Timewaster's Guide Archive
General => Rants and Stuff => Topic started by: Chimera on September 29, 2005, 08:40:14 PM
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Prepare for a long post...
Nothing is set in stone, but I interviewed today for the position of Copy Writer with Melaleuca, a company based in Idaho Falls. The interview seemed to go well--the lady said she would be reporting back to her superiors, and that it was most likely they would contact me within a week to set up a time for me to come up to Idaho Falls and interview with some managers and such. Melaleuca is also coming down to BYU again in November, and I would probably do some more interviewing then.
I was so proud of myself yesterday. I went to BYU's Career Fair, found the one company that had a job title I recognized and was qualified for, gave them my resume, and got asked back for an interview. Then I went today and had a good interview. Look at me, being all career-savvy and pro-active. It's what everyone says you should do, so I did it.
This has caused a lot of deep thought on my part. What am I doing with my life? Where do I want to be in five years? Should I leave Provo? If you had asked me this last year at this time, I would have said definitely. Sign me up for the first ship outta here! I wanted to go to Boston to Simmons, actually. In fact, anywhere on the East Coast seemed appealing. Or at least back to California and to San Diego. (Idaho, however, was not on the list.)
Then, for the last while I planned on staying in Provo a little longer. It felt like the right thing to do, and I wasn't opposed to it. Now, once again, I find myself in a position with no specific reason to stay. I can go anywhere. Do anything. I'm pretty sure I know ultimately what I want (don't all the qualifiers inspire confidence? ;)). Career-wise, I want to continue to pursue writing, get some sort of advanced degree, and eventually get a Ph.D. I'd like to teach in the college environment and eventually get published. I'm just not sure how to achieve all of this--where to go, which path to take.
I like my current job as Publicity Writer for BYU performance groups. Being a Copy Writer seems kind of similar. It could be good for me to work for a couple of years at a place like Melaleuca before starting graduate school. It might give me more of a chance to get my health under control, rather than trying to work and do school at the same time. But what if my health fails again, and I can't keep a full-time job? Nobody asks you in a job interview if you have chronic illnesses. They just assume you're healthy and normal. And I can act like it's not an issue. Sometimes it isn't. But when it is--it really is. I'd hate to leave everything that is comfortable and go all the way up there and fall flat on my face. (Don't you love how I'm predicting doom and gloom before I even know if I have a job offer? I can't help it, though--my fluctuating health seems to have robbed me of so many things as of late.)
But back to my original question. Do I even want to go to Idaho Falls? Or should I be looking for a job somewhere else? What's in Idaho Falls, anyways? If I get a job offer and accept, I would be moving up there in Dec/Jan. That's sooner then I like to think about.
What do you guys think?
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I apologize if I am out of place, and I am pretty sure that you weren't asking me, but I wonder why you are so ready to leave where you are. I would be willing to bet that you could find opportunities closer to where you are if you look further into it. If you are concerned about taking classes and working at the same time, then only do one for the time being.
Basically, my point would be that you could most likely find the solution for any problem you have right where you are. You have friends where you are now, you know the area, and all of that. And, you don't know, allegorically speaking, where you are going. You have goals that you want to accomplish, but you don't have a plan of how you are going to accomplish them. Therefore, unless you are uncomfortable where you are, I would think that before you move, you would want to know more exactly where you want to be, and where you are going.
Again, this is only my opinion, and I know that you weren't asking me.
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You don't have to apologize, Archon. I appreciate the advice. I was talking to everyone--not everyone (except Archon). ;D
I do need to look around where I am. (That requires more work. Blah. But I need to do it.) This was just my first attempt to decide what to do when I graduate in December--my first pro-active action. But it did raise some questions. The job market is tricky. I might not be able to find a job in Provo, Utah. I may have to move.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.
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Idaho Falls isn't a bad place to go. Fall and Spring are great . . . the summers are nice . . . the winters stink. Melaleuca is a pretty good company. I've heard both good and bad about it, though. I get the impression that they're a little stingy with their workers' time--but that was from people who worked in the call center.
