Unemployment: Day Twenty-Four

As expected, I'm getting an early start on the day. Despite the time stamp of this post (my laptop is still on east coast time) it is 6:24 a.m. I've been up for almost an hour already. I tried to stay awake as long as possible last night so I could adjust to the time change, but I think it will take me another day or two.

Or maybe tonight will do the trick. I'm sure I'll be out late with my special visitor. More on that later.

Today's agenda ... to the zoo. Sit by the pool. Read. Contemplate life.

I've thought more about the recruiter who called me yesterday. I returned his call and all went well until he asked me how much I was making in my previous job. I said "I'm not supposed to tell you that!" and he was completely flabbergasted. I've always been told, never tell a prospective employer what you were making in a previous position. If you do, you give them leverage. If you were making $10/hour and they were thinking of paying $20/hour, suddenly they realize that they can offer you $12/hour and they'll save money and you'll be happy you got a 20% increase.

So I wouldn't tell him and he seemed very confused about it all. Finally he mentioned a range and I told him that I certainly would fit into that range - the high end of the range. Of course, I was previously making the low end of the range. But he doesn't need to know that. And if he did know that, then when and if an offer was made, you can better believe it would be the low end of the range. Employers want to pay you as little as they can - not what you are worth.

And it got me thinking even more. You know what? I don't want the fucking job in the first place. I don't want to be a fund raiser any more. You couldn't pay me enough to keep doing what I've been doing for the past 20 years. I'm sick and tired of it and I'm not going to do it any more. It's time for a change.

And with that - time to change into my clothes and go out and greet the day.