I’m still “keeping it real” here at Heroic Technical Writing. I’ve got work to do, bills to pay, and a new home to hunt. All of those are simple in concept but difficult in execution. As some folks put it, “Adulting is hard.” Welcome to April’s lessons in technical communication adulting.

Finding Work With Former Employers

Much to my surprise, after being informed in January that my subcontract with Nissan would end in March, I got a call from the contracts department of my (presumed) former employer asking if I would be willing to come back on a per-project basis. My employer said they would offer me a day rate. After a Zoom call with the contracts officer, we settled on a price per day (first time getting one of those), and I was told a new contract would be forthcoming (it did). Between that job and the current contract, I should be able to make enough to pay my bills through February without any additional employment. Anyhow, Lesson #1: Don’t burn any bridges unnecessarily with an employer…you might find future work with them after all.

However, the fiancée and I are looking to find a shared domicile that fits her stuff, my stuff, and her dogs. Lesson #2: bankers treat you like a fly-by-night outfit if you operate only by short-term contracts. I managed to purchase my condo because I had (at that point) six years of continuous employment with one customer. That was considered steady work, and therefore I was not a bum in the eyes of a lender. Now I’m on a contract that started in February; and despite making more per month than I can ever recall, that is not considered steady employment, so the new mortgage will have my fiancee’s name on it.

I’m working on the new contract, but obviously I need to keep an eye on the job or contract after that. The job hunt is daunting and, I have to admit, a little disheartening. The good news is: there are a lot of jobs out there. The bad news is: there are not a lot of jobs requiring someone with my particular skills and interests. I also must consider that my fiancée does not wish to leave Florida–and really, I don’t, either. That means trying to find something that fits my skills/interests AND that can be done in Central Florida or remotely.

While I’ve been in the process of getting frustrated with the job market, someone suggested “manifesting” what I want to make things happen as I would prefer them.

Manifesting What You Want

“Manifesting” is a little woo-woo for me. It basically states that you can attract the reality  you want based on how you think. On a more practical level, however, I can put on my Linked In account or this blog what I’m looking for and hope that the right person with the right type of work sees it and decides to interview and hire me. With that in mind, here’s what I’m looking to do:

As a long-time advocate of human spaceflight with extensive professional experience in the field, I am seeking a communication position that allows me to contribute across multiple aspects of a space-related organization. This could include mission and vision, strategic planning and messaging, system descriptions, proposal win themes, executive-level communications, web content, and other outlets. The goal of my work is to help my customer/employer clearly convey how they can contribute to a spacefaring future.

Simple, right? I’ll keep you posted.

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