I would personally send out more resumes and see if I get any more job offers before committing to anything, and then make a decision. Good luck!
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As far as real, career-enhancing editorial or writing positions, you probably should be looking outside of Utah. I tried to stay, and went through the same thing you're going through. I didn't even get a good job on campus--I was (for about two weeks) the part-time supervisor of some office, the name of which escapes me, in the Smith Fieldhouse. I believe it was a library office for phys. ed. Not sure.
Anyway, my point is, that if you get an offer that you feel good about, even if it is in Idaho Falls, follow that feeling. I went home to Illinois and ended up editing a magazine in Chicago for a year and a half when I followed that feeling, and it really gave me the stability I needed to be ready for grad school.
My old roommate Sallyann lives up in Rigby and she says that the singles' scene in that area--she used to go down to IF regularly--is busy, but young and relatively uneducated. Of course it would be, with Ricks so close. But she loves it there, and it's home for her.
I'd go to IF and visit, if you haven't yet, and make sure it's a place you want to live (says the girl who accepted the Seattle job sight unseen). Be certain to weigh all your options--what do you want in a new place? Boston's got it all when it comes to a singles' scene that's intellectual, educated, and driven, and you're likely to find any kind of job that you want there. I've got friends in publishing and writing who can connect you to the right people to find a job.
But the thing is, with Boston, Chicago, New York, and D.C., and many big cities like them, you have to decide to move there, have a little in reserve, and be willing to temp for a month or two till you find the right job. I went to Boston for grad school and happened to find a connection at school who got me in touch with the right person at Houghton to get a job two months later, but I lived on a student loan those first couple months.
So, staying local, within the state or the next state over, will help you in job hunting in that you can go interview and check things out without having to move there first.
Personally, though, I say go for the big, scary move. That's the thing you should be doing at your age. Do it now while you're single and have the mobility you won't have later. Explore the places you've always wanted to go. So what if you fall flat on your butt? I did that several times myself, and I never had to give up and go home. You just dust yourself off and keep going, and you find that falling on your butt is exactly what prepared you for the next thing.
Oh, and some of Boston's hospitals have some great free healthcare for people living under a certain generous income, something like $35,000. I know from experience that being without insurance when you get really sick is really bad. I don't know how other cities do it--Chicago didn't have anything similar, I don't think, but I had insurance when I lived there. But Boston's hospitals and their related clinics are research and teaching hospitals (mine was affiliated with Harvard Med School), so they're well-funded.
Anyway, just my thoughts, taken from my own personal experience of having been in a similar position when I graduated. It was so wide open that I could go anywhere, and the choice really was mine--I even had spiritual confirmation of that. I could have stayed in Utah and it would have been fine, too. But I'm a much different person now than I might have been had I stayed in Utah, and so I'm really glad I left and explored.
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Thanks CtrlZed and stacer for your thoughtful posts. :) :-*
So much to think about...
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you can't factor in "scariness" as whether you should take the move unless you want to stay right where you are and make little progression. Any move that will probably help your career and future will have some pretty scary ultimate consequences.
Like Stacy said, big cities can employ people locally. They have no desire to add a moving package into their hiring process. They will consider people close before far away. If you want to move to a big city on the east or left coasts, you move first, then look.
Of course, nothing I say here is absolute, there are always exceptions.
Anyway, Utah's got a horrible market for decent jobs. I wouldn't plan on staying there unless you have something very specific you're staying in Utah for (and I can think of a couple things). Friends are nice, but over the course of half a decade much of that will change, and so while it is a factor, don't allow it to be the dominating force. I'll bet you can make friends wherever you go.
Anyway, while it's nice to start thinking of this, you can't make any final decisions until you know what the real opportunities are.
