technology is cool, right?
i just watched an hour of my own graduation ceremony online through a live stream. the picture quality was horrendous. but yes, today's the day i graduate. and although i missed out on it for various reasons (the main one being that my parents couldn't even come see me graduate), i watched four of the girls graduate live without actually being there. which is kind of neat. i mean, nobody in my program wanted to go. two of them are out west. others had to work or missed the deadline to RSVP to graduate. to each their own, i suppose. i'm not too concerned about missing it. sitting through a 2 hour ceremony again is not really in my best interest.
i now officially have an ontario graduate certificate in project management - environmental... although it's not quite in my literal hands just yet. but yay! i guess.
so, i got rejected from my dream job last week. pretty much a bummer. and i haven't had any calls for interviews or anything since then; but i'm still applying everywhere. i've been filling my time with lots of volunteer things and networking events, as well as working on projects for my unpaid internship. i'm very busy as i just noticed while looking at my calendar. also, it's pride. and i'm performing on saturday june 30 from 5pm-6pm at the pride community cafe. i'm excited for that. and i'll be in the parade on july 1st.
i got an email from the events place, finally, after countless emails from my end of things. you remember this events place, yes? they hired me in april and told me i'd hear from them around may 24. then they said the first week of june. and now it's the end of june and the first time i've heard from them since may. they asked for my availability for "canada day". so i emailed back telling them what's up.
ohhhhh man. i can't even believe if this means i'll start working soon.
Jun 26, 2012
Jun 19, 2012
42 degrees and an interview or two
i've been job hunting for six months now and i just had my 7th interview.
i got a rejection email from the environmental centre on friday afternoon. i sort of expected it and didn't care too much. i know i could do it well, but it just wasn't all that workable for me, seeing as how it was a permanent position in the middle of no where.
today, i had an interview to work with a non-profit organization and on beaches/in the office all summer. this seemed like a swell role for me. i get to educate people and gain experience doing things, and manage a team of volunteers. this is an ideal position. and it was paid! i really hope i get this one.
our apartment was "randomly selected" this week to participate in the labour force unemployment survey. this basically means that i'm now a statistic in the job hunt and for the next 6 months, they'll be following up monthly to see whether or not i've found work. so next month when the unemployment rate comes out on stats canada, i'll be a part of that percentage. ugh. as if the job hunt wasn't bad enough already!
it took about until the end of june last summer to find 2 jobs and work interchangeably. and then about 3 weeks into it, i left one to gain more hours at the other and that that one let me go because there was no tourism/business/they overhired. maybe it's best for me not to try to jump into things so quickly to ensure i can have a steady job for the summer, even if it's only part-time. but i've stopped applying to shitty summer jobs only because i still wasn't getting any interviews for them. and i need experience in my field, really.
i won't lie though, last week wouldn't have been so amazing if i actually had a job. i enjoy being able to do whatever i want and am definitely keeping busy. but i'm hoping that will come to an end and i can spend my weekends on the beach all summer.
also, it's supposed to be 42 degrees today and it's only june. fuck that shit.
i got a rejection email from the environmental centre on friday afternoon. i sort of expected it and didn't care too much. i know i could do it well, but it just wasn't all that workable for me, seeing as how it was a permanent position in the middle of no where.
today, i had an interview to work with a non-profit organization and on beaches/in the office all summer. this seemed like a swell role for me. i get to educate people and gain experience doing things, and manage a team of volunteers. this is an ideal position. and it was paid! i really hope i get this one.
our apartment was "randomly selected" this week to participate in the labour force unemployment survey. this basically means that i'm now a statistic in the job hunt and for the next 6 months, they'll be following up monthly to see whether or not i've found work. so next month when the unemployment rate comes out on stats canada, i'll be a part of that percentage. ugh. as if the job hunt wasn't bad enough already!
it took about until the end of june last summer to find 2 jobs and work interchangeably. and then about 3 weeks into it, i left one to gain more hours at the other and that that one let me go because there was no tourism/business/they overhired. maybe it's best for me not to try to jump into things so quickly to ensure i can have a steady job for the summer, even if it's only part-time. but i've stopped applying to shitty summer jobs only because i still wasn't getting any interviews for them. and i need experience in my field, really.
i won't lie though, last week wouldn't have been so amazing if i actually had a job. i enjoy being able to do whatever i want and am definitely keeping busy. but i'm hoping that will come to an end and i can spend my weekends on the beach all summer.
also, it's supposed to be 42 degrees today and it's only june. fuck that shit.
