Hello! Long time, no see. I figured that maybe I should do a new introduction. My name is Deanna and I live in Alberta, Canada. I grew up on the ocean in Nova Scotia, Canada but moved almost 10 years ago!
I had a baby in 2019 and he just turned 2 years old. We also just bought our first house this summer and are still learning how to be a homeowner. We were hoping to get some house projects done this winter, but that didn’t work out due to money uncertainty.
I am dealing with finding a new employer after being with my last company for over a decade, and let me tell you, job searching during a pandemic is no joke. Since being laid off in August, I have applied to over 100 jobs with practically no call backs. It is very possible I am being too picky or am not qualified with the jobs I have been applying for on paper. But I feel like I am a fast learner and could do the jobs I have been looking at.
While I did start a new job in November, the hours are not consistent, which is hard. I was on salary for the last 5+ years so I’m used to knowing how much I will be paid each pay period. I hate uncertainty. I have also been looking for ways to make money from home during my downtime, but I’m not really sure where to look for that.
I also would like to go back to school. There is an online Accounting Diploma I have had my eye on, but I need more money first. My goal right now is to have a job that pays me a little more than I need to cover my bills, and also one that gives me enough free time to actually do the courses. The nice thing about this diploma is that there isn’t really a time line to finish. You can do it at your own pace. Ideally though I would try to complete it as fast as I could.
Speaking of the pandemic, I can’t wait until things can start going back to normal. While I was on maternity leave I had started meeting up with other new moms trying to make friends. I had finally found a couple girls that I enjoyed hanging out with, and then lockdowns happened. Now I feel like I’m going to have to start all over again. Making new friends is not something I’m good at. My best friend lives about 4 hours away so I rarely ever see her. Other than that, I haven’t really had someone to spend time with since I moved to Alberta!
Megan
February 24, 2021 at 12:41 pmWow, it honestly doesn’t feel like you had that baby that long ago. Time flies! Job searches can be hard…and that’s when stuff is normal. I remember it taking me forever to find a job. Hope you can find a way to get some more money! And maybe make some friends!
Kadie
March 5, 2021 at 8:55 pmI am wondering if the issues with getting a job maybe are somewhat location-based as well. I have some friends in Alberta and a few in Calgary in particular who are having a really hard time finding something. They said even jobs like Mcdonald’s have hundreds of applicants for one position. Not sure how true that is but something to think about. I chose the back-to-school route myself when I had a hard time finding something early in the pandemic and I am so glad I did. I hope that you are able to way the pros and cons and find a job that will help you pay. I got a student loan and lucked out cause my grants totalled about half of it so I only have to pay about half back. Might be something to look into as well if it’s a possibility. Good luck either way!
Susanne
March 11, 2021 at 4:03 pmOh, it’s so hard to look for jobs and it must be even worse during the pandemic. Applying for jobs and being ignored is awful – I had a lot of that in the past. Now I’ve left my career and I’m trying to create a new one because I’m sick of working for badly managed organisations and with bad working conditions, I want to be able to control my work environment most of the time. We’ll see how it goes. I’m all for working from home myself.
I hope you can find something soon so that you can do those courses!
I’m sorry about your lack of friends, that must be hard. Can’t you reconnect with those mums you were in contact with earlier, using Zoom or similar?
Jessica
June 4, 2021 at 10:00 pmI find it so hard to believe that it’s been 2 years since you’ve had your son, but then again my inactivity in the blogging community has been basically nonexistent for almost that long. I hope that you’re able to both find a new job as well as get the improvements done. As for the making of new friends, I am not very good at it myself but I’ve discovered through my neighbor’s son that having a toddler definitely helps in that department. It seems that there is a built-in topic of conversation. 🙂