My new job is amazing. I am not even going to lie and say that I didn't just get lucky as a m-effer with this one. The bf keeps trying to tell me that I "deserve it" and that I'm "well-qualified" and blah blah, but no. I was L-U-C-K-Y, lucky. I mean, not saying that I don't have any of the skills required to do this job or that I haven't worked hard or have no experience, but I definitely was in the right place at the right time for this job.
At this point I honestly can't remember if I even told you guys about all the b.s. that went down at my last job, so I'll just do a brief recap and if I've already gone over it, then just skip this next part...
It was a big decision to leave the shit crusted slavefest job at the vet for my last job, because as much as I wanted to get away from the tyrant that was my boss at the vet, my last job paid less. Well, it was supposed to be less pay only until "things got rolling"... Sha right.
But I took the job because there were certain things that they said that made it sound really great and appealing and like it could be awesome with a little bit of time and work. Well, essentially, NO. LOOOOOOONG story short-ish, it was supposed to be a design program, but it ended up that I was in retail hell. I was on my feet ALL DAY, had to wear an apron, and was making ZERO money. I mean I literally spent the majority of my day cutting swatches of material for ghetto ass people who had to go home and "think about" a $8.99 decision. FML. It was really bad. I would get my pay check, pay the bills and put gas in my car and have $8 to last two weeks. This is not an exaggeration, AT ALL. Although I met and worked with some really great people, I could go on and on about why the actual job sucked, so the bottom line was I had to get the eff out.
I started applying to places like a madwoman. I would make a list, (check it twice) and then put together a resume package with a folder containing a list of professional references, resume, and cover letter for each place and then I had a follow-up list for each package I sent out. The first round I sent out three packages and got two call backs - one interview came out of the deal. It was at a kitchen design place and I nailed the interview and pretty much had that job in the bag, but the lady who was retiring decided not to at the last second and there was no longer a job available. Devastated.
Then, on the next round of resumes sent out, I got a call back from another design place.
We set up an "interview time", or so I thought... and she asked me if I had a portfolio to bring with me. Of course I told her yes, but really it hadn't been updated since college. So I spent the next WEEK (before our interview) updating my portfolio, which TRUST ME, is no small feat. And guess what?! It takes frickin MONEY to get that shit printed out and get a nice cover for it, and at the time I was on the $8 for two weeks and I may or may not have to put a tank of gas on my credit card (which I have no hope of paying off at any point in the forseeable future) plan. So, dropping $40 to update my portfolio was not in the budget. But I did it.
And I got all ready for this "interview" and took my fresh new portfolio and busted up the one day off that the bf and I had together that week. Yeah. As it turns out, this lady had just taken over the marketing position for this place and was just trying to get the word out about their design firm and some event they were having the next week. NOT an interview, NOT looking to hire a designer, NOT looking at my budget-breaking-week's-worth-of-work portfolio. I was crushed. I got in my car and cried like a baby and I didn't even call the bf (who was waiting patiently at home for me, because, did I mention this was our ONE day off together that week?) on the way home. I just walked in the door and set down my stuff and looked at him and he was like "oh shit" and hugged me. Not a precious day.
So that really took the wind out of my sails and I was getting in the "I'm going to work at that shithole and be broke forever" mode, when I saw this posting for a job as a "part-time" interior designer. I almost and I mean almost didn't even apply, because to be honest it kinda looked like one of those spam job postings. (I now realize that it only looked like that because the company is SO freakin' HUGE!) But anyway, I thought eff it. What have I got to lose? And clicked "submit resume".
That was Thursday night. The guy called me Friday afternoon at about 4 p.m. and said he was sorry it was short notice, but could I be there Monday at 9 a.m.? Hell to the yes. So I get there on Monday and the guy is a precious little puffalump. He reminds me of my dad. He kinda explained the deal to me with the company and what I'd be doing and all of that. Basically I work for this ginormous company - like 16,000+ employees kind of ginormous. They have 9 "companies" within the "company" and one of those is the company for which I now work!
