Mood:
mischieviousTopic: Job Search
It may be a new year, but something tells me the problems of last year aren't completely gone. Before my office left for winter break, we got the dreaded e-mail from our chancellor—an update on budget cuts.
As many of you may remember, last year I nearly had a mental breakdown, thinking I was going to lose my job because of the dwindling budget. Yes I know, money was and still is, very tight.
Last year, we kept getting several "updates" that would really tell us nothing. My fear wasn't that I'd lose my job, it was that I wasn't going to get any advanced warning about losing my job. I was hoping for at least a month's notice or perhaps more, anything more than just "Holly, we don't need to see you tomorrow."
I don't want this to come off the wrong way, that I'm ungrateful for my job, because I feel very lucky here. It's just that money, especially the thought of not having money, stresses me out more than anything—even my personal health. In fact, my anxiety often drives me to physical illness before I calm myself down.
In an effort to ease the pain, I did two things: 1. I got serious about saving money. I feel like I caught onto this idea late in life, but I guess it's better than never saving at all. I've heard you need to have enough money in your savings account to live for six months. I'm not there yet; frankly I'm not even close. However, I do have money put aside that would help some. 2. I started looking for jobs. I never found anything serious, probably due to the fact that I was applying to places online at 10pm. However, out of that little stint, I got my freelance gig at House & Home Magazine.
As of now, I'm not too terribly stressed about the cuts—afterall, it's still early enough in the game for me to keep saving money. However, I'm going to keep my eyes open for as many freelance opportunities as I can; I'm fine with writing in the evenings and on weekends.
Hopefully, all of my worries are for nothing. Is anyone else in the same boat?
