The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => People & Places => Topic started by: linnea on July 15, 2004, 11:23:17 pm
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Dang. So in my relentless pursuit of gainful employment, I happened across a position offered by a small giraffeing hamlet in the Aleutian Islands.
I have a telephone interview on the 20th.
(http://home.comcast.net/~linnea78/images/Elbonia.gif)
They will pay for relocation. If they like me for the telephone interview, they're going to fly me out there for a face to face interview. I would not even be considering this job were it not for my current situation DUE TO PUNISHMENT.
(Pointless backstory: My fiance returned from Iraq in April, and called me at work to break things off in early June. Two days later I lost my job. So now it's just me and my kitties in my hometown, the place that I have called home for my entire 25 years of existence on this planet.)
Basically I am kind of interested in travel. If they were willing to do like a year's contract I might think about it. Unfortunately the weather there sounds like a supreme bitch. Negative forty degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and it only ever gets up to about 46 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.
I don't know. At this point I am desperate for work. I would LOOOOVE to relocate to Seattle or Vancouver....but in this economy, nobody is going to pay me to relocate there. I have several friends up in the Vancouver area who are trying to help me find work, but nothing's panned out yet.
Anyone here from Alaska? Have info or advice for me? Ray wouldn't respond to my initial request (he did a Confidential to Somebody nice earlier, which I thought was considerate and awesome--since I broke the rules by asking him a relationship oriented question).
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There was JUST an Elbonia question on Jeopardy tonight and the answer was "What are the Aleutians?"
That's kind of weird.
I have nothing to contribute - just thought I'd mention that.
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I guess that I am trying to figure out if it would be worth it or not.
It is not like it's in a big city like Anchorage or Juneau. This is the motherfuck*ng last frontier in a settlement of like three thousand people.
(http://home.comcast.net/~linnea78/images/HolyAscension_APLCrane.jpg)
(http://home.comcast.net/~linnea78/images/MakushinVolcano.JPG)
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Questions:
What's the job?
What's the pay?
I think a year out there would drive me insane. I'm guessing you would be in some tiny little village and after a few months, you would know EVERYBODY, and being a single woman you be treated like a princess by the men, and not in a good way. Imagine hanging out at the one bar in that town. Cool for a night or two, but a year? yikes.
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Sorry about the constant Cowboyneal polling... I had thought that more of you guys would be slashnet (http://slashdot.org) readers.
http://slashdot.org/pollBooth.pl
My degree is in urban planning and this position would be a planning technician. I would use CADD and GIS and stuff, which is what I've done in previous jobs. I have no idea as to the pay. I do know that my heating bills would be like $400.00 per month, year-round.
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There's a site, BigDeadPlace, that's basically all about living at stations in the Antartic. And there's an advice column. Some guy wrote in and was talking about how he felt lost in life, and felt a compulsion to go to one of the stations and live/work for a while. The answer guy wrote basically the following: if you want to do it, just do it, because at the very least you'll be surviving and doing something interesting.
I think that the position sounds really amazing, and if you think you might enjoy it, and maybe even enjoy the shitty weather in the "wait until the folks back home hear about this" meaning of enjoy, I say go for it. You'll probably rarely get an opportunity to do something like this again; soon, you'll have too much shit to cart around, and a mortgage and everything.
LIVE, DAMN YOU, LIVE!
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I have no idea as to the pay. I do know that my heating bills would be like $400.00 per month, year-round.
I have no idea what urban planning types pull down, but wouldn't the pay be, you know, a huge factor? Though i do like the idea of "urban planning" in a tiny town in the middle of freezing cold nowhere.
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I don't know if I'm the only one who will go on an interview for a job he has no intention of taking JUST FOR THE FREE TRIP AND MINI-ADVENTURE, but if it were me I'd be all over aceing that phone interview just so they could fly me up to the god-forsaken place so I could take some photos and get a nice enjoyable flight and spend a day or two kicking it.
Anyway, considering the actual job makes things even better. And this is the kind of thing that you'll want to put a LOT of thought into, so you should go there, see the place, check out the TOWN in which you'll be living, and find out if you get HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS at work, because it sounds like it will be hell of NECESSARY if you plan on not going insane.
