Working it Out
When my accumulated hours of teaching seemed to be on par with my accumulated hours of riding the Kyiv metro, so began the tedious task of searching for new work. I set off with a goal in mind: to minimise commute time and get all of my working hours in one place. Well, I climbed the mountain, made it to the other side, just to realise I’m only a few feet from where I initially started.
Where to begin?
The Internet is a labyrinth of job postings, comprised of everything on the spectrum from good to bad. I sat myself in front of the computer with multiple job search tabs open, growing more overwhelmed by the second. After successfully managing to upload my resume onto one of the sites, I felt an inkling of accomplishment. Although I was pleased to interrupt my search as my Ukrainian friend invited me to go for tea. One mention of the word “job” and I found myself vertical and making a B-line for the door with a belly full of a leafy infusion to drop more resumes in inboxes and creating a Skype account.
Thank You, Next
Over the span of a couple weeks I was answering unknown calls, responding to copious messages and running here, there, and everywhere to meet with potential employers. I seemed to find enough work for half of Kyiv, although none of these employment opportunities I thought suitable for myself.
As time went on, I started to wonder if spending half my working day on the metro was really so bad – but the voice inside my head said, “You’re in too deep to turn back now”. The voice was right – I was deep into the job search and if I didn’t take an offer soon, I was afraid I might never get out. With this fear in my mind, potential offers appeared more desirable and I signed two new contracts.
Trust Your Gut
The goal I was trying to accomplish with finding new work has not been met. Kyiv is not necessarily conducive to just stumbling upon one’s dream job, and I’m okay with that. In the end, it’s worked out to four average jobs, and in some way, shape, or form, when you dot the i’s and carry the ones, I’m sure it is equivalent to one great job.
