross your fingers for me, and do let me know if you hear of any good enviro jobs in the Denver/Boulder area.
• Walk to the grocery store. Our little cars would have none of the snowy, slushy, icy roads. So we walked, trudging through 18 inches of fluff. We got home soaking wet, feeling like kids. And it was good exercise!
• Shovel snow. Lots of snow. With a garden shovel, since we only have one snow shovel.
• Clean my kitchen. I am a winner. (Ok, it was filthy and long overdue).
• Cook dinner. Again, I am a winner. This was the second night in a row!
• Nap for three hours. I love napping, and this was most excellent.
• Sulk about the job market.
• Enter the Denver Post Sweepstakes. Five times. If the economy is going to suck, I have to be creative. I intend to make a living with pennies-at-a-time services that pay me to look at ads, entering sweepstakes, and the lotto. Again, you should probably wish me luck.

I would love to be qualify for a job. Then they'll hire me!

This sentence was on a website promoting their service of helping job seekers draft KSAs, these nasty things required for federal government jobs.

"They will make sure that your KSA's comply with all the Government standards and showcase how qualify for the position you are."

There are TWO typos in just one sentence. I'm sure they will help me get the job of my dreams. As a janitor cleaning toilet's, if I'm lucky.

A moment of optimism

I went to a legislative reception yesterday for all manner of environmental groups, which was a good way to spend time since, well, I want to work for one (really, any one) of them in the future. I got to tag along with my boss, The Representative, who thought she could introduce me around a bit. It's too bad that I'm so terrible at the small talk and all, and had to cling to The Representative like a barnacle...but still, it was a good event. After the embarassing gaffe of ordering a beer and then realizing that, oops, my wallet was totally empty (and having to borrow money from my boss), I met this person and that person, whilst the boss mentioned all around that I was a freshly minted attorney looking for work. A few people seemed at least somewhat receptive, and the real score came as I left and got an offer from an old professor to send along my resume. She offered to do whatever she could to help--that's the sort of thing I'm desperate for. It was also nice that she didn't seem daunted by the fact that I got a C+ in her class, or maybe she just didn't remember. Mostly I'm just mumbling on here, but I felt optimistic at the end of yesterday, a feeling that is somewhat hard to come by these days. I'm going to try to hold onto it, a feat I think I can imagine until the rejection letters (or worse, total silence) start rolling in. And I'm sure they will--by the truckload.

Legislative Aide-ing

Rex and I both finally have jobs. We are going to be legislative aides! We'll only make $10/hour, and work just 20 hours/week, but things were looking so grim I'm willing to regress to a high schooler's paycheck. We're hoping to make enough connections and such so that we can get real jobs when we pass the bar. If we pass the bar. Yay for us and our new jobs!

The never ending job search

"The slowdown also has made it much harder for lawyers looking for work to find positions, said Robin S. Miller, a principal at Corrao, Miller, Rush & Wiesenthal Legal Search Consultants in New York." (NYT)

I'm graduating from law school next month. I haven't been able to find even part-time work, despite having been looking since last April (well before the downturn). Everyone I talk to says, "oh, it'll be fine. You'll find work." Well, I'm here to say that there is a good chance I won't, at least not for a while. So stop annoying me by painting a rosy picture with your eyes closed. Things suck for lawyers right now, and I'm about to be at the bottom of the totem pole. Last year's grads are still looking for work, and they are licensed.

"You know things are bad when even lawyers are getting laid off." The same article, refuting the constantly posed comment that, "people always need lawyers." Well, they don't need 'em if they can't afford to hire 'em.

I just hope the economy turns around. Soon, and dramatically. Otherwise, I'll be looking for a box on Colfax avenue to call home.

On why I hate Career Development...

I am going to a career fair at the law school tonight. There are numerous employers collecting applications. So I have been diligently drafting cover letters, in the hopes that I might find a job tonight. Since there are two separate lists of employers attendees, one entitled "employers collecting applications," the other titled "employers participating," I had assumed that there would be at least the possibility of job openings.

I was wrong.

I just ran into my illustrious career counselor, one of those in charge of the event. I said to him, "E---, I hope there are going to be some jobs for real lawyers/graduates tonight!" His response? "Oh, don't go looking for jobs, just collect information."

SO WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE COVER LETTERS??? Why are applications being accepted if there are no jobs? AND HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY GET A JOB??? Information doesn't exactly get the job done. It's called a career fair for a reason.