Back in September, I quit my courthouse job (one I'd had for five years but had to leave due to an extremely unpleasant co-worker who had a mysterious hold over the boss and literally devoted a large chunk of her day every day to making me miserable) to go work at my dream job, doing research for oil and gas companies in south Texas. I got to drive all over the place, see beautiful towns and research records that were over a hundred years old. My gas, meals and lodging were all paid for, plus I made as much in a week as I'd made at the courthouse in a month. I planned to work at that job for several years. It was going to pay off all my debts and give me enough of a nest egg that I could go to graduate school or do whatever else I wanted to do when I got out.
Six weeks later, the market crashed, the price of oil dropped through the floor, and my bosses sent me home with a "Don't call us. We'll call you."
They haven't called, and every time I call them, they tell me the prospects aren't good.
A few weeks after that, my landlords got a job on the other side of the state, moved, and put my house up for sale.
Now I'm working two part-time jobs--one for a friend who owns a video company, doing some videography and watching his store for him, and one doing research in courthouses in my area. Unfortunately, the research job is all but nonexistent--I haven't done any serious work in it since January. I'm at least working in videography, but the jobs are few and far between--usually only one or two a month, and they often only last for two hours or less (I'm paid per hour). There's money coming in, but it isn't enough to pay the bills anymore, and my savings from the oil and gas job are slowly running out. I'm trying to cut costs everywhere I can--I don't have cable TV, I negotiated a lower rate on my credit card, I'm switching car insurance companies, and I'm planning on dropping my landline and using my cell phone--but even with less money going out, there's so little coming IN that I'm very, very worried right now. Plus, at any minute someone could buy my house from my landlords, and if the new landlord decides they don't want me in the house then I have no choice but to find another place. Oh, and did I mention that my former boss and unpleasant former co-worker are running all over town cackling about how the mighty have fallen and how it serves me right for daring to quit?
There is a silver lining to this cloud--I've been able to spend a lot more time doing things that I love, like going to the gym and spending time volunteering at church. But I sure would like some steady work, or at least one more part-time job that brings some money in! Please keep your fingers crossed for me, and if you know anyone who would like some courthouse research done in Texas, let me know.
