Us and Them

Yes, I let three weeks slip by without writing a word. I just haven't committed myself to this Blog yet. It's a bit of a Catch-22, you see. I haven't written anything of substance yet, so there seems no reason to invite any of my friends to view the site. But since none of my friends are viewing the site, there doesn't seem to be any reason to write anything.

Still, the last few weeks have been crowded with activities and plenty of worthy thoughts that I should have written down somewhere. Most of them are lost forever, but I'll try to recreate what I can.

Just before I left my dad's, I had a promising phone interview for a job in Tennessee that I was really interested in. Though I knew logically that my chances were slim, I was secretly getting my hopes up for the move. Alas, I received an e-mail rejection on Friday - the reason given: there were too many candidates with "more recent experience".

It's exactly as I feared, looking for work in the tech industry. The life I made in Kenya; the two years of sweat, dedication, frustration, and toil; the experience that changed me indelibly; it means nothing to Them. I feel the need to capitalize Them (The Industry, The Managers, The Pencil Pushers), because right now They control my destiny. For so long, I've been in control. But now I'm back in the real world - the world of numbers. And I can send out resumes and cover letters to expound upon my assets, but ultimately - They have to see value in me and what I've done.

OK, so I'm being melodramatic. I know that there are people out there who value what I've done. And I know that my struggle to find work right now is partly because I'm being so picky. I don't want to go back to the industry I was in before, because my Peace Corps experience made me realize how important it is to really care about what you do, to feel a passion for it. Sadly, it also made me realize the value of a dollar, and how hard it is not to have one when you need it.

There is one thing I have in abundance, though - friends. The people around me who have listened to my complaints, offered job advice or a couch to sleep on, and continually believed in my value, these people are the "Us" that will ultimately defeat Them. So thanks to Us. I couldn't do this without you.