In late January I found myself frustrated with the lack of reasonable job listings, but I applied often and networked as much as possible. A family friend told my husband her company hires exclusively through a local temp agency and suggested I get in touch with them; apparently they had placed several of her relatives in jobs they were still working years later. My first job out of high school was with a temp agency and I had a great experience so I was optimistic. I contacted the temp agency, interviewed well, excelled on all the skills testing, and was "hired".
As a temp, opportunities to work ebb and flow depending on the skills you bring to the table, the positions the agency is looking to fill, and how much money you're willing to "get out of bed for". Some positions will be short term (6-12 weeks to cover someone's maternity leave) while others are intended to be long term placements (the agency finds qualified candidates for clients to hire directly).
I did a few interviews with companies, but very few positions interested me. Then in late February I got a call - a position helping prepare proposal packages had come along and I exceeded all the qualifications. The money was lower than I'd hoped for, but it was a placement where I could potentially join the company permanently if they were impressed. I accepted and was placed at a large construction company that does heavy civil work (think bridges, roads, public transportation, water treatment plants, hydroelectric facilities, etc.) The lady in the water division was a one-woman-proposal-team and needed help, she was drowning in bid packages, requests for qualifications, and full blown proposals. I loved the work - it allowed me to be creative but also have a sense of routine. I only had about a 20 minute commute and my husband and I were still able to eat lunch together often.
Because our family was struggling financially, I found myself working two jobs. My husband was not physically able to work two jobs because of his chronic back problems (thanks to his prior military service). Although he was searching diligently for a better paying job, we needed to bridge the financial gap NOW so I stepped up. Four or five days a week I worked during the day at the construction company and then nights at the restaurant. I was often gone between 15-20 hours during my "two job days". Sometimes I was able to nap between jobs in the car, but often I was running myself ragged living on caffeine and a prayer.
It was hard on everyone in my family - very hard. Many times we wondered how we were going to survive this phase of our life. I was so exhausted that I had to force myself to stay up and interact with the kids when I was home. Many times I was too tired and just simply had to sleep. Saturday mornings were my one day to try and sleep-load and if I wasn't able to I got very hard to live with. Especially since I often worked Saturday evenings. Yes, I had a six day work week and only because I devoted Sundays to being my day of rest. Thankfully, God saw fit to give me that heart for people and combined with God's provision and the prayers of some wonderful warriors, He sustained me.
There was no end in sight. I often prayed "God, I know this isn't permanent, and I trust you, but I'm so tired, so very tired." I was burning out daily, so was my husband. Our kids missed me terribly and I felt like I was missing so much. We knew something had to give, so I cut back my hours at the restaurant to three nights a week which helped considerably. It wasn't a perfect balance, but I wasn't sick from exhaustion anymore. I was still tired, and running ragged, but it backed us down from crisis mode to danger Will Robinson.
Things continued along for months this way.... until God was ready to shake things up all over again. Question was - were we ready for a shake up??
I did a few interviews with companies, but very few positions interested me. Then in late February I got a call - a position helping prepare proposal packages had come along and I exceeded all the qualifications. The money was lower than I'd hoped for, but it was a placement where I could potentially join the company permanently if they were impressed. I accepted and was placed at a large construction company that does heavy civil work (think bridges, roads, public transportation, water treatment plants, hydroelectric facilities, etc.) The lady in the water division was a one-woman-proposal-team and needed help, she was drowning in bid packages, requests for qualifications, and full blown proposals. I loved the work - it allowed me to be creative but also have a sense of routine. I only had about a 20 minute commute and my husband and I were still able to eat lunch together often.
Because our family was struggling financially, I found myself working two jobs. My husband was not physically able to work two jobs because of his chronic back problems (thanks to his prior military service). Although he was searching diligently for a better paying job, we needed to bridge the financial gap NOW so I stepped up. Four or five days a week I worked during the day at the construction company and then nights at the restaurant. I was often gone between 15-20 hours during my "two job days". Sometimes I was able to nap between jobs in the car, but often I was running myself ragged living on caffeine and a prayer.
There was no end in sight. I often prayed "God, I know this isn't permanent, and I trust you, but I'm so tired, so very tired." I was burning out daily, so was my husband. Our kids missed me terribly and I felt like I was missing so much. We knew something had to give, so I cut back my hours at the restaurant to three nights a week which helped considerably. It wasn't a perfect balance, but I wasn't sick from exhaustion anymore. I was still tired, and running ragged, but it backed us down from crisis mode to danger Will Robinson.
Things continued along for months this way.... until God was ready to shake things up all over again. Question was - were we ready for a shake up??
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests to made known to God. — Philippians 4:6