Job Search Continues

I was laid off from my job a couple weeks ago. That is when I really stepped up my job search. I just passed the 1000 application mark. I also think I have been to at least 10 interviews. Statistically I thought that is about when I would see my first job offer.

There have been a lot of surprises in the job applications themselves. I just applied to a company. They sent a follow up form for me to fill out. It required my social security number. Nope. Another job asked me to write a Python function. The task was well formed. It even gave a telling example input/output. I banged out an answer in 11 lines of code.

Normally I skip applications that take too long. Exceptions are high paying companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft. I do think there is a benefit to applying to a company that requires you to write code. It weeds out a lot of the competition. I figure some people could just use AI. But I think if a human reviews the code submitted, they can tell it was AI. Another part of the task was to explain your code.

There was one question on an application that said for me to make a Loom video of myself. I don't even know what that is. I could find out. However, I just gave them a link to a funny YouTube video that said just hire me and then you are done.

Little Kat Job Shuffle

Last year, Momoko, Kit Kat, and Little Kat all worked at the same school. Little Kat taught technology to elementary school students. It was not a demanding job. The pay was good. And the job location was close to our home. Little Kat knows a lot of other teachers there, including some friends of the family.

The school district rezoned the area. A lot less students are now going to that school. Since the student head count was down-sizing, they had to adjust the number of teachers too. Momoko and Kit Kat were safe. Little Kat had to go. He is still employed by the county. He just needed to work at a different school.

Little Kat went to a county job fair. There was one job that was for teaching tech. But a lot of other tech teachers like Little Kat were gunning for that position. He was sure he would not get that job. So, the county needed to assign him a new school.

At first, they said they could not place him. So, he would report back to his old school. Little Kat was fine with that. Then they said he would teach at the local high school. That is his alma mater. He went to high school there. Little Kat looked into the details of his job online. Turns out his notice was a misprint. He is to teach at another high school far south of us.

I recognized the high school as the one next to the county community college. It is not that far away. But it is an early school. Little Kat will need to wake up early from now on.

Lunch with my old Friend

I go to lunch twice a month with a guy I went to college with. Today he came to my house to pick me up. I had not had Mexican in a while. So, I suggested we go up to the mall by Kit Kat's house. My friend agreed. We sat in a section that was served by a pretty waitress.

My friend chatted the waitress up about any sports she plays. We guess soccer. We were right. Then my friend quizzed the waitress on any injuries she might have got. She did mess up her ankle. My friend invited the waitress to sit with us. My friend tried to explain his own injuries, and how she might heal using physical therapy.

Some other waiter came and took the dirty dishes from our waitress. I figured that was the signal to get back to work. The waitress and my friend did not get the message. I did not say anything. Another waitress came to tell our waitress her other tables were asking for her. We settled our bill and waited a while for the waitress to return. Then we bolted.

My friend said he heard there were new restaurants on the lake nearby. We parked in a garage and took to walking. I saw some vacant restaurant buildings on the water. Only a sushi place remained that I could recall. There was one other new restaurant. We could not find the steak house my friend heard about. He even called the restaurant. But they could not guide us there.

Eventually my friend drove me home. On the way out to the main road, we finally saw the new restaurant. It was not on the water at all. My friend thought they might have some distant water views. Doubtful. We might still come back and try it.