I will no longer be "unemployed." I will not even be an independent contractor. I will, in fact, be working full-time for a venerable architecture firm in the Dallas area.
I'm excited, as you can imagine, but still scared to death. After all, I haven't had a job in 6 months, now, and I'll have to get used to getting up at 7 so I can be in the office by 9, sitting in a desk, reporting to someone else.
Bonus: I will be full-time with benefits. No more COBRA health care rigmarole to deal with, thankfully. I won't have to worry about filing my income taxes quarterly, as I would if I was a contractor (the discussion at my first interview revolved around this concept. I did some mental calculations, though, and they'd have to pay me more, actually, if I was independent than they would if I came on as a salaried employee).
Downside: my pay will be significantly less than it was at my last place of employment. As in 20% less than at my previous job. It's better than the annual max. $10,xxx the government gives to those of us on unemployment, but... I had hoped that I would be able to find an apartment in my old neighborhood or near there, but at my new low salary, there's no way I can afford to live there.
UNLESS...
I spoke to my dad Thursday afternoon, and he discussed with one of his business contacts my business idea (which was originally my dad's idea, but he gave it to me). His BC told him that, if I'd set up the company and get it going, he could get me more business than I could shake a stick at. So that's looking hopeful. My one hope now for getting into a "place of my own" is the business.
If all goes well, it may allow me to move into a nicer place than I had before I lost my job and still save up money for that ever-elusive goal: graduate school.
(Creative Commons Licensed Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons user Aceplace. The image can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:HPIM1041_edited-1.jpg)
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