Making changes in the New Year!

[Phoe]

Alright folks. It's a new year. Time for change!

 

I got a raise at work, and am in the process of gaining a promotion.

 

I'm taking a teaching accreditation test in March, and am going to school for a Masters in Education in April, and will do substitute teaching for the 2 years while I earn the masters. My aim is to become a science teacher.

 

I'll be working 2 jobs while going to school. I'm already having flashbacks of my undergrad, taking 21 units at UCSB while working an office job on the weekends and a retail job on the weekdays. I'm nervous about it, but excited that alot is moving forward for me.

 

I will be moving in February. Not terribly far, still close enough to my current job, but I will be in a much more convenient area, closer to things.

 

So, for now, I prep. I get ready for all the things that will happen in the next few months.

 

What about everyone else? Any big plans/changes for 2015?

[AVarma]

Damn you go Phoe! It's nice that everything is working so well for you. You go girl!! (I know it's terrible weird for a guy to say something like this but who cares? It's an anonymous forum).

[Phoe]

Damn you go Phoe! It's nice that everything is working so well for you. You go girl!! (I know it's terrible weird for a guy to say something like this but who cares? It's an anonymous forum).

 

Weird? No way! thanks!

[Gloria25]

Great job Phoe!!!

 

I like it!!! You hit pretty much every issue you outlined a while back about working on yourself.

 

I'm proud of you....I really think this will be great.

 

I'm hoping the change in scenery will also open up your dating options!!!

 

Good Luck!!!

 

As for me...

 

I've ramped up the job searching and plan to continue to do so. I've also taken some countermeasures to make sure nobody tries to stand in the way of me getting these ones.

 

I've lit some more fires under some projects I'm working on, but too early to tell how it's gonna pan out. Things slowed down over the holidays, but I'm hopeful that I now have a chance to fix this drama.

 

Dating-wise, I'm starting out with OLD, and will be doing meet-ups and volunteering. With mum gone, I have more time to dedicate to things I enjoy doing.

 

While I'm not looking forward to going back to work, I put in for a change of duties, so am looking forward to doing some better stuff there and am still fighting for promotions into different stuff.

 

Money-wise, I should have a bit more to work with this year, but want to start saving again. But, I'm pushing hard for promotions and other jobs that will put me closer to what I used to make a while back.

 

Body? Eh, I've worked a lot on it in the past few months, but will continue with making my runs/swims/workouts longer/different/intense. But so far, happy with where the body's at. I just gotta stay away from late nite and on the job snacking when I get back to work. Don't wanna poop away all my hard work.

 

It's kinda too early for me to tell how the year will go, but I'm hopeful.

[WonderWoman911]

That's extremely good!! Im basically in the same mindset as yourself. I'm currently searching for different graduate schools to obtain my Masters in Higher Education. Much success to everything you have lined up for your life.Continue to stay focus.

[Phoe]

I've ramped up the job searching and plan to continue to do so. I've also taken some countermeasures to make sure nobody tries to stand in the way of me getting these ones.

 

I've lit some more fires under some projects I'm working on, but too early to tell how it's gonna pan out. Things slowed down over the holidays, but I'm hopeful that I now have a chance to fix this drama.

 

Dating-wise, I'm starting out with OLD, and will be doing meet-ups and volunteering. With mum gone, I have more time to dedicate to things I enjoy doing.

 

While I'm not looking forward to going back to work, I put in for a change of duties, so am looking forward to doing some better stuff there and am still fighting for promotions into different stuff.

 

Money-wise, I should have a bit more to work with this year, but want to start saving again. But, I'm pushing hard for promotions and other jobs that will put me closer to what I used to make a while back.

 

Body? Eh, I've worked a lot on it in the past few months, but will continue with making my runs/swims/workouts longer/different/intense. But so far, happy with where the body's at. I just gotta stay away from late nite and on the job snacking when I get back to work. Don't wanna poop away all my hard work.

 

It's kinda too early for me to tell how the year will go, but I'm hopeful.

 

Sounds like you've got a good idea what you want to achieve, so that's great!

 

I totally forgot about mentioning my fitness goals. 6 months ago an ankle injury kinda put a damper on my workouts, but I'm back at it. I'm eating well and lifting weights, and gonna just keep doing what I'm doing!

 

Dating life? Nothing. Wasn't anything to mention so I didn't, haha. I don't expect anything to come up in 2015, if I'm honest.

[contact1]

Way to go Phoe! Always good to improve one's self. So is the two jobs your current job (good luck on the promotion!) and the teaching sub, or is it another job on top of those two?

[AVarma]

I hate to take this thread into pervert territory but unfortunately I'm going to have to do it. Phoe as I said before you're a beautiful girl. Not only that you like virgins. And you're going to be surrounded by students who are probably virgins....... You control yourself you hear!

[Tayla]

Nice plans Phoe! I wish you well in your endeavor!

 

Change happens So when it knocks, I'll answer....Otherwise, just plum pleased to see folks make goals

[Teknoe]

Go, Phoe! I am a teacher myself so I highly approve of your post.

 

For me, it's a couple different things.

