(no subject)

[potato_head]

Doing more thinking about job-type stuff at the moment. I think I have a solid plan now where I want to be after graduation - definitely not back at DDs; I loved it there and I definitely learned a lot, and I feel a bit bad to be leaving behind my manager when she's come to depend on me heavily enough that she'll dig around for shifts for me when she's already overstaffed, but I just can't take the physical demand of it any more, and I'm just ready to move forward.

I've come across Ask A Manager, and have been loving the advice from it. It's been helping me organize my thoughts a bit, but I have to do more along those lines...These are just some preliminary thoughts. I probably need to start a career-based notebook for this stuff soon. (Also, I HIGHLY recommend that blog for anybody who's currently job-seeking or...just everyone in general, really. But for immediate and really effective tips on making a resume+cover letter that will get you interviews, it's excellent.)

So...regarding that solid plan...I think I'd like to be able to split my time between an entry-level position in the private sector (private vs. public is a big decision in economics) and creative work. I'm not entirely sure yet if I might want that to be my ultimate goal; honestly, talking about it in the past, I've never felt like I wanted much responsibility in an office-type job. But I also don't feel like am actually quite certain that I wouldn't be able to support myself entirely as a self-employed artist (or graphic designer) either. I think the fact that I still need that kick from someone else to get started on things once I build up inertia, and that I don't have experience marketing myself or any established client base/brand, are all really clear obstacles to that right now. I'm still not sure if my eventual goal would be to keep balancing the two jobs, or to eventually go full-time self-employed creative, or get a higher-paying 9-to-5 type job that incorporates creativity...I'll figure that out eventually. My internal timeline says I'll probably have a better idea in two to five years.

So...with that rambling out of the way...things I want to be working on now:

• Self-promotion for my ebook cover commissions. (I do have concrete plans for this, just feel a bit uncomfortable about sharing them.)
  
• Look up standard generic interview questions and start making notes on how I could answer them.
  
• Figure out a solid timeline for my work at DDs. (This is important because I have what I'm starting to recognize as time agnosia. I have no idea how long I've even worked there - let alone how long I was working under old manager vs. new manager and so on - and I want to be able to talk about events with confidence, not sound like I'm being vague or making things up/not keeping my story straight. I'll probably have to ask my parents to help me out with the timeline.)
  
• Talk to therapist next week about concerns WRT my disabilities in a work environment (especially prosopagnosia/face blindness and not being able to look people in the eye).
  

Things I want to be working on very soon (over the next few weeks):

• Start getting my resume together. Probably should start from scratch, old copies I have from Freshman year are old.
  
• Working on some concepts for stickers/charms/etc. to be sold at cons.
  

Things I should be doing before the end of the semester:

• Start looking at potential available jobs so I know what to expect. (Also have a look at British market.)
  
• Probably start maintaining a tumblr again (for self-promotion, fan-type networking, etc.) especially if I'm going to be selling stuff at cons.

Comments

[seventhbard]

Yaaaaaaay for having a plan! I'm impressed with this, and all the things you've put together so far. Wish my stuff looked as pro after a few years of tinkering with it all. XD