"A week of vacation suits me fine."


Well, Tuesday has rolled around, and I sit here at my computer smiling knowing that I do not have to go into work this week.... And I couldn't be happier! .... See, I was able to take the week off, and do so with vacation pay (which helps my pocketbook emmensely!). Of course it's not all fun and games, I do take this vacation with a serious reason in mind....

Last week after a thoroughly depressing and utterly boredom-filled three-day work week, a dilemma made itself known. My interests in finding a new job had reached the peek. Leaving Barnes and Noble for greener and more creative pastures had to happen... pronto!

However, to actually have told my boss last week, "Sir, I am sorry, but I must render my resignation, effective on Friday," would have been a bit too risky. The idea would have been, with no job, I could hit the streets full time pursuing those other pastures. However, with no job also comes no pay, and who knows how long that would have lasted. That's a risk I can only take as a severe desperation measure.

So, I let my jets cool, cleared my head and came up with another better option.... Instead I went to my boss and said, "Sir, I need next week off. I've been here for six months and I qualify for paid vacation according to the employee handbook. I'd like to take that in place of working next week. If I cannot get the vacation, I will find others who are interested in taking my hours for me. I need the week free." ... He seemed a little put out, and probably rightly so, but the truth is, I had every intention of making it easy on him and finding ways to have my scheduled hours covered. With a severe shortage of hours available for the store to schedule it's employees anyway, and a whole lot of disgruntled employees because of it, I would have been helping both sides.

Well, in the end, my boss gave me the vacation time and told me not to worry about finding replacements for my hours, he'd deal with it. I appreciated his receptiveness to my request, and was grateful I had managed to work this out. Later in the day he asked me where I was going for my week of vacation.... I held my tongue, and was careful not to say that I was really planning to stick around town and job-hunt.

So, now it's Tuesday already -- Tuesday of my 'vacation week.' Thus far Monday became a day of errands and generating possible job 'leads'. I've come up with some possibilities, now I just need to pursue them and see if they really do interest me. ... So, I guess it's back to the phones. I am wholly determined to make this paid week of job-hunting worthwhile!

But more on my efforts later. I've got to make sure to make the most of these prime 9-5 workday hours to find that new job. So, until later, take care, and I wish you all a blessed Tuesday!

Your happily job-hunting friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:15 PM  I   I  0 comments