So... I'm going to talk about work.
I'm still working at the robotics company, which still amazes me that I haven't been fired yet. I'm not doing anything wrong to get fired (at least, to my knowledge) but it's a thought that crosses my mind at least once a day. That feeling still lingers after working over 6 years at my previous job at the photography company. That was a job I later grew unhappy with but it was a stable job for me to stay in due to Vince's situation.
Why stay in an unsatisfying job for that long? I stuck with the job because it worked around my school schedule as well as Vince's school schedule when we worked together for a few months. He actually help me get a job at his work, which allowed me to get out of working part-time at the theaters and working as a substitute food service worker for the school district, where I was not getting anywhere due to my limited experience. I worked as a customer service rep and I had to correspond with customers via email and by phone. Fortunately, I rarely had to physically interact with a customer unless it's related to an order. I enjoyed the job because I worked with Vince. Eventually, he found another job shortly after graduating and I stayed behind to get more experience. That's when I started doing other things besides customer service, like being a receptionist, working in shipping, and eventually being an administrative assistant to book photographers and schedule appointments. All the while, I was slowly getting depressed because I wasn't doing anything graphics or art-related, which is that I have a degree on (and yes, I know that that will take me 20 years to pay off). I had to stay with it; Vince was eventually laid off from the job and found himself unemployed.
That was a really tough time for us. I felt like there was nothing I could do to cheer him up. Fortunately, he was able to find a job at a local video game company (who prided themselves for being famous for ONE RTS game). We met great people who would become our dear friends to this day. I stuck with my job though, even though they were having a pay freeze and I was not getting pay raises after employee reviews. I thought about looking for a new job until Vince found himself to be part of a group of people who would be laid off from the video game company. Once again, he was unemployed. And once again, looking for a new job for myself was not an option.
After several months, Vince was able to find a job at an interior design firm, thanks to a former classmate. This place was unbelievably demanding, stressful, and merciless. Vince worked hard but he was always under tremendous pressure and getting little to no appreciation from the higher ups. During this time, I was desperately job hunting and I nearly accepted the first offer I got, which was to be an inventory manager at a small company that sells cell phone accessories. I turned it down because I felt uneasy working in a small retail place. At least my previous job provided me with insurance. A few weeks later, I randomly applied at this robotics company. They were curious at how I applied for a graphic design position when they didn't put out a job posting. I admitted that I did some cyberstalking (I didn't say that exact word); I was browsing local kickstarters, found someone who made prints and t-shirts, looked up her resume and saw the company name listed. I decided to apply at their website but I didn't expect to get a call back!
I was terrified. On one hand, I was able to find another job after 6 years. On the other hand, it means I would have to start over at a new company with little experience and there's no guarantee on how long I would keep that job. 3 months after I started, Vince was able to apply for another job at a gaming company, thanks again to another former classmate. This time, Vince was able to leave a job instead of getting laid off. So basically, both of us started the year with new jobs together! His job was less demanding but it paid way more and I was getting more pay raises than I ever did in the 6 years I worked at the previous job. So it's all great! ... Until Vince got furloughed.
So that's where we're at right now. He's still with the company but he has no projects lined up, so there's no reason for him to come in to work. Fortunately, it looks like he'll be able to transfer to another department in the company but the paperwork process will take some time to sort out. We're understandably wary about that happening but for now, we're not too worried about it.
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