The LifeMaven

It’s been two months since I lasted posted here.

And of course, life can teach you a lot in two months.

For starters, I’ve reaffirmed my distaste for traditional, big corporate America. I’m tired of working hard, being positive, bringing a good attitude, going above and beyond the call of duty and not being adequately compensated for it.

This doesn’t mean I’ll stop doing those things. No, not yet.

But I’m just dissatisfied with the whole experience. That if you work hard and don’t make too much noise, maybe upper management won’t notice you and will instead force you to work from a space the size of a single desk.

My co-workers know how hard I work. They know how good my attitude is and how much better I make their work lives. And yet, I am still an intern, graduated from college, no benefits, a passing wage and minimal hours.

But hey, at least I have a lot of time to myself still. :-/

I’ve learned how much I agree with Seth Godin and dislike the traditional interview process.

Speaking to big corporate America:

Skills are learn-able and teachable, why not focus on personality like you secretly are anyway. Why not just take five minutes to make a judgment about a person and then decide to give them a shot?

No, not a job for life, but a shot!

An internship, a true internship, where we’ll do real work, with real teams and make real contributions. And if we’ve done a good job during that time, why not bring us on full time? Not just leave us to rot under a minimal salary while you benefit from our hard work, with the ever constant and false promise of “temp to full time.”

On a more positive note, one great thing about living in New York City is the library. I am a new, huge fan of the New York Public Library. Prior to this, I had only had a Queens Library card.

(Queens public library is a separate entity from New York’s, don’t ask me why, I have no idea. Separate libraries, separate library cards, etc.)

I finally fully activated my NYPL card and have been astounded with the variety of choices and wealth of knowledge at my disposal. I can place books on hold and pick them up at the nearest branch, a convenient one block walk from my job. I can access a fairly decent array of WMA audiobooks for free download online. Great authors such as Seth and Malcolm Gladwell fill my ears and intellect instead of my traditional rock music commute.

Wow! My thirst for knowledge and greater mental stimulation has returned!

And so, I return to you once again dear reader, from another long hiatus. Hopefully, I’ll be able to regain some momentum and keep the words, ideas, and posts coming. In the meantime, thanks for listening. And enjoy!

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