Dear Internet,
It has been nearly a month since I last wrote...and let me tell you, it has been one LONG month.
It didn't occur to me at the time that I was picking out classes, but I have come to realize that perhaps 5 math/computer science courses is a bit much to have on my plate all at one time. Every week, I have a total of four assignments due...three of which are due on Wednesdays. So, you can imagine that Tuesday is a pretty stressful day for me (not that it wasn't already - damn Tuesdays). On top of that, I have to be applying to, interviewing for, and stressing out about jobs. The first round of postings was at the beginning of the month. So far, I have had two interviews, and have one more this week on, you guessed it, Wednesday.
I was pumped for the first interview I had. As someone who does not have very much experience in anything except tutoring, I was pretty pumped to be chosen above other people who were probably more qualified. This job was basically to run the day-to-day happenings of an online tutoring program. At first glance, this seems awesome for me. Right on, I have tutoring experience! If there's anything that I CAN do, it's tutoring. Do more research, read the job description carefully, go to an information meeting...turns out that the job is mainly dealing with sales, customers, and affiliates over the telephone. Number One question during the interview: have you ever worked somewhere where you've been on the phone a lot. Poor Response Number One: no. The interview mainly consisted of the man asking me if I have ever done certain things before (business stuff like the phones) and I had to answer no every time. Number Two question during the interview: why is your evaluation from your former job so low? True Answer: my boss didn't like me. Answer I gave/Poor Response Number Two (also true, but believable): I was caught slacking off a few times. At the end I tried to save myself and really just dug myself into a hole even more. I was trying to convince him that I would be great at the job, I had great interpersonal skills - when he interrupts me and says "How do I know you have good interpersonal skills?" Annnd then I proceed to show him how my interpersonal skills suck by going widely off-topic and trying desperately to backpedal but to no avail.
Basically, I don't expect to be landing that job. The next job interview I had, on the other hand, went really well. I was interviewing for two tutoring positions at once. Besides the fact that they called me in early before I was *totally* prepared, it was great. Main difference between this and job #1: I can actually do this job. So I'm really hoping to land it so that I can stay in town and not have a sucky job experience like over the summer.
Speaking of which, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but my place of former employment, let's call them Stacks o' Paper Inc, still owes me a bonus. There are many reasons why this is silly. First of all, my contract with them ended at the end of August. Second of all, my boss disliked me, thought I was lazy and unproductive, and gave me a lower evaluation than every other co-op worker at the place. Whenever I get frustrated for not having my bonus yet, I giggle at that irony. She disliked me for being lazy and unproductive, yet owes me a bonus for being a part of the most productive team. I would, however, like to point out that I was extremely productive most of the time, and she always caught me during the other times. Still sore about that, in case you couldn't tell.
But yeah, the point is that they owe me money. Actually, not even money; my bonus is in the form of a gift card. Hell, I don't even know the *amount*. We were told at the beginning of the summer $100, but then they sort of forgot about the whole thing until the end and by the time I left my boss didn't seem too sure about what that amount would be. After receiving my last pay-stub and not the gift card, I sent her an email inquiring about it. She told me, "by the end of September." September 30th rolled around...then October 8th...and I still didn't have it. So I emailed her again. This time, "by the end of October." So, I have a week (I'll be nice and give it two because October 31st is a Sunday) until I get even more angry about this. There are a few things that are frustrating about this situation: if I never receive my bonus, there's nothing I can do about it, because as far as I know, I was never promised in a thoroughly legal and check-able sort of way that I would receive it, and also, I can never send an angry or even slightly less than super super polite email to my former boss because she could very easily call up the co-op people and tell them I'm a nasty, baby-eating ogre who never deserves employment ever ever again (except in the field of baby-eating, at which I excel) and they'll believe her.
Then, if you can believe it, in addition to the assignments and classes and applications and interviews, I have midterms and projects and even *le gasp* a life. Well, admittedly, not very much of one. I spend the weekend with Steven, and go grocery shopping with him on Tuesdays (only good thing about Tuesdays...the grocery store has 10% off for university students).
Oh, also, I got into the program that I have been working towards for the better part of 2 years now :) I am that much closer to terror-I mean, teaching high school students for a living!!
Sincerely,
Caro