Posted on by Belinda O

Tenacity Rewarded

I did it—I have a job.

It’s not an exciting career job, and I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of room for advancement. But I’m working with a well-established, reputable company, the benefits are great and the people are generous.

I admit I have my moments when I say to myself, “I have a college degree yet I’m doing this menial work.” Those moments don’t last very long, especially since this is a job you have to work at to keep up with, so I’m distracted with the task of getting it done. Not just getting it done, but getting it done right. If I don’t do my job well, it has ramifications for a long line of people.

I realize that, at my age, a lot of people are faced with the same situation, that is, a job that doesn’t take full advantage of their skills, experience and talent. Agism becomes an issue and you take whatever job is offered, regardless of how well qualified you are for higher level work. In my case, a major setback eight years ago kept me away from my career path, and that gap is hard to overcome.

One kind of cool thing is the hours. I’m working noon to 8:30, so I have my mornings to run errands, visit the doctor and write. At least, that’s the theory. It seems I can get myself out of bed at 7:00 a.m., but staying out is another story.

So I have my outlets. I love to write and have three blogs to prove it (although admittedly this blog has been neglected as of late). If you’re wondering, take a look to the right of this post and you’ll see the plug for one of my other blogs, Classic for a Reason—Reviews of Films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The third is a knitting blog.

Another writing outlet is my writing group. It’s a great group of ladies who have a tremendous amount of experience. We meet every Saturday to share our work. It provides me with the motivation to get up at 7:00 so I can put in a few hours of writing before I go to work, although, as I mentioned before, I’m having a hard time convincing my body that eight or nine hours of sleep is enough.

So I’m doing better these days, and maybe I’ll get back to writing for this blog on a more regular basis. I hope so, because I miss the interaction with all of my blogging buddies (some of you have been very loyal and I am grateful for your friendship).

See you soon in the blogosphere.

 

17 Replies to “Tenacity Rewarded”

  1. I’m happy for you. As we advance in years we choose career paths more suitable to our needs. You mention your hours. That’s sweet! Happiness doesn’t always follow with the degree, but after. Eight hours is the perfect amount of sleep for me, but it depends on what time I fall asleep. If I’m in bed by 10:00, my body wakes up at 6. (Love that sunrise) However, if I stay up till midnight, my body is not done resting and doesn’t want to get up till 8. ❤

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  2. Yay, you! Belinda–I am so happy to hear this. ‘Benefits’–is that not the loveliest word to hear along side ‘job.’ I work with so many people who are not working with their college degree, but they are thriving and happy, so this is great. Write when you can but mostly rest and enjoy.

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  3. Congratulations to you! I am 63 and I know how hard it is to find work. I have been looking outside the home and couldn’t even get hired at a few pet stores I applied to, ridiculous! (I have a college degree too, which frankly, nowadays means nothing). So happy you found something and wish you the best of luck!

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  9. I am reading this a year after you wrote it. I hope that this job has continued to go well. These days I am much more interested in the people with whom I am working than the project (“the benefits are great and the people are generous…”) we are working on. Congratulations on your persistence!

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