My Catch-22: Job Hunting Without the Internet
Exciting news, guys. On Monday, we’re getting the Internet at our house! I won’t have to sip coffees at Wegmans while hunting for jobs anymore—now I can do it all from the comforts of my in-laws’ home.
Living without the Internet isn’t the biggest inconvenience, but it’s definitely isolating…especially when you couple it with our lack of cell phones. Job, please!
Yesterday I had an interview for a position that requires total knowledge of popular news stories. It felt like sort of a catch-22 situation…the interviewer was barraging me with questions, but because I have no Internet/cell phone (because I’ve got no $$$!) I am not super up on everything.
Two years in China really limits that, as well. Who won the Super Bowl? Well, it’s true that I’m not a football fan…but in America, I’d at least have attended a party and watched the game and had the results cemented in my mind. In China, we had to stream the game over a poor internet connection at like 7 a.m. And I chose bed, not football.
I kept up to date on what was popular by reading Buzzfeed, but actually listening to music wasn’t as easy if we couldn’t find an illegal download—there was no YouTube in China. I still remember the first week back in America when J and I first heard Pharrell’s “Happy”, it was like a little lightbulb over our heads…oh, this is that song we’ve read about!
The lack of access made me feel old and outdated! It’s funny to think about.
Come Monday, I’m going to be “around” again. Friends can message me when things are happening, and I will be able to respond without a half-day’s delay.
I’m excited. But this experience—coupled with some homeless outreach volunteer work that I’ve done—has really shed a light on the difficulties one faces in trying to stay afloat without simple everyday luxuries like cell phones and the Internet. Programs exist to help people, but how can one find the information? What if an aid office is on the other side of town and you don’t even have bus fare? These are real issues. My situation pales in comparison.
Today I’m keeping my chin up and feeling grateful for what I’ve got. Keep on trusting the process, pals! Whatever you’re striving for right now, don’t give up.