Jun 14, 2012
financial troubles
you might ask how i'm surviving in toronto without a paying job.
the short answer is that it's not going well.
the long answer is basically as follows:
1. OSAP & financial aid
i still have a little bit of money leftover from OSAP of 2011-2012. they gave me enough to cover tuition and most of my rent/food which has helped significantly over the year and the past couple of months not in school. my rent is not cheap. food is not cheap. my social life also doesn't come cheap (unless, of course, dudes buy me beers all the time... and i've been flirting my way nonstop for this just because i'm so broke at the moment. it's working; don't judge me. i won't do it as often once i've found a paying job).
my estimate for september is about the same which is quite nice. i'll be able to splurge a bit because my tuition doesn't cost nearly as much as last year. in fact, it's about $2,000 less than last year. that's so amazing. i'm still scratching my head as to where the $6,000 i spent on tuition last year went and what i've truly gained from the program. i don't remember applying for any tuition assistance/grants/bursaries last year but somehow managed to be the recipient of a bursary that was enough to cover a month's worth of rent and groceries. so when i applied for those money saving things this year, the seneca website came back to me saying that my financial need was too great and they couldn't do anything to help me. really? because back when i was dependent on my parents and/or living at home, my parents made too much money for me to qualify for anything; or my summer working paid for most of my tuition and expenses; or OSAP covered a little bit of tuition yet was never enough. but when i'm an independent struggling to find a paying job, going back to school, living on my own, and have little to no savings because of rent/food/tuition/etc, i can't qualify for any assistance? geez. who does that money end up going to then?
2. attempts at savings
i never followed a budget while living in toronto but i probably should have. on rent and transportation, i'm looking at $777 + $104 a month = $881. plus the cost of food/beer. and i'd say i was spending $1,000 or more each month just to cover my survival. i had a lot of money saved up to move. it was enough to pay my full amount of first semester tuition $3,000+ before my OSAP came into my hands in september when i moved to toronto.
and even with that tuition, i still had lots of money left over from living at home for almost 2 years, working part-time during the school year and summers, not having any bills to pay or transportation costs (except my cell phone... and even then, my parents sometimes paid for that), not spending any money on food/groceries, and not going out nearly as much or spending too much when i did go out for beers. so yes, i had the ability to save and budget when i wanted to and when i had a steady source of income with no bills to pay. but since i made something like $2,000 over the course of last summer and the last time i worked a paying job was august 2011, it's no wonder that i don't have a lot of cash right now.
3. social life on hold
i've really cut back on going out lately. or if i do go out, i won't spend that much. i used to go out for meals a few times a week or order in, but i've stopped that too (and maybe i'll go out once a week.) i went home a few times in the past couple of months to save money on meals or i had certain things to do. my parents have been up visiting and have taken me out or fed me every time they come up. i just spent about a week at home to save money and was able to get them to pay for my toiletries for the next couple of months (and, every time i go home, gramma gives me moneys for coming home.. so that's pretty nice). sometimes, my mom will cook me food and i'll bring it back with me. there's a sheppard's pie and pasta sauce in my freezer that's been in there for about a month now. i should probably eat it soon. i'll go to friend's places and we'll have potlucks or barbecues and that's quite helpful in feeding me. i'm a hungry girl, okay, if you haven't noticed already!
4. interviews?
i finally had an interview at the environmental centre i've applied to like 40 times in the past 6 months. they emailed me saying that the full-time position i applied for was filled but they've opened up a part-time position and to re-submit my resume. i did and had the interview on tuesday. it's a part-time, permanent position, three days a week at about 20 hours a week. it extends past the summer but i never told them i was going back to school in september. also, it's in the middle of no where and sort of difficult to get to; i take a bus to a park, walk through the park to a trail, and hike about 2km to the centre. sure.. that's a nice walk in the summer during the daytime. but in the evning/at night/when it's raining/snowing/other inclement weather/etc it won't be very nice. and the cab ride is about $15 with a tip. so yeah, that doesn't come cheap either. i'm supposed to hear back "by the end of the week" but i may be turning it down if i do get it because of all of the things i mentioned above. we'll see.
