True, it is a poor economy. So what.

As of October 2009, our job market's recovery was being referred to as "Jobless Recovery," meaning that all the small business owners who could go under already did, or companies that were trying to cut every corner they could already did, and now they still aren't hiring, or rehiring, further employees. It is, in California, especially difficult for school districts, since the tax base has dropped, and home values they depended upon plummeted, and as a result, many administrators were given pink slips. I'm a school administrator, so I should be pretty depressed right now as I am moving into a career area that is so challenged, but before I sit on my pity pot, I have a few words for others amongst us who are still fighting the good fight along side me, and who may b e tempted to say "Yes" to any job because they are so tired of looking and looking for career-specific employment positions.

Any one who is unemployed right now can count on one State year of aid followed by possibly three Federal extensions. This because Obama says it could take that long for some individuals to find work. The EDD says that you should look for work "within your area of expertise," but that is sometimes a cloudy proposition. For example, I recently spotted a position called "School Administrator" and applied for it. I was welcomed in for an interview in record time, but when I asked about the pay, I turned pale and speechless. I'm sure my jaw must have dropped. (It turns out that the position should really have been called "Administrative Assistant," which is a totally different area of secretarial work.)

I have finished my Administrative Services Credential and my skills are somewhere around Dean, Vice Principal, Principal or Director level. A true administrator has the power to interview, hire, let-go, assess, or do HR functions. I know what I am worth and I know what I have been paid and should be paid, and I know that sometimes you have to hear the low bid and raise them one, or negotiate your way towards the level that you need by stating your "value added" abilities and skills- but this was an insult. Yet still somewhere, in the back on my head, I was trying to rationalize why it was "OK" to take this position.

I gracefully decided to give a polite, "I'll think about it." When you leave an interview like this, it's very quiet on both sides because you feel cheated on your ened, while they have to keep looking on their end. You feel like an attempted rape victim, and you may not even know why right off. There's just an errie, uncomfortable feeling of having squeezed your foot into a shoe two sizes too small, and you can barely hobble back out the door and fake a smile. It's hard to put your finger on the gutt feeling, but you should consider what your gutt is telling you:

1. If you take a job that bores you or under-utilizes your skill set just because you need money, you may feel insulted or resentful.
2. You may dis-honor your education, your teachers who trained you, or your self worth.
3. You may have to cut back on your expenses or seriously impare your quality of life.
4. You may find yourself surrounded by people much younger who are only just learning the skills you have already mastered, who don't have the level of committment you have, or the same level of self-discipline, and your boss may treat you the way she treats them.
5. You will not stay up to par on the higher skills you have just learned or the duties you were trained to do, and they may be left stagnant while you do this other work.
6. You may feel obligated to remain in the position in order to gain a good review for your next job, and that means being stuck there for at least a year before you can make a graceful exit.
7. You may come to work depressed, feeling anxiety, or not doing your best job because your mind may focus on the injustice you feel.
8. The choice of jobs may then affect your social life and life goals, stigmatize you, or may delay your long term career path and goals as a result of having said Yes.

I know you think you need the money, but you don'ty need to gain 20 pounds or go on depression meds just because your emotional health took a toll in the name of employment or receiving a pay check. Of course, for this reasoning to apply to you, the following is probably also true:

A. You already have degrees and do not consider yourself to be "still studying."
B. You have car payments, a mortgage, and maybe a student loan. These are not negotiable amounts.
C. You have invested 20 years in your career path- or more.
D. You've already got 20 year experience in EVERYTHING, so you can be picky.

When I hear job descriptions that resonate of serving food, cleaning tables, mopping floors, or doing customer service, I know I "did my time" in those positions. I did them all. They taught me detail orientation and discipline, humility, and public service. My resume is now four pages long or six if I include those positions as well. In fact, at this point, my resume is called a curriculum vite resume. It reads more like a blog or a diary than a one-page resume. I can't begin to contain the list of skills to have to one page or even three. I think the golden years are best characterized by endless paperwork, red tape, miles of storage folders and work materials, and stacked lateral file drawers. But of course, that's me. I have so many skills and I have developed so much curriculum in special subjects that I have a room dedicated to their storage. My life has meaning. I am focused. Anything will not do because I am a servant with a mission and a specific audience that I serve. I am a specialist.

I say stick to your gutt feeling, negotiate your best shot, and think it over. If what you've got to loose weighs heavier than what you've got to gain, then you keep looking, despite the awkwardness. Think of it as escaping from the bad date with the ugly guy that you managed to squirm away from without having to kiss him.Eeew! You won't hate yourself in the morning.

I think I have aged like fine wine and my work quality is at a premium. I love myself, my skills, my age, my life. I have references from the most amazing people, and I owe them my best shot- but most of all, I owe it to myself. I support about 5 people, and I am responsible for the well-being of my queendom. I am not happy with a world that still thinks that if I am female I should be worth less, be dependent upon a man's income, or be able to work part time- N/A. I know my abilities and skills, and I know I am worth a lot, and if the world needs to catch up, then I need to find the pond with the swans and stay away from ducks.

I was told to keep myself surrounded by positive, encouraging professionals like myself that can help me stay focused and sharp, support my goals and professional development, or remind me when I'm an idiot. I advise you, in your job search, to do the same. Those are your friends, and you need them to help you see the forest from the trees. They will remind you of your goals, and knock your common sense back in to you in the event that you decide that 'settling" is good enough in life. It's your life. While it's true we all dig our hole and lie in it, make sure the hole you seek out is wide, warm, with a good view, surrounded by a brook and fruit trees, on the path of your choosing. You may think you don't have control over a lot of variables in your life, but saying "Yes" to a job is like getting married, and anyone just won't do. Find a view that works.

To summarize, before you sign your life away on any dotted line, make sure you can face yourself the next morning. If you find yourself jumping out of bed with joy, feeling bouncy and excited because you have taken on a great and significant task that will make you grow, looking forward to the growth, having the  feeling you are about to cover new territory, feeling your are about to discover something new, feeling you are about to make a contribution and fill some big shoes, then you have chosen the right position.

In Contrast, if you have the nagging feeling that you have been there before, that the opportunity provides nothing new or exhilirating, or that the road you are on will lead you off a cliff, think again. You are not the fool in a Tarot deck, you are the Knight and it's your adventure. Don your royal shield, saddle up your while horse, get your sword, and keep on going. There are many good battles yet to be won. Walk the walk, talk the talk, and fake it till you make it, like a good soldier. The more you fall down, the stronger you get. Don't ever be afraid to put up a good fight to get the position you really need and deserve. If you don't fight, you will be sorry. If you do fight and win, you will feel like a winner. It's your choice.