Just Say No!

Some of you (all two of my readers) may remember how desperate I was for a job a few months back. Well, as with most things in my life, jobs are often a "feast or famine" issue for me. I go months and months with nothing to do; I get nearly to the point of starvation and eviction; and then BAM! I've got more work than I can handle. The current situation is no different.

For several months I spent hours every day looking at help-wanted ads and job sites and sending out applications, and very, very slowly, it began to pay off... in a manner of speaking. First, I got hired as a tutor with a start-up company in my city. The owners were great, and the business sounded promising. But months drug by with no work for me. So, I started working as a crossing guard. The job was fun, and the pay was excellent for only two hours of work a day. Still, it just wasn't enough. I was working as a crossing guard for nearly a month before I got my first tutoring gig, and as no more were immediately forthcoming, and even with both jobs, I wasn't making enough money to survive, I took a third job as a part-time admin assistant at the local university.

This new job conflicted with the morning crossing guard shift, so reluctantly, I tried to quit. But the supervisor begged me to consider staying on the payroll as an alternate for the afternoon shift, and I agreed. I couldn't see the harm. However, it was less than a week before she called me up and asked me if I would work an early morning shift. It only meant moving my university shift back by about half an hour, and it paid double what a normal crossing guard shift paid. And it was only once, so I agreed. The supervisor has called back for this same shift four times now, and four times I have taken it. I just can't say no.

In addition, the tutoring service has finally thrown me several clients. Mostly they are in junior high school, which is not my strong suit, but their coursework at that level is not difficult, so I've managed. As a result, I often have to tutor for an hour or two after I leave the university.

AND my boss at the university came to me and told me that one of the projects he oversees has its reports due at the end of December. He said that there were funds available in that project to increase my work hours if I would consider editing the reports. This is simply too much money for me to refuse... and it's fairly easy work, if somewhat tedious. So I agreed.

Now I am working all the time. I go from one job to the next to the next. And the worst part of it is that none of these jobs are dependable, stable income. They are either temporary or one-shot deals. I accept them because I know that as soon as I don't, I'll be back in the land of poverty and lethargy. But right now... I just might like that.