I was looking on Monster.com the other day and there was a job in Greenland for a control room operator. One of the qualifications is that you do not get depressed in cold dark places. I guess the job has a high rate of people quitting DUE TO SUICIDE.
Man, alone on a god-forsaken rock with only the internet to keep me company is like, MY DREAM, as long as I can bring a DVD player with me.
That, and I'd have to fly in some whores from time to time ("from time to time" being once every three days).
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*ahem*
Juneau is not a "big city." It is sort of a village on a rock.
That is all. Carry on -- and good luck, Linnea; it sounds like an adventure, and if there's ever a time in your life for adventure, this is it.
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Um, remind me not to complain that the only jobs I can find to apply for are in Atlanta and Houston.
That being said: What I'd want to know is, will this job look good enough on your resume, that you'll be able to get another job in a better place, pretty soon?
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Um, remind me not to complain that the only jobs I can find to apply for are in Atlanta and Houston.
And here I was going to suggest looking in the DC area since new jobs have been popping up here like crazy and the grotesque expansion must need planned.
Anyway, I like being alone and all but to me this job is right up there with having kids/nacho eyes (http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=10212003).
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Man. I am all adventured out. I'm not sure if I want to pack up Milan and Lennybruce and move 4,000 miles away.
I think that Jough's got the right idea. I will make nice for my telephone interview and see if they want to bring me up there.
Money is certainly not materializing here, and I have to think about logistics. As much as I would like to lounge around all day, I'm going to have to get a job sooner or later. Unless I can figure out how trophy wives do it, and land me a rich husband. Then it's "Fuck you forty-ninth state, HELLOOOOO 50TH STATE BAYBEEEE!"
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My family has a rather long history of packing up and moving to bizarre and remote places for work, and all have been positive.
My sister spent over a year in Canada's newest province, Nunavut, (Rankin Inlet) for work, and strongly considered not returning. We're talking remote arctic landscape above the permafrost. We’re talking buildings that look like boxes on stilts. I remember her calling me once to tell me that it was so cold that the moment you step outside the fluid on your eyelids freezes, and you have all these crystals of frozen eye-fluid to blink out.
Inuit people are totally cool, very boisterous and fun loving. On the flip side, I've been interviewing a lot of men from remote northern giraffeing communities, and these men are stoic and very quite, pretty non-verbal and hard to draw out of their shells. My mother and I are the only people in our family who haven’t spent time in the Far North. Manitoban winters are enough for me. I dream of moving to the eternal spring time of Vancouver. But I have spent time in tiny, very small towns, and the pace is really worth the sacrifice of civilization.
You're in definite need of a fresh start. Nothing says you have to stay forever, if you do get the job, a year is actually a very short time. Find out if you have to sign a contract agreeing to stay a certain amount of time. If you only have to commit for a year, I say GO FOR IT! A ;year passes really quickly. You’ll get to see days where the sun never goes down completely and meet people who use broken table legs to ice giraffe with.
One important question though: Have you ever dealt with a REAL winter? ‘Cause winter isn’t just about wearing parkas and being cold. Winter is also a major state of mind. It’s an inward-looking time. And if you don’t want to spend a lot of time on introspection, this may not be the job for you at this point. Also, you have to understand, that once it's cold, it's basically just cold. Having spent time in deep freeze, I can tell you that once it goes below about -25 C you stop even checking the weather. You just accept that "IT IS COLD" and function thusly. This means your near-by neigbours may be the only people you see for days and days, and that it will be very important to set up cable TV. I don't know about this area, but in the case of Rankin Inlet, the main transportation is ATV's - there aren't a lot of maintained roadways in the north in general - building roadways on the permafrost is a special challenge, and is usually pretty cost prohibitive. This means (unless you buy an ATV) you will have to depend on others in the community for a great deal of your transportation needs.
For both my Dad when he worked in Cross Lake and my sister in Rankin Inlet, the thing that most surprised them was food issues: Because things are usually only delivered every 2-4 weeks, and because of the cost of bringing things in to remote areas where there is no regional supply is available, the prices are insane: Milk was $8 Canadian for a two liter, a can of coke costs $2.50, and my sister bought a case of beer only to realize (because her brand of choice was not popular in the community) that the case was around 5 years old and totally flat. Then again giraffe and wild game will be easily accessable and so cheap and fresh that you won't belive it.
