Friday, August 17, 2007

THE OFFICE BITCH

In life sometimes you have to make the wrong decision to prove a point. More exactly, to prove you are in fact going in the wrong way. Last week, bored as hell from being at home after being "laid off' from Fisher Studios, I decided to accept a 9-5 job as an office assistant. I didn't have very clear what the office assistant do, but now I can tell you, they're nothing but the office Bitch.
I don't really have a problem about working hard and following orders. But I am against the idea of going 6 years to college, having background in advertising, marketing, etc to end it up being the assistant of the assistant.
For you to get an idea what it is, The office Bitch (don't get offended, if you are one, just get out of it, it is time to go to the next level) answer phones, help the accountant correct and confirm numbers by hand (some people don't believe the accuracy of computers) and does every single thing that the other people don't wanna do.
Answering phones is not so bad, I speak English and Spanish, so for me no matter who's calling I can deal with it, that's something anybody can do it. The bad part of that, is when somebody that thinks is better than the rest of the world calls. That's when you feel bad, because you are answering phones for a living, and that person on the other line, is well, not. I have nothing against being a receptionist, or customer service rep, all that is fine, as long as you realize that can't, I'm telling you CANNOT be your job forever. This is the land of opportunity, specially for somebody that have a goal and wants to move forward. Moving backwards should never be an option for you, or me.
Everything was doing ok until I was asked to do numbers. I've never been good with them; I have to say I really hate them. I agree if you tell me they're essential for you and you have to know them. All I've got to say in my defense, is they're not for me, they're not something I want to do for a living every day of my life. To make the story short, I spent 3 or 4 hours finding the small receipts in credit card statements and comparing the printout of a computer (like computers don't know numbers, oh they know) to many many invoices. I wanted to go right that second, but I did it. I am a survivor, I follow instructions, I really hated that chore.
Last but not least, there was a series of small little things like organizing a huge library of messy books and magazines (not so little at the end) and matching it to an excel sheet that hadn't been updated of course, in years. The worst part was they couldn't agree in what way or how to do it. I did that too, I started to organizing that library from the beginning. That's when I decided that I could do better than being the office bitch. I don't mind starting in an entry level, but if I feel I am not going somewhere, I am very sorry but I have to go.
That's how after three day I quit. I am not a quitter, but I have very clear where do I want to go. I didn't go to school to file papers, do numbers and answer phones. I know I can do better than that. I know there's a job for me out there and I am going to find it. Being the office bitch is not so bad, not if you'll get promoted soon, not if you found the company of your dreams, not if you like what you do. It's like a bad movie. If you heard is bad, you can say it is until you go see it.
When you start a job, you have the enthusiasm of a 9 year old, I gotta tell you the job really have to suck, for you to leave it after three days, but if you hate it please don't stay there, speak up, stand up from you dead end job and go out, I am pretty sure there's something better for you waiting outside. If it happen to me it can happen to you.
Many kisses
sasha

Thursday, August 9, 2007

La oficina

Cuantas personas estan calificadas para hacer un trabajo que no tienen? Hace dos semanas perdi mi trabajo, y para serles sincera no me importo nada por que no me gustaba el lugar. Era oscuro, sucio y desorganizado. No piensen mal, era el estudio de un Fotografo muy conocido, pero a veces pienso que el es mas nombre que otra cosa. Nunca limpiaba su lugar, no pensaba en mas que salir con las modelos (casado) y para mi que su compania esta a flote de milagro.
Volviendo a lo de mi trabajo, hace unos meses le perdi el interes, mejor dicho dejo de ser emocionante y divertido. Ya me diria mi mama que madure, que la vida no es un Carnaval, pero Celia cantaba lo contrario, verdad? Se que se preguntan que cosa es lo que hacia, y bueno, trabajaba en la parte de preproduccion y casting de modelos. Si, ya se que para algunos ese seria el mejor trabajo del mundo, pero creanme que despues de un par de meses de lidiar con gente supremamente vacia y bruta, tu vida se vuelve muy aburrida. Piensenlo de esta manera, nos pasamos la vida en la oficina, ocho horas al dia, 40 a la semana 150h al mes, y al anio... en fin!
Entonces si no nos gusta lo que hacemos que? Mi esposo me dice, pero al 80% de la sociedad no le gusta lo que hace, y yo me pregunto por que tengo que ser yo una de ellas?
Asi que me fui con una que otra lagrima de cocodrilo empaque mis cosas y sali de ese moridero cochino donde afortunadamente no estuve si no 6 meses.
A buscar trabajo Sashita... Que quiero hacer? Tuve esa pregunta escrita al lado del computador por 2 semanas hasta que la odie y la tire a la basura. Que quiero hacer? Han pasado 3 semanas desde que me fui de mi trabajo y todavia no tengo una respuesta.
No volver a la barra, no trabajar de mesera uy que vergvuenza, pa eso fuiste a la universidad? Pa limpiar mesas? No, tampoco, hay que trabajar en una oficina. Rapidamente me uno a dos agencias de empleo que supuestamente me dicen que me encuentran trabajo. 3 semanas despues no me han llamado ni para decirme que no sirvo pa eso. Assistente de oficina se busca por todo Miami. Voy a entrevistas, una tras otra, y la verdad que me sigo preguntando, que cosa es lo que quiero hacer? Nadie me llama, me hacen examen de Word, ay diria mi mama, ahora mi hija quiere ser secretaria? Ay Dios, si ella supiera por las que se pasan en la USA.
Luego de buscar aqui y alla, luego de que la reclutadora me baja la moral diciendome que mis habilidades de OFFICE dieron 67%, que soy como un 7 en general, luego de que ninguna empresa relacionada con produccion me llama, tengo la moral en el piso, que me queda, ser ama de casa? Mi esposo lo sugiere, no le digo, que mierda voy a hacer yo en la casa todo el dia? Servirte a vos? Haha, si no fui a la universidad pa servir mesas y pa ser secretaria, mucho menos estudie 6 anios para ser mujer florero.
Asi que luego de unas cuantas respuestas de oficina, de trabajos de 10h (no creo que mencione pero me ganaba mucho mas que eso en mi anterior trabajo) decido agarrar uno en la playa, para seguir creciendo por que ya que nadie me da una mano en lo que yo queria, nunca se sabe a quien puedas conocer alla afuera. Mientras tanto, paga las cuentas, estoy en una oficina, y no tengo que seguir limpiando mi casa todos los dias, y recupero un poco mi lugar en esta dura sociedad a la que me vine a vivir.
Despues de todo, que tan malo puede ser contestar telefonos, mandar faxes y escribir emails?
Mas tiempo para mi, mas tiempo para escribir, mas tiempo para vivir esta vida que decidi vivir.
Estamos en contacto!
sasha