The DC “Trip”
Profunksticated was in the Washington, DC area last week, visiting staffing firms that hire out people like me who specialize in pulling together business proposals. Like I said in an earlier post, my unemployment benefits are about to run out. Matter of fact, I’m down to my last check, due early next month.
While down there, I looked up and met with a brother I worked with out at a newspaper out West 20 years ago. It’s been 13 years since I’ve seen the guy. He’s still in journalism, tells me he earns six figures and lives alone. He’s been divorced for more than 10 years after a short lived marriage. He has no kids. I admit, hearing that the guy earns six figures made me kind of jealous. Shit, it took me 25 years just to crack the $50,000-a-year level, and as soon as that happened, I got the boot.
Despite being in his mid 40s, dude still smokes weed and drinks, two things I don’t do anymore. For a moment there, I wanted to join him in indulging, but I remembered I didn’t want to fuck up my "clean time," now approaching six years.
I’m thinking that I should at least try to encourage the guy to teach a class or volunteer to work with the less-privileged young brothers in DC. Guys like him tend to live for themselves. Yes, I was selfish once too (actually still am to an extent), but at least I had a family to somewhat keep me in check. ("Somewhat" being the operative word. Read my first post).
I guess the thing that really got me was that dude never once brought up the idea of whether I’d like to work at his shop, even though he knows I can do the work and introduced me to his boss. And his boss, a white guy, of course, was someone I nearly crossed paths with some 25 years back. The boss was leaving a newspaper as I was joining it and we knew some of the same people.
When it came to helping me to gain employment in mainstream (e.g., white-run, higher paying) journalism, I’m sorry to say, I’ve found my fellow black journalists, save for one, totally useless. Guess they don’t want to be seen by their white supervisors as being pro-black, despite all the hand-wringing over creating more diversity in newsrooms. I think that whole diversity thing is a crock of shit.
But I digress. I thought seriously about calling dude’s boss just to ask about what my prospects would be, but my mind started to play with me, telling me I would be told that I’m disqualified because I’ve been out of the news business for a decade. Folks in journalism tend to be unforgiving like that.
Meanwhile, dude took me to a female friend’s birthday party at a private club in DC. I felt like I was on the outside looking in as I tried to make sense of the conversations I had with the alternately self-important and drunk African-Americans and few white folk who attended. I drank a lot of Red Bull — at $6 a can. Amazing.
On the job hunt tip, the idea of going into someone’s office, even as a contractor, still scares me somewhat. What makes me nervous is dealing with the sociopaths that wreak havoc in corporate America. But I shouldn’t be. I did vow that the moment things got funky, I would be the one to sever the employment relationship.
I often wonder if it would be easier just to make a few hundred playing basic strategy blackjack every other day at the east coast casinos. That way, I wouldn’t have to deal with the sociopaths, just the cards being dealt from a shoe. Just a thought.
Peace.
dayum that’s deep, I thought folks in chocolate city was all about helpin out hommies? or least let my hubby tell it folks be fightin themselves to help you out (he’s from D.C. too). LOL
Maybe you’d do better contracting yourself out, probably would make more money. And as for your “friend” anyone who really makes six figures ain’t too likely to just tell you about it, especially if yall ain’t that kinda “friend”. So that could be why he couldn’t help you, cuz he probably could barely help himself, busta azz. (don’t get me started!)
Yo, Aly, to be fair, I did ask him how the outfit was treating him. He knew what I meant. He responded that “they’re treating a nigga all right, paying six digits.” I remember him saying when he first joined the outfit about 10 years back he was making in the $80K range. Yo, tell me who would be willing to fight to help a brotha out! I need to talk to your husband! LOL!
Comment by aly cat — September 27, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
I live in the DC area and I have heard it’s very closed to outsiders. I guess I don’t see that side becuse I have done a great job moving around and helping others. But I’m also not in your industry. Wish I had some contacts us I’d push ‘em your way. Cus if WE don’t help eachother, who else will?? Good luck.
Thanks, Hostess. And thanks for checking out my blog. It’s OK that you don’t work in my industry. Any help would be appreciated. I’m gonna link to you.
Peace.
Comment by Hostess — September 28, 2007 @ 8:22 am
I’ve been in that “unemployment benefits are about to run out” moment before. That’s exactly the moment I got a decent job offer. My only mistake? I didn’t negotate my salary, ‘cause I was so jumpy I just took what they gave me. Just a reminder: When (not if) you get your gig, don’t fall for the okeydoke.
Hey, Sistah Ant, thanks for the comment. I made that same mistake too, several years ago, of allowing myself to be lowballed out of desperation. BTW, I’m now being considered for a temp gig of about 2-3 months through a staffing firm that specializes in placing marketing/creative folk. I’ll see how that goes.
Peace.
Comment by Sistah Ant — October 3, 2007 @ 1:50 pm