Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Exciting!

So yesterday I called about a vet receptionist position I saw in the newspaper. The ad said "vet office experience preferred." Not "required," so I gave it a shot. They had me come in to fill out an application. I met with Mary, who talked to me briefly and then showed me around the facility. She said she would call me if they wanted me to go on to the next step, which would be coming in for a couple hours to try out the position. She said lots of people think it is fun to work in a vet office, but it's not for everybody, so they like to give it a dry run, so to speak. Well, she just called me and I'm going in on Thursday from 8-10! Yippee!

This would be an awesome job. It's right here in Cary, just a few miles away, and it's full time with benefits after 60 days. I would work four days a week, 7-6, and every other Saturday (only 9-12). The pay is "negotiable" so I'm not sure what it'll be exactly, but they said my ballpark of $10/hr is reasonable. Just going to the office yesterday to fill out the application tickled the animal lover in me. There were kittens and puppies and they were all so cute!


And as a receptionist, I don't have to give them shots or cut them open or anything like that, which is why decades ago I ruled out becoming a vet, and more recently decided against becoming a vet tech. I love working with animals but the sickness and injury I couldn't take.

That's why I thought petsitting would be such a good option. I really enjoyed the four or five months of it I experienced in L.A. I had planned on starting my own business out here, but I got spooked by the possibility of a snow or ice storm keeping me from my appointed rounds. Of course, no ice or snow yet. I might consider offering my services seasonally (spring/summer/fall) and working in a vet's office would make referrals easy!

Meanwhile I have an interview tomorrow in downtown Durham (my mom will raise an eyebrow at that location) for the reader/evaluator position at Measurement, Inc. The position isn't that great--it's just scoring student essays (I imagine it's like the ones for state competency exams). It's a temporary gig (could be long-term but they make no promises), the pay is so-so, but the big downer is there are no benefits. The benefits thing is important because if the job I get doesn't offer medical insurance I have to keep paying for Cobra and that would be a significant chunk of my monthly income. However, if I can use this position as a stepping stone into a better position with the company, a permanent one that pays well and offers benefits, that would be sweet. So I'll have to find out at the interview tomorrow if that is a possibility.

At least there is some activity on this front, finally!

6 comments:

  1. A friend of mine worked at Measurement Inc in Greensboro while she was between jobs, and it was a good experience for her. I don't know the exact location in downtown Durham, but I know they are working on stuff. Good luck!

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  2. What a great opportunity, Melissa. And if you ever do go into petsitting, we'll have to move to your area. There's nothing like having a really good petsitter. :)

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  3. Good luck with your vet "trial" :)

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  4. And? So? What's happening?! Hope it allw ent well. You're braver than I am. I don't think I could work at a vet's. An ER, sure, but not a vet's. Plus I'd want to take every abandoned kitty home and it would be a right old mess by the end of day one. Bless the people who do that job.

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  5. Did you mention it's really humid or there are bugs...?(mosquitoes and)?? and when? I'd love any insight as we are considering a move from central CA.
    Thanks!!!
    Lucinda light_rae@yahoo.com

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  6. Hi Lucinda! Thanks for leaving a comment! May I ask how you found my blog? Just curious because I suddenly seem to have a lot more readers lately and I'm stumped as to why.

    YES, it is VERY humid here in the summers. I moved here in October so I missed most of it. But I did visit for a week in June and it was like a sauna! When I'd get out of the air-conditioned car, my glasses would fog up from the drastic change in temp and humidity. LOL! I really considered not moving here precisely because of the stickiness, but I eventually decided, that's what air conditioning is for! I do not recall bugs or mosquitoes being a problem at all. But like I said, I haven't actually lived through a whole summer here yet so just take that into consideration. One fun bug-related thing was when I visited my brother in the mountains of western N.C., I saw fireflies for only the second time in my life (the first was on a trip to Washington DC a few years ago). They are really cool. Oh, and I should mention that living in the mountains it is much cooler and less humid in the summers than living here in the Triangle. But there you have to deal with real snow, whereas here we hardly ever get any. I saw my first North Carolinian snowflakes yesterday; they fell mixed with sleet and nothing "stuck" but supposedly we're in for some real snow possibly tomorrow. "Real" meaning an inch or something.

    I hope I answered your question...let me know if you need any more info. I've written to several people about what the area is like and it would be easy for me to share the same info with you if you're interested.

    Best wishes,
    Melissa

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