i'm applying to lots of jobs constantly and not getting anywhere. my unpaid internship is going well. the second part of my research into the longboarding benefits calculations are going smoothly (now.. after some technical/"i can't brain today, i've got the dumb" issues) and it's helping me keep busy on these long, hot days when instead of spending money and drinking beer on a patio, i'm hanging out in my living room with the air conditioning on full blast figuring out the benefits of longboarding.
hey... job... are you out there? it's me... amber.
the short answer is that it's not going well.
the long answer is basically as follows:
1. OSAP & financial aid
i still have a little bit of money leftover from OSAP of 2011-2012. they gave me enough to cover tuition and most of my rent/food which has helped significantly over the year and the past couple of months not in school. my rent is not cheap. food is not cheap. my social life also doesn't come cheap (unless, of course, dudes buy me beers all the time... and i've been flirting my way nonstop for this just because i'm so broke at the moment. it's working; don't judge me. i won't do it as often once i've found a paying job).
my estimate for september is about the same which is quite nice. i'll be able to splurge a bit because my tuition doesn't cost nearly as much as last year. in fact, it's about $2,000 less than last year. that's so amazing. i'm still scratching my head as to where the $6,000 i spent on tuition last year went and what i've truly gained from the program. i don't remember applying for any tuition assistance/grants/bursaries last year but somehow managed to be the recipient of a bursary that was enough to cover a month's worth of rent and groceries. so when i applied for those money saving things this year, the seneca website came back to me saying that my financial need was too great and they couldn't do anything to help me. really? because back when i was dependent on my parents and/or living at home, my parents made too much money for me to qualify for anything; or my summer working paid for most of my tuition and expenses; or OSAP covered a little bit of tuition yet was never enough. but when i'm an independent struggling to find a paying job, going back to school, living on my own, and have little to no savings because of rent/food/tuition/etc, i can't qualify for any assistance? geez. who does that money end up going to then?
2. attempts at savings
i never followed a budget while living in toronto but i probably should have. on rent and transportation, i'm looking at $777 + $104 a month = $881. plus the cost of food/beer. and i'd say i was spending $1,000 or more each month just to cover my survival. i had a lot of money saved up to move. it was enough to pay my full amount of first semester tuition $3,000+ before my OSAP came into my hands in september when i moved to toronto.
and even with that tuition, i still had lots of money left over from living at home for almost 2 years, working part-time during the school year and summers, not having any bills to pay or transportation costs (except my cell phone... and even then, my parents sometimes paid for that), not spending any money on food/groceries, and not going out nearly as much or spending too much when i did go out for beers. so yes, i had the ability to save and budget when i wanted to and when i had a steady source of income with no bills to pay. but since i made something like $2,000 over the course of last summer and the last time i worked a paying job was august 2011, it's no wonder that i don't have a lot of cash right now.
3. social life on hold
i've really cut back on going out lately. or if i do go out, i won't spend that much. i used to go out for meals a few times a week or order in, but i've stopped that too (and maybe i'll go out once a week.) i went home a few times in the past couple of months to save money on meals or i had certain things to do. my parents have been up visiting and have taken me out or fed me every time they come up. i just spent about a week at home to save money and was able to get them to pay for my toiletries for the next couple of months (and, every time i go home, gramma gives me moneys for coming home.. so that's pretty nice). sometimes, my mom will cook me food and i'll bring it back with me. there's a sheppard's pie and pasta sauce in my freezer that's been in there for about a month now. i should probably eat it soon. i'll go to friend's places and we'll have potlucks or barbecues and that's quite helpful in feeding me. i'm a hungry girl, okay, if you haven't noticed already!
4. interviews?
i finally had an interview at the environmental centre i've applied to like 40 times in the past 6 months. they emailed me saying that the full-time position i applied for was filled but they've opened up a part-time position and to re-submit my resume. i did and had the interview on tuesday. it's a part-time, permanent position, three days a week at about 20 hours a week. it extends past the summer but i never told them i was going back to school in september. also, it's in the middle of no where and sort of difficult to get to; i take a bus to a park, walk through the park to a trail, and hike about 2km to the centre. sure.. that's a nice walk in the summer during the daytime. but in the evning/at night/when it's raining/snowing/other inclement weather/etc it won't be very nice. and the cab ride is about $15 with a tip. so yeah, that doesn't come cheap either. i'm supposed to hear back "by the end of the week" but i may be turning it down if i do get it because of all of the things i mentioned above. we'll see.
i'm applying to lots of jobs constantly and not getting anywhere. my unpaid internship is going well. the second part of my research into the longboarding benefits calculations are going smoothly (now.. after some technical/"i can't brain today, i've got the dumb" issues) and it's helping me keep busy on these long, hot days when instead of spending money and drinking beer on a patio, i'm hanging out in my living room with the air conditioning on full blast figuring out the benefits of longboarding.
hey... job... are you out there? it's me... amber.
