Work

Work Work Work

Leave a Comment / Work / December 20, 2022 / By

So it looks like I’m going to need a new job.

Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with my current job. They actually just gave me a pretty chunky raise that I’m thrilled about. The sad fact of the matter though is that the company isn’t currently allowing remote work from the state of Kansas, which as you all know if you’ve been keeping up for a while, is where I’ll be moving to in a little over a month. I’ve discussed the matter with HR, and they seem to be discussing whether or not any kind of exception can be made, but they aren’t sure if a decision will come before I’m already gone. So at this point, unless I hear otherwise, I’m pretty much under the impression that I’ll be jobless by the time we move.

I’ve been searching for new remote opportunities since receiving that news, but it’s hard to find anything remote that isn’t a call center, something I’m vastly not qualified for like software engineering, or just an outright scam listing entirely. I would love to find something in social media or community management, but I’ve got no experience doing either of those things outside of my personal social media reach, which according to MediaKits reaches less than 700 followers across all platforms. That’s pretty small potatoes in the internet world, all things considered. My last week of school here in Indy was last week, and part of a final assignment was to start an online portfolio of our work. So I did just that! I created an account on Behance and included items to showcase that I created for school projects in Photoshop and Illustrator as well as two photo series from my Photography class. I also marked the option that I was “available for hire” should anyone really surprise me and find themselves interested in those offerings. I’m definitely a novice but I’m more than happy to take on any graphic design needs! I’ve also got a little bit of web development experience (hi, I made this website you’re reading right now!), layout experience with InDesign, and video editing in Premiere Pro that I would be happy to work on with anyone!

Mostly, I’m hoping to find a job where I can use some of these new skill sets a little bit more. The closer that we get to the move to Kansas and my need to find anything that will pay me may wind up taking precedence, but I’ve been creating things on my own and went to school for a while to learn how to do these things that I enjoy and would really love to be able to do them for a living, too. If you happen to have any leads or know someone in an industry who might take a chance on a total newbie, please let me know!

Until next time…

 

 

Going Remote

2 Comments / Work / June 12, 2022 / By

I started working for my current employer in 2014. It originally started out in an office in Downtown Indianapolis. Though our offices are still there and operate Monday through Friday as normal, I was one of the many employees who transitioned to working remotely from home towards the start of the pandemic back in 2020. While I would never praise the pandemic in itself for bringing about an era of global fear and uncertainty, I must admit that some of the changes that it brought about aren’t so bad. And one of those changes is the ability to work from home.

I’ve always wanted to work from home, even before the pandemic. I’m really just a big homebody. I can generally be in my element and be the most productive version of myself when I’m in my own space. I think there’s a large contingent of the world’s workforce that feels the same way because nobody wants to go back to the office. And believe it or not, there’s plenty of reason why we don’t want to go back, too.

First and foremost in my mind is the skyrocketing cost of gas. Commuting back and forth to the physical office is completely off my radar for the time being until gas falls back to a reasonable price (if it ever even does!). Whether you agree with the current political climate or not, who can honestly say that they are okay with those prices at the pump? Secondly, I can’t imagine going back to the distressing beige or gray cubicle walls when I can be here to pet my cats anytime things start getting stressful.

There are plenty of reasons why I would think that a company would want to embrace remote working as well. Less overhead, for starters! We’re not there consuming electricity, internet, water, or coffee. Hell, if the entire office were transitioned to working remotely, you could close the physical office completely and stop spending so much on a physical location! Logistics may sound like a nightmare, but it shouldn’t be — there are successful companies that have a distributed workforce all over the world. Plus, the hiring process might get a lot easier if you considered candidates from anywhere instead of staying local.

Want to get into the nitty-gritty? It’s easier and less expensive to head to your own kitchen for lunch than trying to figure out something to eat in the office. Your own bathroom is much more comfortable than sharing one with a bunch of other people. Your own bed is even nearby in the event that you need to take a quick nap during your break. And since you aren’t really dressing for anyone but yourself, feel free to keep those pajamas on, baby! Unless you have an unexpected video call, nobody is ever going to know the difference.

I’ve preferred every moment of working from home versus working in a physical office. So I guess the reason why I’m writing about it is to pose a question to the world: If it can be done from home, why isn’t it?

Until next time…