My place is basically like a retailer to builders & the construction industry - we have blinds, every kind of tile you can think of, carpet, cabinets, countertops, any "finishing" thing that you can put into a house. The rest of the GIANT company is building supplies - like electrical, lumber, nuts, bolts, screws, EVERYTHING. So my company has a multi-builder showroom where homebuyers come and choose everything (down to the freakin grout color) that goes into their home. My company was hiring because they had just taken on another builder in the showroom and one designer wasn't kickin' it anymore.
SO - omg this is getting so long sorry guys - whatever whatever, I had to do a second interview with the sales and marketing director for the builder that I am working for, and a week after I applied they told me I had the job! Come to find out, they interviewed FORTY people. That's 4-0, forty. And I'll spare you all the details, but basically the stars just aligned and I was the lucky one. They sent me an offer letter and the breakdown was that it was a "part-time position" (whatever - I've worked 40+ hours every week) for a hefty sum more than what I was making at my last job, PLUS a kick ass commission on every homebuyer appointment that I complete. AND it's not retail and by muthafuckin APPOINTMENT ONLY!!!
I make my own schedule - as in, I have no set time to be there, no set time to leave, no set "lunch time", and I am only working Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, so the bf & I still have Wednesdays off together.
It's all older guys that I work with and they all think that I am just their little baby doll. My boss could not BE less interested in running the design center, so he pretty much let's me do whatever. I'm like "I'm doing X,Y,Z" and he's like, "K. Do you need help?" It's the best. Plus it's really bomb ass because of the way the company works, you get the best of both "small business" and "corporate" worlds. You get the small, close-knit group feel and the buddy-buddy boss, but the benefits, insurance, retirement, & 401k package of a huge corporation. Needless to say, I heart it. Plus I have my OWN office and it is so cute. I rearragned all the furniture by myself the first week and when the guys saw it they were like, "DON'T DO THAT KIND OF STUFF BY YOURSELF!!! WE'LL HELP YOU!" Too sweet.
There are a total of three builders currently in the showroom - there is another designer who does two of the builders and as of right this moment, I do one. The super cool thing with that too is that the builder I work for treats me like an employee as well, so like if they do a company trip I'll go, I can expense things through them, etc., etc. It's like I work for 3 companies really. AND bonus, bonus, bonus - we just signed another builder that's going to be coming into the showroom and I'll be doing their stuff as well!!! It's really exciting because this guy is up and coming and he's actually selling more than one of the builders that's already in the showroom, so it'll be good business for me! Plus, they're new to the whole design center process like me, so we can get started together from the very beginning. It's really exciting.
So 1400 pages later, that's what I've been up to! Oh and we signed our lease for another 18 months (the guy knocked $50 off the rent and agreed to let us do some updating) and we pretty much renovated the whole kitchen. Pics are below. It was a MAJOR project, but I think it turned out pretty good! Oh and the backsplash tile was left over from a model home that my company did and I got it for the price of NADA!!! Would have been like $20+/sq foot if we'd bought it... SWEET! The landlord is also going to replace the appliances with stainless in the next few months, so that'll be even better.
before - builder oak grody-ness
after - updated contemporary = much better!
Oh and sidenote: In an effort to not burn any bridges, I went to that continuing education event that the lady who tricked me into the "interview" at the seconde design place invited me to... I walked in, got a glass of Sangria, and attempted to make small talk with a few of the snooty snotty snobs who were there... You know these people - they are the ones who you've met fifteen times, but who still act like either A) they don't know who you are or B) that you're not important enough to remember.
After 15 minutes of being snubbed and walking around by myself, I looked around and had an epiphany. I didn't HAVE to be there. I didn't HAVE to be kissing all of those tight asses. So I finished my Sangria, slammed a crabpuff, threw deuces, and got the hell out of there just as the presentation was starting. I guarantee you that I had a much better time that night than all of those pretentious punks.
And guess who has a better job than half those jokers now anyway?!... Sweet victory.
