So much for looking out west.
I have currently changed directions as far as my job search goes thanks to my father, who has been proven right for what he says is the second time in his life.
The old job which I had originally wanted to try out for in the early 1990s has come up in two Massachusetts locations with the help of Monster.com: one in Dexter and the other near Hyannis Port: that of cable access coordinator for Comcast. So now I go from the west coast job search (which looked futile at first) to a possible east coast job. I always knew I had to go to one of the coasts to find something.
Comcast was even notified of my interest in the posts faster than I imagined. I filled out the sample resume on the site just thinking I'd be creating an account, and then fill out a job-specific resume when I had the chance. But an email popped up yesterday saying "Thank you for your interest." Wow.
As far as television production goes, I still have no shortage of ideal references. I just wish two of the people I did most of my work with were still living in the area. One is in Chicago working on a local station; the other is still in training to become a lawyer. The two of them became part of my life during my three years as a most-active volunteer. And by "most active", I mean I was at the studio more than they were!
I started out just like any other volunteer there: showing up when they had a production to shoot. But they became so used to me as I was trained so well, they would sometimes go for an extended lunch break and I would end up doing some of the projects myself. My parents would always complain about the experience being unpaid, but it did directly lead to the job I treasured most of all from 1996-1998.
There was some turnover in the coordinator's position at Comcast while I was there, although I figured I was out of the running: they wanted a bachelor's degree & I never got past an associate's. Now an associate's is all Comcast Massachusetts requires. They listed about 20 different duties & requirements, and I qualified for nineteen of them (the only one I missed: robotics experience).
The three coordinators I knew best weren't totally into what they were doing. Paul became a lawyer; Rob had too much of a social life to be serious about his job, and Colleen just wasn't a people person. Comcast would be getting someone totally devoted to the job and the people involved. I'm the guy, after all, who can't stand working ten minutes' overtime at the airport, but would be restless as local cable technician during the holidays, wondering why I couldn't go in.
I keep a realistic opinion about my chances. But any headaches I would endure in moving, how to get there, etc., would be well worth the self-recognition I've desired for years -- not to mention (finally) use of my degree I worked so hard & enjoyed so much getting.