 

1. Get fit. Never been fit my whole life. Would like to see that change in 2015.

 

2. Make some friends. Since working full time in 2012, acquaintances have slowly withered away. I am a homebody by nature, but it would be nice to go out once in a while and have more friends. Right now, I can count the number of acquaintances I can call up to hang out and it not be weird on one hand. Some nights, I'm fine with this, as I just like staying home. Other nights, I wonder if I should be out with friends like more "normal" young adults my age, lol.

 

3. Learn to cook better. Be a nice skill to acquire beyond my ovens and microwaves and basic sauce pans.

 

Not sure about 2, as it's kind of out of my control, but I can certainly accomplish 1 and 3.

[somedude81]

I'm happy to see that you're starting the teaching path Phoe. It really sounded like something you wanted to when we last talked in a thread you made.

 

You're finally taking the steps to move forward with your life. That's great!

 

BTW since it is a new year, would it be possible for you to leave last year's grievances behind?

[Phoe]

Thanks for the kind wishes everyone!

 

With that said, I think I'm gonna take off from LS for a while. Focus on the progress and spend less time on the internet.

 

I may pop in in the future. Who knows.

 

As far as this thread goes, everyone feel free to continue talking about what they'd like to accomplish in 2015! Definitely some good stuff for everyone

[MidwestUSA]

Good luck, Phoe!!

[gaius]

You should stay here Phoe, but if you don't good luck in wherever you wander to next. I usually change places and groups of people every couple years and it feels pretty natural. Very unusual that I've been here almost 5 years already.

[Phoe]

Well... Decided to come here and vent on a bit of a frustrating turn of events in my progress.

 

Did not get my promotion.

 

Interviewed for it, got told how I am an incredible asset, and excellent worker, one of the few people my manager trusts with anything, how outstanding my work ethic is, and how he absolutely sees me in leadership and moving up and doing very successful things.... just not here.

 

He basically implied that I have capped out at my current place and that I will need to go elsewhere if I want to improve.

 

Not at all what I wanted to hear. Ideally I would've gotten promoted and been earning enough pay to eventually transfer to a location an hour away and be able to afford my own living space. Now I know that as long as I stay with this company, I will not move up. I am stuck.

 

Which means I now need to put my butt into overdrive to find somewhere new to work, which is HARD living in such an unpopulated area. The job market is brutal. Many people vying for those sparse opportunities. This is the ONLY place in 4 years that actually gave me an inteview. Hundreds of applications over the years, that's the only 1 that gave me an interview.

 

Now I've got to find a new place somehow, and start from scratch/entry level and build myself up to get promoted. I spent YEARS at this place working so hard. This job is physically and mentally demanding and I go home mentally fried and in pain, my body scraped up and bruised. I did this endlessly for 3 years now, without complaint, for nothing.

 

I hate the idea of starting over somewhere new, spending years working my way up, just to cap out again and have wasted more years... I fear this being a neverending cycle of nonpromotions.

 

Starting my masters program is also being VERY frustrating. UCSB has an onling system for accessing transcripts. As an alumni, I had to contact them and answer some questions in order to get a pin number assigned to access my info.

 

Well, shockingly, I managed to answer the questions wrong. Turns out UCSB has me listed in their records as a latino male (WTF???), so when I answered the simple question of gender and race with "caucasian female", it instantly got red flagged and they locked my account.

 

I have been blowing up the office with calls and emails, to no avail. I'm worried I'm going to have to make the 10 hour roundtrip drive to Santa Barbara to deal with this, with the risk that they will still turn me away.

 

It's a beautiful day out, but all I can do is sit next to my window, dazing out, feeling so frazzled and alone, wondering what my next move should be, wondering what plan is next, and what fallback plan is next after that.

 

I so sincerely wish I could just pause time, stop the world for a few minutes, and just shut my brain down and rest it, to stop working and stressing myself sick. But I can't do that, so now I must press on.

[Phoe]

On a positive note, I've pared down my possessions even more dramatically.

 

I never did own much, but now I own even less. I like that I could pick up my things and leave in an instant.

 

I have a bed, tv, xbox and a few games, a few books, computer, tablet, and phone.

 

About 30 articles of clothing and a few pairs of shoes. Enough makeup to fit in a mug, a perfume, soap, shampoo, conditioner and razor, hairspray, blowdryer and flatiron. Small toolbox, jewelry box, sewing machine and clothes iron. 3 pots/pans, a few dishes and silverware and a rice cooker. Then there's my surfboard.

 

That's it. That's all I own. I am extremely happy with this.

[Els]

Now I've got to find a new place somehow, and start from scratch/entry level and build myself up to get promoted. I spent YEARS at this place working so hard. This job is physically and mentally demanding and I go home mentally fried and in pain, my body scraped up and bruised. I did this endlessly for 3 years now, without complaint, for nothing.

 

Sorry to hear you didn't get the promotion. Sounds rough. What do you work as, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Starting my masters program is also being VERY frustrating. UCSB has an onling system for accessing transcripts. As an alumni, I had to contact them and answer some questions in order to get a pin number assigned to access my info.