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As anyone in my family can tell you, I didn't like growing up in Idaho Falls. The place is too freaking cold, and there's very little to do. However, if you're looking for a relaxed atmosphere, that would be a good place to go. Most people who end up in Idaho Falls do so because it's quiet and the people are generally pretty nice. The city library, which is still one of the city's only selling points, in my opinion, is right by the Maleleuca building.
One thing to remember is that Idaho Falls has no colleges. BYUI is 30 minutes away, and ISU is about an hour away. So people tend to go to I.F. for activities and such, but you might not have a lot of singles actually living around you.
Speaking of which, if you take the job, you could probably get an apartment with my sister and her friend.
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Like Stacy said, big cities can employ people locally. They have no desire to add a moving package into their hiring process. They will consider people close before far away. If you want to move to a big city on the east or left coasts, you move first, then look.
Anyway, while it's nice to start thinking of this, you can't make any final decisions until you know what the real opportunities are.
Those are both important points. I've looked at online job search sites for "Copy Writer" and there happen to be quite a few. However, many of them want at least 2-3 years experience writing for a company, which I don't really have. I have about a year of experience actually working in a company and then lots of miscellaneous writing and editing experience throughout college. Which is why I wonder if I'll end up wanting to go with a place like Melaleuca, who is willing to take me right out of college with a year of experience.
And many of the entry level Copy Writer/Editor positions in big cities, like you said, are for local applicants only. So that's probably true--if I want to live in Boston or New York, I may have to save up and go and find a job. (Stacer, if I do decide to go to Boston, I'll definitely take you up on some references for possible job leads.)
I'll bet you can make friends wherever you go.
Of course. Everyone loves me. ;D
No, I like people, so I'm not worried about making friends. It does take time to build those deep friendships, though. There were a couple of years at BYU when I was friends with tons of people but not really close with anyone. I like to have some of both--close friends you can tell anything to and people you hang out with occasionally.
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As anyone in my family can tell you, I didn't like growing up in Idaho Falls. The place is too freaking cold,
That definitely is a strike against Idaho Falls. I hate the cold. I HATE it! Utah is bad enough. Upstate New York on my mission nearly killed me. However, East Coast is pretty chilly. I might end up being cold no matter where I go. :( Unless I move back to California. 8)
Speaking of which, if you take the job, you could probably get an apartment with my sister and her friend.
Hey, that's cool. I already have potential roomies! ;)
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I've looked at online job search sites for "Copy Writer" and there happen to be quite a few. However, many of them want at least 2-3 years experience writing for a company, which I don't really have. I have about a year of experience actually working in a company and then lots of miscellaneous writing and editing experience throughout college.
Apply anyway. generally, those are their ideal candidate, but many will interview and hire people who are good finds but lack a year or two of experience anyway.
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Its called molding... they like molding employees. Plus the worst they can say is no.
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No, I like people, so I'm not worried about making friends. It does take time to build those deep friendships, though. There were a couple of years at BYU when I was friends with tons of people but not really close with anyone. I like to have some of both--close friends you can tell anything to and people you hang out with occasionally.
That's one thing that I've learned in this time of life, being single and LDS, doesn't matter where you live, usually. If you stay in one place long enough, your friends are probably going to be the ones moving away for better opportunities. If you move on, you move away from your good friends. So you just have to be sure to keep in touch with the people who are special to you, no matter how close or far away they are. You can't let that be a deciding factor. Sometimes I regret moving, usually within the first few months of a move, and it gets harder and harder to make new friends because the older I get the more settled other people are--except for the ones who are in a similar life position to me. But I also find that the friends who are as "driven" as I am (or at least, I was recently told I'm "driven," and I suppose in a way that's true) tend to be the ones who move around for the job opportunities, grad school, etc., so we have to work harder to stay in touch.
If it hadn't been for TWG, for example, I still wouldn't be in touch with most of the people here on the boards, and that's sad, because we've been able to get together a lot in the last couple of years, and I count many of the people here among my closest long-term friends. No matter where you go, you just make sure to keep in touch with the people who matter.
