November 9, 2009 by admin
The Gentleman’s Club
It’s amazing what a positive attitude can do for you. I think that losing my job on Thursday due to budget cuts was seriously a blessing in disguise. Of course, I didn’t realize it at first and was so freaked out about no longer having a job that I immediately applied for a “dance hostess” position at a gentleman’s club in an act of desperation.
Because I’m a pretty Asian girl (apparently Asian women do well there), I got hired on the spot. I was actually supposed to start tonight, but I couldn’t bring myself to do something so degrading. All weekend long, I was dreading the possibility of getting paid to be some strange, unattractive man’s companion for an evening. Thoughts of trashy men trying to rub up against me plagued my mind until it made me sick to my stomach.
I used to joke that I’d love to have a sugar daddy as long as I didn’t have to give any of my sugar away. Suddenly, that idea didn’t seem so appealing anymore, especially because you and I both know that daddy will want some sugar and will try to get it one way or another (and I was afraid of that other way, to be quite honest).
Determined not to have to resort to such means to earn a living, I made it my mission on Friday morning to apply to at least five jobs. (Mission accomplished). Unfortunately, I’m usually underqualified or overqualified for some of these positions, but that didn’t deter me one bit. I’ve got nothing to lose and only everything to gain, I kept telling myself.
I also picked up the local newspaper to check out the classifieds upon the suggestion of Heather Wagenhal, the host of Unlock Your Wealth Radio. I’ve been a guest on her radio show for a few weeks now as her Unlock Your Wealth Protege. She’s been following my trials and tribulations as a struggling recession grad through a series of coaching calls and radio show interviews.
She suggested I take the job at the gentleman’s club under the notion that sometimes, you have to do things you don’t want to do to survive. To hell with that notion! I think it just helps with her ratings if she can make me some success story, but I’m stubborn as hell. I don’t want to take any old job just to quit within a month every time I find something better. I’m looking for a job that sticks and is in tune with my overall career goals.
The Funeral
It’s ironic that a moment of sadness shed light on my situation. Saturday afternoon, I attended the funeral service of my college roommate from a couple years ago. He died at the age of 29 from a rare liver cancer. He was probably one of the most carefree people I’ve ever met, so much so that when he went through his own period of unemployment, it didn’t phase him one bit (hell, I never even noticed he was unemployed!)
When his father got up to say his parting words during the service, he mentioned that period of unemployment and having expressed his concern to his son. “When are you going to get a job?” he’d ask. The answer: “I don’t want a soul-sucking job.”
That statement really stuck out in my mind for the rest of weekend. Suddenly, I had gained new found clarity from the afterlife. “I don’t want a soul-sucking job,” I repeated to myself. I feel the same way, Jona.
Then I realized that losing my job was truly a blessing in disguise. Now is my chance to take charge of my future. Now is my chance to find a job that has meaning and doesn’t suck the soul from me. Now is my chance to open all the doors and choose for myself which ones to close.
Opening Doors
This morning, I scored a last minute interview for an Internet marketing job that was referred to me by a friend. I think the Interview went pretty well; he seemed to like my enthusiasm.
I was also fortunate enough to score an interview for tomorrow working for a company that does marketing and promotions for newspapers. It may seem boring to you, but as a journalism graduate who never learned the business side of things, I figured this would be a great opportunity to learn more about my field of interest.
At this point, I’m just playing the waiting game until Wednesday because I’m pretty confident that these options are very likely to work out in my favor. If not, I’m prepared to do what I did last week all over again to score myself two more interviews for next week. After all, persistence is critical during times like these.
By the way, I just got a text message from Club Starlight asking if I was still interested in the job. (Four hours after my call time? Really? And via text?) Um…. considering I was a no-show, I’d have to say that the answer is pretty clear. I just couldn’t bare the thought of putting myself in a position to potentially get raped in the ghetto of L.A. I think I’ll keep my dignity and pride in tact, thank you very much.
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