Man, what I would give to have seen that douche's face when you asked if he was fucking kidding you. Bravo!
Being in a similar 'professional' situation I don't have much advice.. Wondering if you have any experience building and/or fixing bikes? Since my old boss Iain isn't doing that in Guelph anymore (last I checked), there might be opportunities for some good business. I made upwards of 25 dollars an hour building bikes, and that was after Iain took his cut. Just a thought.
I've done plenty of handyman stuff in my time, and I used to have a pretty nice set of tools until they grew legs and walked out of one of my previous rental accommodations. (As I've said before, almost every roommate I've ever had tends to help themselves to some of my stuff when they move out) So, no, I'm not closing my mind to any reasonable possibility right now.
Not that you'd have much use from a 23 year old who's had a grand total of three extremely low-wage jobs in his life, but...
You might chase some jobs at universities or community colleges. Even a lab-tech, or aid might be worth-while. Hell, even those administrative assistants make good money for answering phones, taking notes, and working on a budget committee once a year.
Yeah, Unfortunately, I've been searching for those sorts of jobs for several years now. Unfortunately, even with three university degrees, including a master's, I'm typically under-qualified for what they're looking for. Often, they now want a Ph.D. for most lab tech jobs, or at the very least, a master's with a two year college lab tech certification tacked onto the end. Mere experience doesn't cut it any more, not when for any technical job out there that I apply for, there are typically already at least a hundred applicants ahead of me in line, most of which are more qualified than I am, plus they tend to be at least ten years younger. Given the choice, most places prefer to hire someone in their early to mid twenties over someone, who is pushing forty.
Still, can't hurt to be more aggressive now that your brain is completely off of Wal-Mart. And hey, maybe it is time to hit the books again, and pick up a few certifications and licenses for teaching and/or laboratory positions. Definitely not easy but... honestly, I think you're more in your game chasing science(!!!) than retail, and an update of skills always looks good (even if you don't feel you need it... always looks good on paper.)
In some ways, I've grown tired of science. It's a combination of the derpity-derp anti-intellectual societal backlash against science that's going on these days, and on a personal level, I feel like the scientific community pretty much spit me out a few years ago. When most folks aren't willing to look below the surface, I don't really have much chance
( ... )
dude, you ain't got rid of any stress and the sooner you realize it the better. I've known you long enough to not lie to you about shit, and your other readers may damn me to hell, but you get the same damned stress in every job. You've solved nothing until you figure that one out, and take it from someone who has his demons coming back to haunt him right now, and is facing another diagnosis.
I've never claimed that any job was stress-free, nor am I stupid/ignorant enough to make such a claim. However, I've held more than enough jobs in my life that I think I can reasonably say that some are more stressful than others. That Wally-World job was one of the worst. Likewise, perhaps I should have made it more clear in the post: I am not claiming that I am completely free of stress across the board, nor will I ever experience it again. I was merely saying that the stress that was associated with THAT PARTICULAR JOB is gone now. And it certainly has.
Another thing I should probably add is that no matter what you do, you need to take care of yourself. You've come too far and accomplished too much to let your demons drag you under again.
Thank you. That actually means a lot, considering the challenges that you, yourself have had. This has been one of the times I have thanked the Goddess that I live in a country, where we have socialised medicine.
(And every teabagger I know just blew a gasket when they read that last sentence.)
At the end of the day, like I already said, the idea of stroking out at the age of 39 isn't worth eleven bucks an hour. I well remember watching my maternal grandfather have a number of strokes between 1984 and 1999, and seeing how by about 1997, they had turned him into little more than a vegetable, who could barely move.
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Being in a similar 'professional' situation I don't have much advice.. Wondering if you have any experience building and/or fixing bikes? Since my old boss Iain isn't doing that in Guelph anymore (last I checked), there might be opportunities for some good business. I made upwards of 25 dollars an hour building bikes, and that was after Iain took his cut. Just a thought.
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So, no, I'm not closing my mind to any reasonable possibility right now.
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You might chase some jobs at universities or community colleges. Even a lab-tech, or aid might be worth-while. Hell, even those administrative assistants make good money for answering phones, taking notes, and working on a budget committee once a year.
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Unfortunately, I've been searching for those sorts of jobs for several years now. Unfortunately, even with three university degrees, including a master's, I'm typically under-qualified for what they're looking for. Often, they now want a Ph.D. for most lab tech jobs, or at the very least, a master's with a two year college lab tech certification tacked onto the end. Mere experience doesn't cut it any more, not when for any technical job out there that I apply for, there are typically already at least a hundred applicants ahead of me in line, most of which are more qualified than I am, plus they tend to be at least ten years younger. Given the choice, most places prefer to hire someone in their early to mid twenties over someone, who is pushing forty.
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And hey, maybe it is time to hit the books again, and pick up a few certifications and licenses for teaching and/or laboratory positions. Definitely not easy but... honestly, I think you're more in your game chasing science(!!!) than retail, and an update of skills always looks good (even if you don't feel you need it... always looks good on paper.)
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Likewise, perhaps I should have made it more clear in the post: I am not claiming that I am completely free of stress across the board, nor will I ever experience it again.
I was merely saying that the stress that was associated with THAT PARTICULAR JOB is gone now. And it certainly has.
...And it feels good.
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Health first, tiger, always. *hug*
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That actually means a lot, considering the challenges that you, yourself have had. This has been one of the times I have thanked the Goddess that I live in a country, where we have socialised medicine.
(And every teabagger I know just blew a gasket when they read that last sentence.)
At the end of the day, like I already said, the idea of stroking out at the age of 39 isn't worth eleven bucks an hour. I well remember watching my maternal grandfather have a number of strokes between 1984 and 1999, and seeing how by about 1997, they had turned him into little more than a vegetable, who could barely move.
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Thinking of you, wish I had advice but I do not other than take care of yourself health wise.
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I appreciate it, as I know you've had more than your share of health issues.
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