On the Opening and Closing of Doors

Once again, the siren song of the Void has lured me away from my blog (you're all crushed, I'm sure). But this past week saw a few notable events, so it must be time for an update.

On Monday, I had an interview for a part-time, minimum-wage position as a "bookseller" at my local Barnes & Noble. Just what is a "bookseller"? A bookseller, I learned, is a jack-of-all-trades who is responsible for just about everything short of running the store at some point or another. The position I was considering, for instance, would see my schedule shift weekly, so that one week I might work the morning shift stocking shelves and working the register, while the next week I might work the customer service desk during the afternoon shift.

The B&N job had two things going for it: First, as I've noted before, B&N offers benefits to part-time workers. Second, part-time work could leave me free to pursue another idea I've had: substitute teaching. The school district pretty much always needs subs, and it pays $100/day (which is even more than I made at RTB). However, in order to be registered as a sub in California, one must pass the CBEST (that's "See Best"; California Basic Educational Skills Test). And while passing the test would most likely not be a problem, the earliest I could take it is in April.

However, that may be a moot point. It turns out the B&N is looking for a more permanent employee; since I'm likely to leave in August when school starts, that shot down that particular idea.

But all is not lost, for on Thursday I had an interview at Biola for a part-time job as a clerk in the office of the registrar. While this job offers no benefits, starting pay is $12/hour. It also offers the stability of regular hours (1pm-5pm Monday-Friday) and the convenience of being at Biola. The commute from home, however, would be a royal pain in the posterior, so I'm looking into public transportation. I'm thinking the train is the way to go; the price is comparable to that of putting gas in my car, and it turns 3 hours of wasted driving time into 3 hours I can use for reading, studying, napping, or other productive activities.

I should hear back from Biola early next week. If the news is good, I'll probably post fairly soon. If it's not, it may take longer for me to work up the motivation.