Stuck

              So, for this week’s post, I thought I would again dress the issue of why I still work in this hell hole. Let me tell you, I ask myself that same question every single time I put on that ugly uniform, but I am reminded of the answer when I try to escape. I am in college. Jobs are hard to find. You need experience to get experience. I am a full time student, taking 14 credits this semester. If you’re at delta at any time Monday- Thursday I am sure that you’ll see me wandering the halls. I am a busy bee and no one wants to hire someone that can barely work. My availability at work is as follows: Wednesday: 3-11, Friday: 10-7, Saturday: 10am-11pm, and Sunday: 10-8. That is some crappy availability. Now, imagine me trying to apply for jobs. Yeah, not going to good.

                The other thing about this being my availability is that it’s really not. This is my availability cut in half, because I can’t quit my crappy job until I am actually settled and sure of a new one. So who in the right mind would hire someone who can only work about 10 hours a week at most? No one. So of course I have story to back this up, and let me tell you I am one who gets my hopes up very high when I want something, which gets me in trouble more than I would like.

                I was shopping at Meijer a couple of weeks ago and ran into a girl I graduated with last year. She had just been employed by them the week prior and told me that they were still hiring. I was so excited. She told me who I should talk to and what to say when I dropped off my resume. I had an “in” and I was getting out. I ran home and filled out the application online. I waited three days and went to talk to their hiring manager, memorizing a script of positive answers to questions he may have on the way. When I got to Meijer that day, I went to the service desk to talk to him and the girl that greeted me said “I’m sorry, he’s in a meeting right now.” This was the start of the epic downfall that is my life.

                I left my resume with her and she told me that he would give me a call when he was done that day. I left the store and went to work, with high anticipation. Excitement still buzzed inside me. He would call, I knew it, and I was getting out of this fast food job. A few days passed and I began to get discouraged. “Is he busy?” “Did they lose my resume?” “Am I that unqualified?” are just some of the thoughts that passed me by that week. I was slouching around and drowning my sorrows in ice cream when I got a text from Chelsea (The girl I went to school with) telling me that the manager never got my resume but he was going to pull my online application.

                I got the call the next day. My stomach tried to escape itself as I answered. On the other end the manager talked to me about how excited he was that I applied and how it looked like I would be an amazing addition to their team, and how he would love to schedule me an interview –whenever my availability was better. “Apply later,” he said.

                There it was, the big fat “you’re stuck.” I am paying my own way through college with no help from anyone, including the school. I am stuck in this job for God knows how long. Am I sick of it? Yes. Do I want out? Yes. But unless you can deliver me a job, I’m screwed. I have applied for 11 jobs in the past year and a half, gotten only about 6 calls and they have all said that it’s not the right time. So until a good job that allows crappy availability falls into my lap, I’m going to go home, put on that uniform, and march into work unhappily. Well, not today, it’s Thursday.