Finding a job in this job market is hard. Finding a job that you actually want is even harder. I am happy to say that I acquired my first big girl job in a field that I love and couldn't be more excited. Literally.
These past few months have been touch and go. I've had days where I thought I was going to pull my hair out, which I convinced myself was OK because I have more hair than any human should have, so I could spare some. My stress level was through the roof due to my lack of a bank account and lack of a future job. I knew that when my year with AmeriCorps was over on August 23, I had no plans. I also had no money saved. No money in my back account + No plans of how to bring in money = An emotional and frustrated Cat that you do not want to be around. I would cry at miniscule things and have emotional breakdowns out of nowhere (sorry Steve).
But I've learned that perseverance and networking are your best friends. Luckily the homeless Continuum of Care in New Orleans is a great place to network. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of job openings in the Continuum, which is the tricky part. Since May I have been talking to directors and staff of other agencies who I knew, and introducing myself to everyone I didn't know (we fund more than 60 agencies, so you can imagine how many people I was constantly trying to talk to), just so I could try to get my foot in the door of their agency. Everyone's response to me was the same: They appreciated me and would love to have me on their team, but there were no job openings.
My motivation was low, and my self-confidence was shrinking more and more by the day. I had applied to every journalism and nonprofit job in New Orleans that I was qualified for and nothing came from it. But just last week I decided to email a really, really powerful person in New Orleans when it comes to homelessness. I have been in a few meetings with her, but never actually spoke to her directly. But I decided, what the heck, there's nothing to lose. So I sent her an overly friendly email, reminding her who I was, and asked her if she knew of any job openings. Alas, she forwarded my email to the director of Travelers Aid with a simple, "Cat meet so-and-so, and vice versa." That was on Friday. An interview was set for Monday. I was offered the job on Tuesday. It all seemed surreal. For months I had been busting my ass to get a job... could the process really have been this easy? Apparently yes. My references raved about me and other people in the Continuum told her I would be a great employee. So my instigating and networking finally payed off.
Now, for the job. The Veterans Administration in New Orleans is opening a new drop-in center for homeless people. Basically, this is a place where homeless people can go, without an appointment, to receive services. They can get their laundry done, get help with employment, etc. My job is a case worker with the crisis intervention team of Travelers Aid. Basically, homeless people and people at risk of becoming homeless come in to the center without an appointment, tell me their story, I evaluate what they need and what will A) prevent their homelessness, or B) get them out of homelessness. This could entail getting them into our employment program to help them get a job, referring them to agencies with rental assistance, etc.
I'm super excited because I'm going to get client interaction everyday. I am so grateful for what my current agency has done for me by training me and networking me and sculpting me into a respected social worker (without a social work degree), however I was missing the direct service aspect that I longed for. Now I get to experience that on a daily basis. I'll get to be doing what I love while earning an actual salary and benefits. I. am. blessed.
Thanks everyone for supporting me this year, especially my parents (who were there to offer me much needed love and financial support), my sister (who is my rock and although she is slightly insane, she has a way of keeping me sane), and my boyfriend (who has mastered the "tough love" technique and has taught me that sucking it up and dealing with things is a lot more efficient than sulking).
I'm so looking forward to this blog turning into something that I've always wanted it to be: filled with stories of the beautiful people of New Orleans, homeless and not homeless. Character and charisma are about to fill the blog posts to come and I hope you'll continue reading.
Until next time.