Jun 4, 2012
one year anniversary
i just recently passed the one year anniversary of this blog on may 30th.
and this is my 50th blog post!
where was i a year ago? i was a recent graduate looking for a summer job while living at my parent's place in niagara falls. in those 3 months, i worked at imax theatre, margaritaville, java joe's, embassy suites, and sport chek. i also had countless interviews and sent off resumes to basically every place in niagara falls. i needed an escape. i had hit rock bottom. work was minimal. living at home was one of the worst things. i couldn't stand it.
a year passes and not a whole lot has changed. i gained more knowledge with a graduate program and plunged myself further into student debt. i moved out of my parent's place and into an apartment with my best friend in the world. i now called toronto my home. and -- up until this weekend, wouldn't have ever believed that i could live in toronto and function. this past weekend was a changing experience as i went for a short walk to use some coupons for dinner and randomly kept running into people i knew. it wasn't until the next day when i was in the wrong place at the wrong time when i truly believed i was a toronto resident -- involved in the eaton centre shooting, 7 people injured and 1 deceased.
luckily, i was above the food court when it happened and was on my way out of the mall when two ladies rushed out of a restaurant and told us to leave the mall immediately. outside, there was a gathering of over 2,000 people staring, taking pictures and videos, and stuck at a standstill on the sidewalk because of what was going on. social media has ruined lives this way -- instead of running for their lives, they're going to take a picture of it first. i didn't see anything out of the ordinary. nobody looked fearful and i didn't hear anything until we were outside. still, it's a bit scary and unreal.
i still don't have a paying job. i've taken on an unpaid internship with a longboarding company as their marketing/sustainability intern. i had my first day today and was assigned my first project to create an infographic about the benefits, exercise, costs, and carbon offsets of using a longboard. at least this gives me something to do instead of nothing. and after this article in the toronto star the next day after my interview, i was even more sold on the unpaid internship thing.
but, i'm still looking. i'm hoping somebody somewhere will eventually realize that they have the ability to pay me to do work too.
and this is my 50th blog post!
where was i a year ago? i was a recent graduate looking for a summer job while living at my parent's place in niagara falls. in those 3 months, i worked at imax theatre, margaritaville, java joe's, embassy suites, and sport chek. i also had countless interviews and sent off resumes to basically every place in niagara falls. i needed an escape. i had hit rock bottom. work was minimal. living at home was one of the worst things. i couldn't stand it.
a year passes and not a whole lot has changed. i gained more knowledge with a graduate program and plunged myself further into student debt. i moved out of my parent's place and into an apartment with my best friend in the world. i now called toronto my home. and -- up until this weekend, wouldn't have ever believed that i could live in toronto and function. this past weekend was a changing experience as i went for a short walk to use some coupons for dinner and randomly kept running into people i knew. it wasn't until the next day when i was in the wrong place at the wrong time when i truly believed i was a toronto resident -- involved in the eaton centre shooting, 7 people injured and 1 deceased.
luckily, i was above the food court when it happened and was on my way out of the mall when two ladies rushed out of a restaurant and told us to leave the mall immediately. outside, there was a gathering of over 2,000 people staring, taking pictures and videos, and stuck at a standstill on the sidewalk because of what was going on. social media has ruined lives this way -- instead of running for their lives, they're going to take a picture of it first. i didn't see anything out of the ordinary. nobody looked fearful and i didn't hear anything until we were outside. still, it's a bit scary and unreal.
i still don't have a paying job. i've taken on an unpaid internship with a longboarding company as their marketing/sustainability intern. i had my first day today and was assigned my first project to create an infographic about the benefits, exercise, costs, and carbon offsets of using a longboard. at least this gives me something to do instead of nothing. and after this article in the toronto star the next day after my interview, i was even more sold on the unpaid internship thing.
but, i'm still looking. i'm hoping somebody somewhere will eventually realize that they have the ability to pay me to do work too.
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