Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Who is pwning the job circuit? Who issssssss?

Fancy that.

I'm FINALLY getting my shit together job wise and things seem to be working in my favor...for now. I sort of have it worked out right now so that no matter what happens, I have an alternative route to doing "something-I-halfway-care-about" set up.

I had a big, fat job interview on Monday with Camp Fire, which I thought went pretty well. I botched one of the questions, but I think they liked me anyway. I also have another interview set up at the first LEED certified restaraunt in Minnesota (aka the the Red Stag Supperclub). I have also applied for a 6 week farm internship at the Womens Environmental Institute, which I should hear back about by the end of next week. Basically my insides are getting that cozy toasty feeling of contentment because every job I've applied for has asked me for an interview without me even calling them. PWN.

The options (some of which may be pure fantasy):

1.) Work at Camp Fire

cons: bit more corporate than I'd like, would probably be challenging and stressful, would offer very little wiggle room in the days off area

pros: part time, so I would have time to volunteer or work on a farm, good pay ($11-12/hr), doesn't start til last week of May and ends Aug. 21 (i.e. gives me some time to travel before and after)

2.) Work at the Red Stag Supper Club

cons: would probably be expected to stay past the fall; is probably the position I am least qualified for; unsure about pay scale

pros: get to work for a sustainable business which also happens to be quite classy; would probably get discounts on delicious organic food; would be able to stay in the twin cities *and* volunteer or work at a farm during the day

3.) Take the WEI Internship

cons: would require me to live at the farm (1 hour north of the TC) 5 days out of the week; only lasts for part of the summer; requires hard physical labor and pays very, very little

pros: get to learn the ins and outs of organic farming; get to work out in the open air and see the fruits of my labor as they grow; get to conduct research into organic farming policy; get to read about Wendell Barry; gives me lots of time to travel, meaning I could visit my bro & mum for extended periods of time



Right now I think the thing I'd most like to do is the WEI internship. The only trouble is I'm not sure how good my chances of getting it are since a.) I sent in my application way past the original deadline (more on that later) and b.) I have very little experience with organic farming. But if I don't get the internship, I still plan on taking part in WEI's Farm School, which is a series of lectures on progressive food culture and alternative farming techniques. I'm basically convinced that I want to do some kind of farming this summer, and I've set it up so that even if I don't get to do this though WEI - which is the most comprehensive overview of organic farming out of all the options - I will still be doing some kind of outdoor work. I talked to the folks at the Minnesota Food Association CSA farm and they said they would be willing to offer me a sort of informal farm internship a few days a week. So all that's left to do now is wait and see who bites.

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