The Jobs are Coming

I began 2010 by losing my job of five years and I was out of work for several months. It was starting to look pretty grim and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to find anything. It seemed like employers were looking for someone with entry level experience or more than 10 years experience. That left me, with only six years of experience, without a lot of options.

Not many jobs were available in my public relations and marketing profession, especially in the Detroit area. Automotive companies and suppliers were cutting their budgets and getting rid of a lot of marketing people. That left the market saturated with highly skilled people as well as a lot of people newly graduating from college. And I was left stuck in the middle.

It's Been a Long Time

So I haven't blogged in quite awhile, and I feel pretty bad about it. Especially since as a public relations person, I'm always touting the greatness of blogs and social media. They can build your personal brand and your company, yada yada yada. Lately, I have not practiced what I preach.

So with that being said, here I come again! I'm planning on catching everyone up on what's been going on in my life. I'll share some of things I've learned about life, dating, family and work. Although a lot of people don't even read my blog, one day I'll be famous and I will have already written most of my life story.

Well, on to the next post! See you soon.

Putting it All into Work

I've been through a lot in the last few years. I've dealt with several deaths, including my maternal grandmother, my maternal grandfather and my paternal great-grandmother. Then my last surviving grandparent, my paternal grandmother, was diagnosed with cancer. I was also dealing with my mother's mental illness. Trying to be the parent to your parent is very difficult. 

I put everything I had into my job. I worked constantly. I often volunteered to work late night and weekend events. I would do anything to not remind myself of what was going on at home. Because of my work schedule, my dating life and keeping in touch with friends was virtually non-existent. But it really didn't bother me, because I had something that was keeping me busy and completing projects made me feel good about myself.

However, when things started changing at work, I started getting depressed. The best supervisor I ever had left the company. My new boss didn't understand when I told her I needed to stop working overtime in order to take care of some family stuff. I wasn't asking to take half days or comp time that I had most likely earned. I was just asking to leave at 5 pm instead of staying well after 7 pm. And to cut back on weekend events so I could spend time with my grandmother whose cancer had progressed and we were told she only had six months to live.

No matter how much I had used work to escape some of the problems in my life, it was no way to deal with the problems. I learned that if you rely on something to not deal with what is really going on, that thing may break down. If that happens, it may feel as if your whole world is breaking down. Keep balance in your life because leaning on one thing to forget about other problems will make you fall down.

Daddy Issues

I’ll be 30 soon and already feel much older. I’ve usually dated older men, usually because I have more in common with them. The most I’ve gone dating a guy that was 14 years my senior (see My First Online Relationship for details). So I already know what it’s like. What I can’t understand about online dating is all the guys that are 45 and older asking me to go out.

I actually plainly stated on my profile that I wasn’t looking for anyone over 39. Since I know I want a family one day, I don’t really want to waste my time on older guys that have kids my age. I’ve had guys 50 plus asking me out. Sorry, but that is older than my dad! My dad and I are really close and I have no daddy issues.

So I’ve taken the route of not even answering these guys. I don’t feel that I’m being rude, because it’s clearly stated on my profile. I’d prefer to meet a guy my age. But there honestly doesn’t seem to be that many good ones out there that are single, have a job and straight. Doesn’t seem like my standards are that high!

Only an Expert on Me

So as a person that creates social media campaigns for other people and businesses, I know I need to create a strategic plan for myself. I’ve seen Hajj Flemings speak several times about “personal branding”. Other conferences have said that you should use your blog and Twitter to express on what subject matter you are an expert. Well I honestly don’t have much that I think people would have an interest.

I could talk about work, but honestly talking about news trends, social media and healthcare isn’t that fun when you do it all day. Besides there are people much more versed in these subjects than me.

I love social media, but I can’t tell anyone on Twitter how to make their tweets more effective. The people that I follow are already great (so check out some of the people I follow).

So on what subjects am I an expert? I sometimes ask myself that question everyday. But these are the things that I have concluded I know most about:

• Single and almost 30
• Living in Detroit
• Looking for a new job in this economy
• Media: I love TV, movies, music, reading and the internet

So here’s my life, love it or hate it, I have to live it.