A job at last!

Well I'm no longer unemployed! Landed a job on Saturday... bagging groceries at the local supermarket. $8 an hour. A far cry from what I'm used to... but then, lately I'm used to begging for money from my significant other. And this will be a refreshing change. No typing, no phones, no complex projects. Just open the bag, make a wall with the flat items, add one more item before placing the bag in the cart, and shlep the customer's order out to the car. Oh, and one more thing... don't forget that the customer is the whole reason you're getting that $8/hour.

What happened to Mary the Administrative Assistant? At this point I'd have to say the economy. Companies are downsizing. And the ones that are growing are looking for entry-level staff. Lower pay and less experience. I'm overqualified. Too many years under my belt. Too many titles on my resume. Too much of... everything.

I remember when I was 27. I tried to join the Air Force. They turned me down. It wasn't that I didn't pass the tests... aced them all. It wasn't the physical... I was in the best shape of my life. It wasn't the lack of a degree... I was going for a non-com slot. No... it was the fact that I was too old. Too old! They felt that I was too set in my ways to be a successful candidate. Told me they were looking for kids who would be easily molded to the lifestyle. Imagine 27 being too old.

Now I'm 50-something and facing a too-old of another kind. I've run an office, managed a school, owned a business, supported multiple execs, directed six choirs, administered a Liturgy Department... and I scare the spit out of the Human Resources department of any company I might want to go to work for. They're looking for kids fresh out of school... still wet behind the ears... moldable, able to conform to the company culture without any effort. I'm considered a risk. Besides, I'll be eligible to retire in a few short years. Better to hire someone who can give 30 years to the firm.

Whatever happened to the mantra that experience is valuable? Not in today's market. Education is all. Each company wants to shape the candidate to fit their own system. So I'm starting over again... at the bottom. Work my way up. Show due diligence. Arrive on time. Do the job well. Serve the customer with a smile. Please the boss. Get the promotion. Who knows... I might really like bagging groceries!