My hubby is starting his job placement tomorrow!! It’s rather exciting but also a little scary. After years of working in the shipping industry he has decided to change his career and is currently working his way through a certificate 3 in aged care. Tomorrow will be his first real day on the job,so to speak. Fingers crossed he enjoys it. I’m hoping it will be all he imagines it to be and more. Many people are offered employment during their placement, that’s what we are hoping for.Hopefully I’ll have good news to share in the next few weeks.
Category Archives: jobs
Is 50 too old for a career change??????????
My husband has been looking for a job since we got back from our amazing trip to Italy and boy are things so different out there in the job market these days.
After almost thirty years of experience working in the shipping industry he has decided that it is time for a change.
Hereby lies the challenge – what to do now?
There seems to be an endless supply of jobs out there but are any of them suitable for him – I just don’t know!!
So my question to you all is this – is 50 too old to be seeking a career change? I didn’t think so but as the days go by I’m beginning to have my doubts.
Back to work tomorrow
My mini break is over and it’s back to work for me tomorrow. Even though the kids did not want to do as much with me as I had hoped, I have enjoyed my time at home with them all the same.
It will be interesting to see how I wake up tomorrow at 6am after a week of sleeping in.
Working Through Change
Change is good. At least that’s what they tell us. Maybe if we were more open to the idea of change, and not be so resistant, we may be able to embrace whatever new and exciting thing was coming our way.
Today we sat through a three hour Professional Development session about “working through change” it was interesting, and really a lot of the principles apply to every aspect of life not just necessarily work.
The company I work for has recently gone through a merger, and although we are now over 6 months into the process the impact of the merger is only now starting to be felt in the organisation.
The recent budget has really hit hard and funding in many key areas has been cut, this no doubt will mean some restructure, possible contract renegotiation and even retrenchment.
I think we all realised this PD was a way of preparing us for the unsettling times ahead.
What I took away from this PD, something I have been telling my husband a lot lately, as he too struggles to adjust to a new position at work, is that work is only one part of our life, it is not our whole life. As long as we can focus on the fact that work is merely a means to an end we should be able to get through this merger relatively unscathed, well that’s my plan anyway.
I nearly died of embarrassment today..
I nearly died of embarrassment today!! At about 2pm I was putting some files away at work when when one of my colleagues approaches me and informs me that I have a massive split right up the middle of my pants. To make matters worse I was wearing black pants at work today with white underwear underneath!!
So all day long I have been walking around oblivious to the fact that I was flashing everyone my backside. Once the initial horror passed I assessed my options and quickly threw on my raincoat which I had thankfully brought in with me today. Boy was I glad to leave work today.
The difference between an amateur and a professional
The Power of Chocolate
Today has been a total blur, from the moment I woke up this morning I have not stopped. In fact as I write this now I am sitting in my car waiting for my son to finish his basketball training session. Fortunately I had the good sense to bring coffee in my travel mug, and a half eaten block of chocolate that my kids had left in the pantry, along as company.
Mondays are busy enough as they are at work, but today we had two meetings added to the mix as well. Needless to say it felt like I accomplished nothing today. There wasn’t even time for lunch, that’s how flat out it was.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining. I knew well in advance that this week was going to be busy. I guess I just didn’t count on all little extras that have popped up like the two meetings today. I hadn’t factored in parent / teacher interviews, job hunting for my husband, and the upcoming festival which I am coordinating, that has quite frankly proven to be a lot harder than I had initially anticipated.
To make matter worse I seem to be fighting some sort of a bug, which has drained me of any excess energy, I might otherwise have had to draw on.
The soccer club my youngest son has just joined is in need of a coach and a team manager. Under other circumstances I would be the first to put up my hand (maybe not for the coach position as my knowledge of soccer is not very good), but the way things are I just can’t see myself being able to be of any assistance. We are new to the soccer world and as I don’t have an understanding yet of how much work would be involved, I cannot risk committing to something else that I may not be able to have the time or the energy to do justice. I feel bad that I cannot volunteer for the role but I have to be realistic.
It is not all doom and gloom. in fact far from it. My writing is back on track. Writers block seems to have lifted, and even if it is but a few minutes every night before bed, I have been able to consistently add to my latest novel.
My teenager who is inside training as I write, has done this 360 degree turn. The negativity that oozed from him the last few weeks seems to have lifted, and my sweet, cheeky, loving boy is back. Last night he even cooked us all dinner!!
Next week he leaves for camp – 7 days of survival at Mount Baw Baw- I am excited for him and at the same time a little nervous. Last year they went on a mini survival camp which he absolutely hated. It rained the whole time they were away. He came back cold, wet, and miserable. It took three days to recover from a two day camp. I am hoping the weather will be kinder this time around, and that the boys will have a great time and come back safe and sound.
I left work feeling like I needed a stiff drink. I now know that all I needed was a cup of coffee and a block or two or three of chocolate, and all is right in the world again. Never underestimate the power of chocolate.
Mondayitis
Why does the week seem to drag and yet the weekend just flies? Wouldn’t it be great if we could somehow extend the weekend and in turn shorten the working week. Yes that would be ideal….
Image courtesy of google images
Short staffed again
It is a sign of the times that we are short staffed at work again!! I know that it is not just us, this seems to be the norm these days more and more businesses are having cut backs to staffing numbers, this is greatly to do with the global financial situation which does not appear to be easing up anytime soon.
As an employee though it is quite disheartening when four people are expected to do the work of six or seven. After an extended period of time when one has been over compensating like this, it starts to wear you down.
We try our best to remain upbeat and hopeful, hopeful that better times are just around the corner but the longer this situation goes on the harder it becomes to see that oh so coveted light at the end of the tunnel.
Like most people I try as hard as I can to keep on top of things, but if it continue to be as busy as we are and no relief is forthcoming then the pile of things that has been set aside in the “it can wait” basket will continue to grow and grow and grow and then the time will come when what’s in that basket can no longer wait, what will happen then? Does it really have to get to that point before management realises that we have a problem?
Wellbeing
Wellbeing is not just the absence of disease or illness. It is a combination of a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social health factors. Wellbeing is all about how you feel about yourself and your life. There are many factors in your life that will influence your wellbeing such as your relationship with family and friends, your career, your financial state, your diet, your mental health, your oral health, your sense of belonging the list goes on and on and on.
Wellbeing means a combination of different things to different people and depending on who you are and what you do, your perception of Wellbeing will vary, but the one thing that most people tend to agree on is that Wellbeing is associated with good health and good health ultimately leads to happiness.
There are many things that one can do to ensure optimum wellbeing, such as developing and maintaining strong relationships with family and friends, trying to find work that is rewarding and not just pays well, eating wholesome nutritious food, enjoying regular physical activity, becoming involved in activities or joining clubs that interest you, setting yourself achievable goals and trying to be optimistic and enjoying every day.
For me my Wellbeing is centred around my family and their needs, my goal is to ensure that I provide them with the best possible nutrition, quality education and that our home is a safe haven where everyone feels loved valued and respected.
One thing I learnt a while ago that has stayed with me is that you cannot always control the things that happen to you in life but what you can control is the way you react to said things. So smile and the world will smile with you.
5 minutes more please 