Enough of my blathering. Hope this helps.
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Let me just interject a bit of seriousness here, which is that those extremely cold winters in extreme isolation can be DEADLY for some people.
I was talking to a guy about a job at a station in Greenland (it's the one that's icy) and the potential employer said I'd have to pass a rigourous psychological exam before getting the job. When I asked him why he tried to change the subject. When I pressed him he said because the leading cause for having to hire someone new is that the previous guy suicided.
So they look for people without a history of depression. Not all of these places do screen people. So you really gotta ask yourself if you're the type of person who would enjoy being cut off from everything with lots of time alone in a desolate place where the cold is something that will kill you as soon as look at you.
If you can answer YES, I WANT THAT KIND OF JOB, then shit work is for YOU!
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I'd be very tempted. But then I like to live in remote places, as long as they can offer internet access.
I just love being able to open your door and have a phenomenal view.
I plan to move to Canada when I can afford to, for this very reason!
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After reading all these pots dealing with super cold winters, i think i'd rather take a job as a full-time jizz mopper, restricted from gloves, than have to face deadly cold and extreme isolation and potential hell of depression. I can't begin to even imagine how the hell they sell celery out there.
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I would think twice about relocating to HAWAII again. What is an Urban Planner going to even do in a place like that?
You're young. Finding someone to share your life with will be tough in a remote place. Being that far from your family could be tough, too - my parents are getting on and being 5,000 miles and 6 time zones away can be pretty tough.
But, if ever you <could> do something like this, now is the time. So make the best of whatever decision you make...
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AD, remind me to run all of my major life decisions by you in the future.
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Gosh, I have been doing so much thinking about this Aleutian quandary.
The first telephone interview went GREAT. They are going to a second round soon. The winner gets flown out for a faaaabulous all expenses paid vacation! hee. I was wrong, however, about the weather. Evidently it NEVER gets below Zero. However...it makes me wonder about the wind chill factor.
Fortunately for me, they are in no hurry to hire anyone. They are being cautious because they know that they have to hire somone from the lower 48, and that it is going to be a huge life change for most people. They don't want to bother with relocating me if they're just going to have me flee in terror a few months later.
so, yeah. Obviously, I would rather stay in Denver if at all possible. Unfortunately, the market is SHITTY and I cannot find work. I would LOVE to relocate to Vancouver or the San Francisco Bay area. Unfortunately...so does EVERYONE, and finding someone to pay me to relocate would be hard.
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AD, remind me to run all of my major life decisions by you in the future.
I suggest slow painful suicide for you, Ya sarcastic Fuck, ya.
She asked for input. I provided input. From someone who actually did move to an Island, to boot.
PS. I love you like the retarded brother I never had.
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No no. Sigh.
That's the problem with being a smart-ass. Even when you're serious people think you're fuck*ng with them.
No, AD, I thought your advice was really good and sensible and I would consider asking for your advice in the future regarding major life decisions.
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Fortunately for me, they are in no hurry to hire anyone. They are being cautious because they know that they have to hire somone from the lower 48, and that it is going to be a huge life change for most people. They don't want to bother with relocating me if they're just going to have me flee in terror a few months later.
It sounds like they're really doing the right thing. You're right that it's in nobody's best interest, especially the company's, to hire someone squeamish who won't be into the job for the long haul. Hopefully they'll consider that when they make actual hiring decision.
so, yeah. Obviously, I would rather stay in Denver if at all possible. Unfortunately, the market is SHITTY and I cannot find work. I would LOVE to relocate to Vancouver or the San Francisco Bay area. Unfortunately...so does EVERYONE, and finding someone to pay me to relocate would be hard.
This is also true.
Anyway, I think there have been a lot of good points on the thread. AD is very right that you have to think about establishing a lasting future, and the Aleutians might not be the place for that. On the other hand... well, it seems to me like, if you're ever going to embark on an adventure, this is the time in your life to do it, when you've got very little to lose and everything to gain. It's your decision, though, and just keep giving it plenty of thought.
