Measures approaching drastic

This past week, I signed up with a career development company to help me find a job. I guess that's the best way to describe them. I can't say I know any other companies with their particular mission. They're like a head hunter or temp agency in that they want to get you a job. But what makes them different is their focus on you as a person. They are dedicated to learning about your desires, finding your skills, developing a way to market you, and teaching you how to best sell yourself. They also claim to contact what they call decision makers: the people in any given company that have the direct need for a new employer but don't want to go through their own HR department. I met with their vice president twice and learned all there seems to know about them before he gave me a contract and a price.

So I signed up. For $3600.

Fortunately, I have more than enough to cover it stashed away in stocks, but it was still several minutes of hard thinking before I put ink to paper. One comfort is the fact that most other employment agencies get their payment from charging around 25% of your first paycheck, which could be twice what I paid depending on what kind of salary you get. Plus, he had some encouraging examples. Overall, I think I made a good call, but it's still a costly leap of faith. Oh, well. It's just money, anyway.

In other news, I have a friend who might be going into the Peace Corps! It's weird to think of being on the other side of the line. At least I'll be better equipped to sympathize with his situation should he decide to go thanks to my own experience in Senegal.

Ever feel like you lack showmanship in your life? Yeah...