Most people do not look forward to boarding a crowded train during the morning commute to work.
This will not be the case for me tomorrow morning when I board the Orange Line. For the first time in over 8 months, I will be going to work.
Last July, while I was on vacation, I was notified over the phone that I was laid off. It was the first time in over 14 years I had been out of work. I had been working as a paralegal as a contractor for the federal government. I landed the job in September 2016, a few months after obtaining my paralegal certificate from Boston University.
Aside from New Year's Eve, I have spent very little time discussing this publicly. My ordeal seemed trivial in comparison to those who had lost their homes during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Jose. Nevertheless, it has been a hard time. I thought it might take three or four months to find new paralegal work. After applying for 435 jobs and interviewing with 32 different prospective employers, the only work I could find was with an outsourcing company a records clerk in a law firm. This was exactly what I was doing before I got my paralegal certificate.
So I am disappointed that I am essentially back to where I was before spending several thousand dollars to obtain a paralegal certificate. In some ways I've gone one step forward and two steps back. But I am a good records clerk. I was also hired by a fellow who is as big a baseball fan as I am. This ought to help matters considerably.
Perhaps this is for the best. Maybe a career as a paralegal isn't in the cards. If an opportunity arises at the law firm where I've been assigned down the line then great. But I harbor few illusions.
If I can make a positive contribution at this new job and gain some measure of respect and recognition while regaining financial autonomy then I will have accomplished something.
With that I have something to look forward to when I wake up tomorrow morning.
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