However, my dream place to live will have everyone I've ever been close to, mountains, a coastline, forests, perhaps a river to bike along, a quirky big city downtown to explore with those friends, and my family, all in one spot. Oh, and it'll have my dream job, too. So, everyone, move to Boston or Seattle. :) I mean, everyone go to the same place. ;)
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I second Tage on the "too freaking cold." Move to Mexico.
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Man. You guys would hate Montréal.
Not that I appreciate the cold, either, but…
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I would hate montreal because they put mayo on everything... which is also why I dont move to utah... :P
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Define "everything".
I put mayonnaise on my sandwiches, and I'm a Nevadan. Might be a Western thing?
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The only unusual mayonaise concoction I am aware of is fry sauce, which is comprised of mayo and ketchup (and sometimes something else to give it a kick, like horse radish or thousand island dressing). Incidentally, I believe fry sauce was "invented" in Idaho. And it is prevelant in Utah. But you certainly don't see it in California--you have to make it yourself.
I like mayonaise. So I could live in Utah, Idaho, or Montreal. :D
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I'm not a fan of fry sauce, either. I much prefer BBQ sauce.
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me too, with maybe a little bit of carolina mustard slaw....
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Cole slaw, of any vareity, puts me off.
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Well how about some slivered onions instead... or some chili...or both
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Depends on what it's going on.
On a burger, I wont say no to onions. On a hotdog, I don't mind chili...
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...And in other news, a tragic tale unfolds this afternoon as yet another in a long string of threads is hijacked, and rapidly spirals off-topic.
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Im like the Robin Hood of thread hijacking...
Rob from the rich and give to the world...
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Since I do it to other people's threads, it's only fitting that it happen to one of mine.
I did get some good feedback that I really appreciate before the thread degenerated into a discussion of food. ;)
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You want an honest answer Chim... follow your heart and your dream,... pray about it and see how it feels... and then do what you think is right.
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I almost shortend your nickname to Chim-Chim (which is actually longer)
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I almost shortend your nickname to Chim-Chim (which is actually longer)
Which will, of course, have us singing the Mary Poppins song at her.
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From Speed Racer to Mary Poppins... its enough to make the Pigeons shudder... tuppence a bag...
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I almost shortend your nickname to Chim-Chim (which is actually longer)
Ah, that's sweet.
But since the Greek pronunciation is actually a hard K sound--K-eye-mir-uh--I'm not sure how to work out that nickname. Something like K-eye-m K-eye-m?
(Obviously from my sounding out of the word I am not a linguist and just using familar sounds instead of the proper symbols. Just go with it.)
But Chim-Chim, as in Mary Poppins and "Chim chim cherie"--is kind of cute. Except for the fact that it does relate me to the afore mentioned Speed Racer monkey. :P
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Don't you feel so lucky to have a nickname that is a homophone for a the liquidy substance that food is reduced to in your digestive system?
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Dropping that hard k sound in favor of a soft ch sound works for me Chim-Chim... I had a good buddy growing up named Charon... (using a ch sound)
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Don't you feel so lucky to have a nickname that is a homophone for a the liquidy substance that food is reduced to in your digestive system?
Thanks Archon, for pointing that out.
I have one word for you: EW! :P
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You know, it bothers me when people get bothered about the Americanization of word.
Just as "Melee" is pronoune "me - lee" ("maylay" is the pronunciation for "mêlée"), "Chimera" is pronouned "chim - er - uh". If you want people to pronounce it the Greek way, spell it in Greek.
This is one of the reason you'll never find me using the word "fiancée" without the acute accent (or the extra e when referring to a woman, for that matter).
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"Chimera" is pronouned "chim - er - uh". If you want people to pronounce it the Greek way, spell it in Greek.
No it's not. Not according to the dictionary (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=chimera) (check out the cool pronunciation guide--I use it all the time). I mean, it's easy to think that is how it is pronounced, since the spelling of "chi" equaling the sound "ki" is not a normal English convention. But I think the dictionary gives the accepted way to pronounce it. This is coming from someone who constantly mispronounces words that I read before I heard.
