...okay, maybe not. :)
Another one of those memes going around Livejournal right now is this interview thing, which I think is a lot of fun. I've learned a lot of interesting things about my friends, to say the least.
So, I asked my good friend Andrea in Germany (she's astalavista over there) for my interview, the questions and answers are below.
Want me to interview you? Comment here, or in the LJ posts!
1. How did you end up at your current job? Is this what you always wanted to do? If not, what would you rather do?
Wow, I could write an essay about this one--and I plan to, at some point. It's on my handy list of topics at home. :) There's no real short answer, either, so bear with me.
I moved out to CA in 1997 to be closer to some friends I'd made on PernMUSH, that was really the only motivation I had. I figured, though, with all the high tech companies out there looking to hire entry-level folks, I'd be able to find *something*. Not so. I was here for several months before I finally got a temp job, one which lasted five months, before I was let go. I was lucky enough to find something quickly after *that*, but that was the infamous Lifeguard job, which I loathed--not so much the work part, because mindless data entry can actually be somewhat soothing, if only because you don't have to think about it. My supervisor there was just horrible, though. Ugh.
In the middle of all this, one of my then-friends came to work at International Network Services (INS) doing support. She gave my resume to her supervisor, and eventually (after interviewing in another department for another job), Dave gave me an interview. Dave, the man who could overspend an unlimited budget, took Lynette, Leigh Ann, and I out to lunch, then he and I talked afterwards...I had no clue that it was a formal interview-type thing. Apparently, it was something of a fight for me to get hired here--I had no pertinent technical experience and hadn't ever really done extensive phone work. They all liked me enough to give it a shot, though Rick (Dave's boss) was a little dubious. As it turned out, I became one of the top ticket closers relatively quickly, so...good gamble for them, if I do say so myself. :) And, I got promoted (and more than doubled my income) after my first year here, so I must be at least a little bit good at it.
I got this job on September 13, 1999. I'd told myself in July that if I didn't have a job by September 15th, I was going back home to Seattle.
Is this what I always wanted to do? Well...no. Not really. :) I don't know if anyone really aspires to be tech support. If Lucent were in a different place, it'd be a good stepping stone, a good in-road to any number of other career paths, but there's no chance for upward development here unless you have a college degree (which I don't), and pass any number of other weird standards/qualifications. I didn't come into it with any specific plan, though. I thought briefly about quality assurance, but that didn't pan out. I really wanted to go out to do field work, but that never worked out either--which is for the best, considering that most of the field reps have been laid off. So. Long-winded answer to that, but what it boils down to is that no, this isn't what I always wanted to do.
What *do* I want to do? I want to change the world. Am I serious? Yes and no. I feel as if I have the capability to do so--I think everyone does. But. :) So, hm. What do I really want to do? I'm hoping, eventually, to get a psychology degree (but fuck, if it takes me six times to get the spelling right, I'm doing something wrong!), specifically clinical psychology, which would allow me to hang a shingle. What I'd really like to do is specialize in online addictions--I have enough experience for that! :) I hope I'll realize that someday, but in the meantime, my dream job right now is to be the owner/manager of my own shop, selling my jewelry, my candles and soap, my painted glass. The business license is actually forthcoming, so that may not be as far off as it always seems. :)
2. Do you and Brett want to have children, after you get married? Or would you rather wait some time more? Or maybe have no children at all?
We've actually talked about this, but it's been awhile since the subject came up. Right now, no, we don't plan to have any children. I don't *want* children. People keep telling me that'll change for me in the future, but I can't see how. I have to admit, too, that statement *really* upsets and offends me--I know my own mind. I'm a big girl, I know what I do and don't want, and to have someone pat me on the head and say, all condescending like, 'oh, you'll change your mind!' really rankles. How do YOU know that? You're not me. Bah. :)
I'll grant that it's possible, but I don't see how. I'm not good mother material, I don't think, and I could give a big laundry list of reasons why, but I guess the real simple answer is that I *like* the way my life is now. A child would change all that...and it's not a decision you can un-make, you know? You can't return a kid to some central depository, like you can return a blouse to the department store. :)
3. Where would be your favorite place to live in the world? If your current location is your favorite place, why is that so?
If I could take all the Mormons out of Utah, I'd live there in a heartbeat, because it's just so fucking beautiful.
If I could make all the crazy politicians go the hell away from California, I'd live somewhere north up the coast, right on the mountains off the water.
If I could make all the crazy politicians go the hell away from Massachusetts, I'd love to live in Boston, just for the sheer history value.
My favorite place would be moderate in climate, have both ocean and mountains closeby, and with a city in relatively close proximity, but still far enough away that I had space.
4. Why do you MU*? For socialization or RP? Or any other reason?
At first, it was for the RP. I had a character on CrystalMUSH with whom I managed strange depths of self-destructive behavior. PernMUSH was fun for RP, too, until the politics got in the way. :)
These days, I MUSH mostly for the socialization, though I still get RP in there now and then. It's been a part of my daily life so long that it'd be weird to stop.
5. If you could have a mind power, what would that be? :-)
Ooo, a fun one! Hmmm. Mindspeech might be fun, but I think the one that I'd really want is telekinesis. I'd love to be able to move stuff around with just my mind--so convenient. Think about all you could do with that--you'd never have to physically do dishes again! :)
Posted by Liz at June 6, 2003 07:48 AM