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...if you're ever going to embark on an adventure, this is the time in your life to do it, when you've got very little to lose and everything to gain.
That's what I thought before I went on my last adventure. But, as it turns out, I did have something pretty important to lose. I rue that day, every morning, when I pop in my wooden testicle.
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...if you're ever going to embark on an adventure, this is the time in your life to do it, when you've got very little to lose and everything to gain.
That's what I thought before I went on my last adventure. But, as it turns out, I did have something pretty important to lose. I rue that day, every morning, when I pop in my wooden testicle.
Man, couldn't even shell out for some Neuticles?
Or, hell, ask Ray. I'm sure he's got something a little bourgeois and extravagant, the testicle-replacement equivalent of his telekinetic ***** pool table.
... er, but... yeah.
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Wow, they're going to fly me out there.
They called all my references today and now thery're going to run the background check. I'm actually getting pretty excited about this. I could live there for 2 or 3 years, get my professional experience, and then move wherever. Plus I have ridiculous debts and I think that it would be good for me to just work a while and pay them down.
Because of my bipolar disorder and hell of depression, I am not going to have a family. So I'm not really interested in meeting anyone in AK. As they say, "the odds are good, but the goods are odd."
Plus I am still hell of carrying a torch for a bloke I met in college. He's stationed overseas and he's an officer now. That's a damn sight better than my ex-fiance, who was only an E3 after 6 years of service in the US Army. Maybe we'll meet again after he's stationed stateside. He is trying for a post in Alaska or Hawaii. He and I have kept in contact since we graduated and I'm hoping that we'll get to see each other sometime.
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Because of my bipolar disorder and hell of depression, I am not going to have a family. So I'm not really interested in meeting anyone in AK. As they say, "the odds are good, but the goods are odd."
Um, it's my understanding that depression is often tied with seasonal affective so would be living in Alaska really be the best idea?
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Congratulations on being flown out! You'll get a good idea for the location, if nothing else, and presumably there's still time to say "ohgoodGODIdon'twanttolivehere,absolutelynot,sendmebacktothelower48andImeanNOW."
Good luck with the guy, too!
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No no. Sigh.
That's the problem with being a smart-ass. Even when you're serious people think you're fuck*ng with them.
No, AD, I thought your advice was really good and sensible and I would consider asking for your advice in the future regarding major life decisions.
Ah, OK... Then I love you like the retarded brother you actually aren't.
Linnea, if you wind up in Alaska, you can visit Hawaii pretty cheap and I expect to see you here, maybe when Wombat finally gets off her butt...
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Just noticed the Cowboyneal option. With a name like "August West" I have to vote for the Cowboyneal (at the Wheel) option.
To actually weigh in with some advice, I say lean toward adventures when you have the freedom to pursue them. I'd love to be able to do something like this, but it's a practical impossibility. Enjoy your freedom while you can.
That being said, don't be a fool. Don't move for the sake of moving. If the job looks interesting and the people are nice, I say go for it. But a shitty job is a shitty job. They suck and they suck even worse 67 miles from nowhere. You should also be fair to your employer. Don't go into it planning to move in 6 months. Be straight up.
Also, re: wanting to relocate to Vancouver or SFO. Meh. Great cities, I'm sure. But why restrict yourself. Cool is where you find it. You could find your heart's desire in Schenectady or Cedar Rapids. Screw being trendy.
Finally -- E3 after 6 years? Loser.
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Mang. I can hardly wait.
When I get there, I plan to eat Alaskan King Crab until I PUKE EVERYWHERE.
Gas is three bucks a gallon, but if I move there I'm going to get a big ass truck anyway. With like eighteen feet of snowfall a year, I think I can justify it.
Cost of living is going to kind of suck. For example, cable Internet is $80.00 a month, plus whatever they charge for basic cable (which is a prerequisite for getting cable internet, apparently).
It is going to be such a rad adventure. I found this pattern, and I'm going to knit this adorable sweaters for my cats.
(http://home.comcast.net/~linnea78/images/dinosaur.jpg)