Like faux. I thought it was pronounced "fox." So I wondered how people could tell the difference between a fox fur and a faux fur (both pronounced the same). :-[ :)
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"Faux" should be italicized, then. I speak French so it doesn't give me any trouble at all, as it is spelled correctly.
The dictionary doesn't have "me lee" as a pronunciation for "melee", either. Like you, the dictionary is prescriptivist. =þ
I guess I'm more presciptivist when it comes to spelling, and you're more prescriptivist when it comes to pronunciation. I mean, if you're that particular, why not require everyone to pronounce it with a "kh" sound?
Again, I'm all for anglicisation of words that we've anglicized the spelling for (this includes dropping accents), and all for spelling natively the words we don' anglicise.
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Sorry Chimera, I'm with Jade Knight on this one. Despite how it ought to be pronounced in Greek, Americans don't pronounce it that way. I figure that while American English had Greek unconcious in a back alley and was going through its pockets for loose nouns, we dropped a couple and they started sounding all funny.
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plus the word has all sorts of word origin issues... you cant go from one language to another before ending up American english with out breaking a few eggs..
Middle English chimere, Chimera, from Old French, from Latin chimaera, from Greek khimaira, chimera, she-goat. See ghei- in Indo-European Roots.
I suspect though that Fell and E will pop blood vessels...
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Do you guys really pronounce chimera with a ch sound instead of a hard k? I've never heard it pronounced that way. I pronounce it (and thus it is so ;)) ky-maer-uh. Like the dictionary. Long I, long A, schwa at the end.
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*Shrug* It doesn't really matter anyway. You say tomato, I say tomato (I'm not even going to try to sound out the difference--you've all heard the saying).
I guess I just really like the hard k sound in the name. Makes it cooler to me. And that's how my Greek Mythology professor pronounced it, so I just picked it up from him.
English has absorbed so many words from different languages there seems to be little consistency. It's not like Spanish where vowels and consonant combinations ALWAYS make the same sounds. And then if you get into dialects, you have people pronouncing words like creek and bag different based entirely on which side of the coast they are from.
I'm not so much a prescriptivist as being partly paranoid. I've been teased for pronouncing things wrong (all in good humor, of course) so I often check my pronounciation against the dictionary. It's my default.
But you all may pronounce it however you want. ;D
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Yup, I like saying Chimera with a CH, even though I knew it was a k. My rational is that if the Brits can pronounce Belvoir as "Beaver" then Americans can do no wrong pronouncing foreign words.
:P
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I am well aware of the prescribed pronunciation, but I strongly prefer the "natural" pronunciation.
Were I to try to pronounce it the Greek way, I'd pronounce it "kh", not "k".
I mean, presciptivism is what landed us "island" with an s, which is moronic.
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I just love a good prescriptivist/descriptivist argument and in Ohio I don't have anyone to argue with.
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By the way Chimera, you're welcome.
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I have never said "Chimera" which the ch sound. Nor have I really heard it used that way.
I've only heard idiots and the ignorant say "melee" with an "EE" sound. I don't think those are good examples of Americanization.
My last name, however, is. In German the pronounciation is something like "uhr-lurs." However, we say it "EE-lers."
However, Chimera's statement still doesn't look like a linguist's post because it completely ignores what happens in most shortenings of words (at least in English). Often the first sound of a following syllable is adopted by first syllable. Since the new name is no longer developing in the old language, it develops in the new language. Thus it would not be incorrect, nor unusual to see a consonant combination adopt a more common sound. Thus "chim-chim" (said like the monkey's name) wouldn't be an odd shortage at all. Though I still think something pronounced "Kim" would be more common.
further, "Faux Pas" may be a French word in origin, but English likes to hijack words. phrases like "faux pas" and "hors d'oeurve" are so commonly used in English that they are now considered English (being the descriptivist language it is). You can feel free to italicize it to feel more multi-lingual, but it is hardly necessary to do so.
