...Previously, on "NYC Installments" our heroine learned that it was her way on the subway. But where has the 21st century underground railroad led her is anyone's guess...
"I have now been in New York for over a week now, and I can say with extreme satisfaction, that my stuff has finally joined me. In order for one to truly conquer the hell demons known as Fed Ex, having no life is a plus, and being able to clone yourself is a useful tool that Scottish scientists should really stop hording. Truth be told, had it been up to me, I never would have gotten my packages until August 8th, 2046, but thankfully the Fed Ex people didn't factor in roommates! I personally think they were developing a new system of delivery known as "Anti-Stalking"; wherever I was, they decided not to follow. Thankfully once I deployed my effective decoy, myself, FedEx fell for the trap: my roommate, a nurse from Ecuador that I had befriended with my Spanglish when I first got here. I squealed when I unpacked my bedding.
So now, armed with the knowledge that Steve was waiting for me at home, I set out for Manhattan to look for work. As a single parent of a giant fish pillow, I knew times would be tough, but I had a synthetic salmon mouth to feed, and I wasn't going to take no for an answer!"
Looking back, I can say that there were three tips I followed from follow job seekers. The first is this: It's all about who you know:
"My first lead came through one of my old bosses in McCall, Idaho. I did an internship there for two summers and the theatre company was formed by a sassy and independent New York women. One of them emailed me asking if I was available to usher for the Lucille Lortel Theater. Delighted to a be working in any capacity, I eagerly agreed, wondering if perhaps I could root for loose change in seats between acts. It turns out there would be no need for coin diving: The job paid $15 dollars a show and all I had to do was hand out programs, help find seats, and basically help cute kids watch a fun musical for an hour. The best part? During the week the show gave out free tickets to inner city kid schools, just so they could experience theatre even though a lot of them couldn't afford it. Many kids walked away proclaiming it was the "best movie I ever sawed!" The house manager was friendly, the fellow ushers were hilarious, and the show was fantastic, featuring many Broadway performers and technical designers".
The location of the theatre made for a most interesting contrast of images:
What the kids saw inside the theatre:
What the kids saw outside the theatre:
Sometimes it helps to do your homework, look up old contacts, research possible job venues. Other times, you just need to show up. That's the second tip of the day.
"Glowing from the success of my first lead, I set out after the first performance to explore the area. The theatre was just off Hudson street and features a spectacular view of the river...or ocean...or some large body of water. I thought it might be a good idea to walk into every store, diner, etc. nearby the theatre and ask if they were looking for applicants. Sure enough, after the tenth store and two blocks I walked into a really doggie accessory store. It featured everything from leopard print collars to linen lined doggie jackets, while funky music grooved in the background. I brightly inquired if they needed anyone to work for them, and lo and behold, five minutes later I was getting a tour of the store and business advice from the owner herself. As soon as she said the words "good vibe" I knew I had a shot. She asked for my resume and three references, exclaiming as I left that it was complete fluke that I walked in today, as they had been talking about hiring someone for the fall! The real test came when she asked me what my hourly was. Stupidly I said, "Well, if it's part time, I guess 10-15 hours a week?" She laughed and said "No no, how much an hour are you looking for?". Here I could feel tension: How much do you think you're worth. So with a convincing smile and nod I said I would price myself at eight dollars an hour. At this she nodded and quietly muttered, "okay...okay". Was this good? I had no idea."
In the end, I did get the job and four months of extremely interesting stories and lessons. Ultimately, due to our lovely flourishing economy I became head owner and now there are several branches across the world. Oh no, wait, sorry, I forgot we had Bush for eight years of finanicial follies, so instead they had to let me go. I suppose this was the consequence of delcaring how much I was worth in the beginning: Sadly, they couldn't continue to afford me. But I will take away some fantastic experiences: Meeting Kate Hudson and her son as they shopped in the store, learning how to merchandise (Best Tip Ever: "Make everything look like it's smiling up at you!") and understanding foreign accents the first time you hear them.
However, when one doggie door closes another window opens, and this window was labeled "Internship". Tip No. 3. Internships in NY are your best friend. They may pay nothing, but they get you face time with the big head honchos, and if you do well they may want to keep you.
"Today I have an interview for an internship. It's the same theatre company that's producing "Click Clack Moo". TheatreworksUSA is a company that's been doing children's touring shows since 1961, and it sounds like I'll be doing a lot of office work, typing up contracts, editing and faxing and the like...but still! They said sometimes their interns move on to work for them, so that could be really exciting."
And that pretty much brings us to now: I have been working full time as a Box Office Representative for TheatreworksUSA since my internship, and I also found another job as an Usher/Assistant House Manager for a West Side theatre (below).
At this point I was just grateful to have at least one full time job; between two part time jobs, two internships, and still working out how to GET to each job on time, I'm not so much "gainfully employed" as my feet are "painfully employed".
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