What I Signed Up For

The refined frustration that I have for interviewers who are cocky, condescending, and inexperienced evaporated off my skin as I rode the Judah N-Line into town this morning. A screening interview that I figured would be a piece a cake turned into a session of 'can you read my mind', reminiscent of Bill Murray in Ghostbusters as he flipped those ESP cards and prodded the dorky test subject with electric shocks. My interviewer was actually the manager of the position for which I was interviewing, not an HR person. He was an MBA and this was his first marketing job out of graduate school. And while his background was in electrical engineering (?!?), apparently the MBA had made him ruler of the marketing world. So, while I thought I was applying for an analyst position that required being able to extract strategic information from multiple sources of raw data, it seemed important to him that I instead be able to write a proposal for developing marketing strategies right there on the fly with no true knowledge of the raw data. Maybe if I had worked with an online advertising company, I would have had a better answer for him, but it seemed pretty clear that he wasn't impressed. Oh well. I know that I have a great deal to offer and its unfortunate that his inexperience kept him from figuring that out. Okay, so maybe I'm just trying to make myself feel better.

So, four weeks and only one call back later me and my Master's Degree are still unemployed in the 'most expensive place to live in the U.S.'! Fortunately, a slight beam of light broke through the constant fogginess here in Inner Sunset. After talking to the ticket office manager at the Great American Music Hall for a position open there, I got an interview. The interview was today, right after the 'crash & burn' screening call. Needless to say, the black I wore to the interview was befitting. But alas! This interview actually went well! And though its only part time, doesn't pay much, and will probably keep me in the poor house for another year, it did seem promising. Fortunately, my experience at the Cat's Cradle trained me pretty well for this position. And, even if it does keep me penniless, there's something to be said for smiling when you get up in the morning. Maybe it will give me more time to actually figure out what the hell it is I really want to do. I'm guessing that it is not take orders from some green MBA kid. So, I don't mind working shows again, and actually, I'm looking forward to it. I find out on Monday whether or not they will offer it to me.

So, my fingers are crossed. I'm a little worried that the job would cut into my show-going addiction, but maybe that is a good thing. Still got John Scofield at Yoshi's, Soulive at the Independent, and of course, the highly anticipated Drive-By Truckers at the Great American (I already made sure that I would not be working this show!) Just keep telling myself that this is what I signed up for. Just gotta keep telling myself that.