Or do we need to italicize words like "alliance" and "maize" too?
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*Shrug*
But you all may pronounce it however you want. ;D
This is probably dumb, but I've only seen it written and I pronounced it (in my head) shim - er- a. Then it can be like shimmer. I think that is cool. I have no basis really for why it should be pronounced this way, but there you go.
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Shim shim sounds like a gnome.
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Or do we need to italicize words like "alliance" and "maize" too?
Alliance has been Americanized in pronunciation, and Maize has, too. That's my point.
I know that most of the educated pronounce Chimera and Melee according to the dictionary definition, but it bugs me to no small end when people pronounce "melee" that way but refuse to spell it "mêlée".
At any rate, I'm a rebel when it comes to the pronunciation of certain words. Were I needing to use those words during a professional discourse, I would probably pronounce Chimera with a "kh", and "melee" as "close combat". =þ In regular speech, however, I will encourage proper pronunciation!
To add more to the mix, I pronounce "wyvern" with an "ee" sound, rather than an "ai" sound. This is closer to pre-GVS pronunciation, and my preference (I think the post-GVS pronunciation of that word sounds stupid).
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you say "Wee-vern" or "wyv-veern"? Cuz frankly, those both sound silly to me.
I think that you'll find that none of those words need italicizing. Nor that they're wrong without the diacriticals. English is just that kind of language. It's my experience that most people who know what a chimera is say it with a "k" sound.
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you say "Wee-vern" or "wyv-veern"? Cuz frankly, those both sound silly to me.
I say "wivern", or "we-vern". "wyvern" sounds quite silly to me, though it's the "accepted" pronunciation (it's all the GVS's fault!)
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So Melaleuca called me on Friday and left a message on my phone saying they want to schedule a time for me to come up to IF and interview. I need to call them back ASAP--today, really. I'm not completely sure what to do--if I even want a job in IF. I probably will do it, though. There's no harm in interviewing--it's just that I haven't been feeling well, and I should really conserve my energy for the most important things. If I don't want the job, that would be an unnecessary drain.
Anybody feel like a road trip to Idaho Falls? (since it seems like many of you have family up there) ;)
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Congratulations! I'd say interview. You can't make a decision about something you don't know anything about. And you never know--they may make you an offer you can't refuse (Wizards did that with me).
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My mother just told me they got some new kittens, so I'm willing to go. Also, I have a friend in the ward who wants to visit. So three reasons is enough for me, I guess. The problem is, I and said friend would rather go up on a weekend. Do they want you to interview during normal business hours?
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I believe so. I imagined I would have to miss either a Friday or Monday to do the interview. I haven't called them back, yet, so I don't know for sure--but that was the impression I got when I talked with her about it during my first inteview.
I hate making decisions. :P
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I just spoke with the human resources rep. It looks like the only date that will work is next Monday October 17. So I don't know if you can get work off, Tage. The hp rep mentioned that they would be setting me up in a hotel, so I could drive up on Sunday and then go back Monday after the interviews, so I can go by myself if I need to.
But if someone does want to go, we could leave like Friday afternoon and spend the weekend.
(Edit: Tage I sent you a PM)
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I'd go if I didn't have to work all weekend. I'm sure my Mom would like to see me (well, maybe my Dad would, too). If you end up in IF and ever need a mom to dote on you, visit mine. She's great. Half my friends call her "mom."
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(Edit: Tage I sent you a PM)
And I replied.
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Some people already know because I told them tonight, but I decided not to interview with Melaleuca. It probably would have been a good job, but I just really couldn't see myself moving to Idaho Falls, and after pondering on it and weighing things in my mind I realized that if it was very unlikely I would accept the job there was little reason to put all the effort in to interview.
So, for better or worse, I told them no.
They seemed disappointed. At least now I know that I have potential employee material!