So I recently became employed in the wonderful city of Chicago at this restaurant:
PS, for those of you who didn't realize the shameless self-promotion, come and see me at Rock Bottom at 1 W Grand and help me pay my bills. Now, I've held many jobs over the years, dating all the way back to the time when I picked up a paper route in 4th grade without telling my parents. They were pretty pissed that I did so without consulting them, but at the same time applauded my initiative to go out and get a job of my own. I've been a paper boy, pizza cook, ice cream specialist (Dairy Queen was AWESOME!), storm door assembly line worker, singer at Adventureland, server, bartender, the list can keep going on. But never have I been subjected to the situation that 8.1% of our country, and an astounding 9.8% of my city is in: that of being unemployed.
Actually, that's not entirely true. This essay wouldn't have the title it has if I hadn't gone through a period of unemployment myself, regrettably the first month that I lived in Chicago. Thankfully, I was able to secure a job and recently started working, so I have decided to divide this essay into two parts: the unemployed part and the employed part, obviously.
The Life of the Woefully Unemployed
Part I: Unemployment
Please include a cover letter and resume. What is your availability? Minimum 2 years experience in an office setting. Why do you think you would be an asset to the company? We'll make a decision by the end of the week and let you know. We're sorry, but:
-You are under-qualified
-You are over-qualified
-We have chosen a better candidate but will keep you information on file
Any of this sound familiar? Well, if your answer is no, you are either way too lucky, way too gifted, or have impeccable timing and should teach a Tony Robbins-style workshop. If yes, that you know these phrases all too well and are like I am, currently unemployed.
It's understandable that everyone in Human Resources wants to procure the top talent available for whatever position they need to fill. Administrative Assistant. Bartender. Forklift operator. Massage Therapist. They all are essential parts of a business model that emphasizes experience over talent and potential. You have 2 years of data processing experience? Sorry, this person has 2 and a HALF years. You've been a bartender for 4 years? Sorry, we are just hiring for only cashiers and hosts at this time. You've acted for 10 years and have an impressive list of credits? Sorry, the directors 16 year old son wants to be in the movie, and even though there has never been a Wall Street banker who has dreadlocks and wears a Rage Against the Machine t-shirt, daddy won't direct the movie unless his son is in it. How in this world of opportunity are so many perfectly qualified people left scouring CareerBuilder, Craigslist, Monster, and every other job posting site on the planet for minimum wage employment, something that a 19 year-old delinquent whose parents pay for everything is equally qualified for, and then are passed over for said job?
If you're like me, a guy who has experience in so many different arenas and viewed as a Jack-of-All-Trades, and is STILL unemployed after 3 weeks of living in Chicago, you probably know exactly how I feel. You're probably asking yourself the same questions I am.
-What did I do wrong?
-Is my cover letter lacking?
-Is my age a deterrent?
-Do I look like the guy who knocked up the CEO's daughter?
There are too many variables to properly pinpoint a rhyme or reason, and dwelling on it is time wasted when there are dozens of jobs out there you can be applying for.
But there is still a hidden cost of being unemployed. I'm not talking monetarily, although it does play a part in the life you live. Budgeting your entertainment, using public transportation, shifting your diet, not giving a dollar to the homeless person, these are all areas of your personal life where concessions need to be made. And while they are all valid concerns, perhaps the most significant areas are the intangible ones: your dreams, aspirations, wants, and needs.
I moved to Chicago to be an actor. Now, I knew I wasn't going to get into anything right away, and didn't delude myself into thinking I would do one audition and have my name in lights the next week. I may have gone to school for theatre, but I'm not stupid about how the real world works. Ambition is necessary and ambition is never free. There must inevitably be a sacrifice you have to make in order to live. Now I'm not talking about slaughtering a lamb, or taking a trip to the casting couch type of sacrifices. I'm talking about taking your dreams and putting them on hiatus. You have a responsibility not only to yourself, but also those you live with. You need to pull your weight to ensure you can pay your bills, afford rent, buy Christmas presents, etc, etc. The one question to ask is even though you are sacrificing your dreams for the time being, how long are you willing to be content leaving your dreams unfulfilled?
Part II: Employment
Thank God I'm employed! Now lets skip the obvious reasons why I'm thankful: I can pay bills, rent, student loans, bar tabs, the usual stuff a guy in his mid twenties has to deal with. The thing I've come to realize about being employed is two fold:
1. It gives me a peace of mind and allows me to appreciate the time that I'm free to be creative
2. It's organized my life on a professional, personal and philosophical level
Being an actor, creativity is part of my life, whether I like it or not. Kind of like your mother-in-law, or taxes. There's no escaping from it, barring some life altering decision. But the question is how do you go about dealing with it and making the most out of its presence?
For me, I need structure in my life in order to be creative. Things need to line up in the right order to be able to pursue my passion. And of course part of that structure requires me to have a job. Now I know plenty of people who are able to be active in the arts without that structure. That is to their credit. I envy their ability to put their dreams first and worry about the logistics of living later. If there's ever a seminar on that, sign me up.
Being employed has given me that sense of security and structure, but at the cost of losing time for what I moved out here to Chicago to do. Hence why it's taken me almost two months to finish this damn blog. But as the saying goes, or maybe I'm just making it up, 'patience and persistence breeds promise and productivity.' Thus why I am so appreciative of sitting on my couch and getting the chance to continue writing.
One of the unintentional side effects of me working is that it organizes the crap out of my life. I have this sense of responsibility that goes beyond myself, something Lindsay Lohan missed the boat on. It brings things into focus. You know how a Nikon will allow you to focus on the foreground or background, depending on the subject you want to take a picture of? Same concept. I can focus on the bills I have coming up at the end of the month, or I can switch my perspective and concentrate on securing a venue to perform our children's show next summer.
Why does work give me this sense of organizational Nirvana? No idea. But it does wonders for my confidence and psyche. It's almost as if working in a restaurant creates the same high that doing a theatre show does. You are living in the moment, taking in all the variables and situations, and reacting in a completely natural way.
Unfortunately, I know the time will come where sacrifices of my job will be necessary in order to pursue my dreams. A reduction in hours, and by association, income, is a certainty. But at least I know by the time that tipping point comes, I will be confident enough in the direction of my life to meet that decision head-on. It's the unstoppable force of my career aspirations versus the immovable object that is reality. Who will triumph? I guess I'll have to wait and see.
Part III: Epilogue
So as of the time of this writing, the I've been employed for just about 2 months, and have a nice little stockpile of memories and experiences from both customers and coworkers. But hands downthe most memorable one was from a Friday night about a month after I started. It was a pretty typical table, man and wife enjoying a night out. But my jaw dropped as they left and I saw what was on the tip line:
Never have I seen that kind of generosity from people. Now as a server, if I go out, I always tip well. But never like this. And as I looked out the window, I couldn't be more thankful and certain that my future was in this city. As bad as things were being unemployed, for this brief moment, they couldn't be looking further upwards.