 

Well, shockingly, I managed to answer the questions wrong. Turns out UCSB has me listed in their records as a latino male (WTF???), so when I answered the simple question of gender and race with "caucasian female", it instantly got red flagged and they locked my account.

 

I have been blowing up the office with calls and emails, to no avail. I'm worried I'm going to have to make the 10 hour roundtrip drive to Santa Barbara to deal with this, with the risk that they will still turn me away.

 

Sounds like the norm to me, I don't think I have ever had a university application that went without a hitch. What happens when you try to call them?

 

Hang in there, Phoe. Sometimes it really is darkest before the dawn.

[Phoe]

Sorry to hear you didn't get the promotion. Sounds rough.

 

Sounds like the norm to me, I don't think I have ever had a university application that went without a hitch. What happens when you try to call them?

 

Hang in there, Phoe. Sometimes it really is darkest before the dawn.

 

The big thing that rubs me the wrong way, is that my boss essentially led me on. For almost a year. Talking about promoting me. Giving me bullet points of things to work on, to focus on honing my leadership with the team, giving me extra tasks, putting more work and more responsibility on my plate. Having me work ridiculous amounts of overtime. 11 hour days with no lunch has happened plenty. I go home shaking and exhausted and pass out, wake up in the morning feeling like I got hit by a truck and am bruised. I currently have 2 big knots in my lower back that have been keeping me up at night.

 

He had me jump through hoops thinking I was working towards a promotion. It's a business, and he had to keep the business moving, but I think it was a bit of a cruel thing to do to me.

 

I work in an electronics warehouse. Lots of manual labor.

 

Too true about bloody university apps good grief. The main issue they're having right now is that they have no way to verify that I am who I say I am. Especially since I am a FEMALE trying to access records of what they think it a latino male. They stopped replying to my emails altogether.

 

Something tells me I'll be making that 10 hour roundtrip drive next weekend. Yuck.

[Els]

The big thing that rubs me the wrong way, is that my boss essentially led me on. For almost a year. Talking about promoting me. Giving me bullet points of things to work on, to focus on honing my leadership with the team, giving me extra tasks, putting more work and more responsibility on my plate. Having me work ridiculous amounts of overtime. 11 hour days with no lunch has happened plenty. I go home shaking and exhausted and pass out, wake up in the morning feeling like I got hit by a truck and am bruised. I currently have 2 big knots in my lower back that have been keeping me up at night.

 

He had me jump through hoops thinking I was working towards a promotion. It's a business, and he had to keep the business moving, but I think it was a bit of a cruel thing to do to me.

 

Yeah, definitely sounds like he was taking advantage of you. With the 11-hour days with no lunch break, if you wanted to go through the trouble you could report those occurrences and perhaps receive compensation. Must surely be illegal in workers' rights - at least it is here. But if it was all done quietly with no black and white records then you might have a hard time proving it. And all the repercussions that might ensue.

 

I think it's time to start putting out resumes, to neighbouring states if you have to.

 

Too true about bloody university apps good grief. The main issue they're having right now is that they have no way to verify that I am who I say I am. Especially since I am a FEMALE trying to access records of what they think it a latino male. They stopped replying to my emails altogether.

 

Something tells me I'll be making that 10 hour roundtrip drive next weekend. Yuck.

 

How odd, they should be able to pull out photo ID that you would have submitted when you enrolled, and verify it against the same photo ID that you can email/fax to them.

[Phoe]

Yeah, definitely sounds like he was taking advantage of you. With the 11-hour days with no lunch break, if you wanted to go through the trouble you could report those occurrences and perhaps receive compensation. Must surely be illegal in workers' rights - at least it is here. But if it was all done quietly with no black and white records then you might have a hard time proving it. And all the repercussions that might ensue.

 

I think it's time to start putting out resumes, to neighbouring states if you have to.

 

 

 

How odd, they should be able to pull out photo ID that you would have submitted when you enrolled, and verify it against the same photo ID that you can email/fax to them.

 

I'm putting out resumes every week as it is, but only in the valley I live in. Geographically it's quite isolated, to the north, east, and south is nothing but wide expanses of desert, and to the west is mountains that are not easy to drive through. Applying outside of the towns in this valley would mean either moving or a very difficult commute. And moving just isn't a possibility unless I get a job that I know would get me approved for a rental. I could easily pay rent on an apartment with what I currently make, and still pay the rest of my bills and gas/groceries, the issue is that I've never seen an apartment complex or any rental place that doesn't require income to be at least 1.5 or 2 times the amount of rent. Which I just don't quite meet.

 

I wonder if they would still have a photo ID on record after all these years. That would definitely make it possible to get this solved. I may still have to drive up there since my emails are happily going unanswered (ugh).

 

I know after a few years they do start purging some stuff, I don't know what.

 

 

There's a part of me that just wants to sell off all my stuff and just go be a nomad. Forget all this crap!

[AVarma]

I'm so sorry Phoe. Honestly I was impressed when you said you worked retail job on the weekdays, an office job on the weekends, and went to college at UCSB with 21 credit hours. I mean that's amazing. I don't really have any advice. I wish you all the best!