This is the year that I make the big move. The big shift in my life. When I leave the security of my higher salary for a smaller one, and possibly buy a place all on my own. A friend asked me the other day if I was getting stressed about it. I said no, I was just excited and scared. Scared as hell.
I’ve talked to a couple friends about the choice of buying a condo vs. a single family home. It all comes down to the animals for me, and I know some condos have limits on the number of pets you can have, regardless of how small they individually are. I realize the ideal thing to do would be to move and rent for at least six months and figure out the area. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it would be pretty hard to find a landlord willing to rent to someone with as many furballs as I have. Granted, they’re all pretty much senior pets, or close to it, and are not destructive at all, but if a landlord has had a bad experience with a tenant’s pets in the past, they are justifiably leery of renting to more.
By the way, in the photo above, you see from left to right, Bonkers (white), Sebastian (grey and white tabby), HoneyBun in the foreground (orange/buff color), and finally, Callie (calico) in her little princess bed. Anyone want to take a guess where the other two were at the time I took this?? Yep, that’s right… Max and Osito were sitting on either side of me on the couch in their usual spots, asleep….
I’ve also done some preliminary number crunching and in the Frankfort/Lexington, Kentucky area, if I can find a decent place, it might actually be cheaper to own than to rent. I also want a small place with no more than one bathroom. (Can I be honest? Cleaning the bathroom is probably my LEAST favorite thing to do. I do it, but I hate it all the same.) The smaller the space, the less urge there is to fill it up with useless crap, and the easier and faster it is to clean. Less bathrooms equal less places for plumbing to go bad. The smaller the lot (if a single family home), the less maintenance there is. The smaller the roof may be to replace. The less windows you have overall to clean and replace when the time comes. The less walls you need to paint if you want to make it your “own.” The more in control I would feel about my surroundings. The freer I would feel as a result. Just as long as it has enough room for my animals to feel comfortable – that’s a big priority for me.
One of my friends suggested I start networking now, as soon as possible. So I’ve been looking up info on animal hospitals in the Frankfort and Lexington areas, and will be sending letters to each of them to ask if someone in their clinic would be willing to have an informal conversation with me about what they do, and their field, especially in that area of the country. I plan to include equine practices as well, and to individualize the letters as best as I can. And yes, I mean, really send real letters, not just an email. I feel like in this day and age, it’s more memorable when you get an actual piece of mail. (Kinda sad if you think about it, huh?)
I don’t plan on sending a resume, as I think that might conflict with the idea that I am simply seeking information, but I will mention the fact I will be studying for my associates degree in veterinary technology and my volunteer experiences so far. I will just be seeking information, not a job at this time. If a job happens to open up with an animal hospital or clinic later on, and they maybe recognize my name, well, that would be great, but I’m not expecting miracles. I’d just like to start making some contacts now.
I’ve also begun looking at organizations/associations in that area to see if it would make sense for me to join them (another thing I’d love to ask people – does it help to be part of the state veterinary technician association? Or is it just something everyone belongs to as part of that career path?) I’d love to know if there are particular conferences/events/symposiums I should be aware of and attend if possible.
Please pray someone takes pity on me and is willing to talk! I know that at least where librarians are concerned, if you ask us about our jobs, you can’t get us to shut up! (Or is that just me? LOL). And yes, part of my spiel about my current job is the advice to NOT go to law school, especially in this kind of job market for lawyers. I don’t see it as being particularly fruitful for students not graduating from one of the top fifteen schools. (Needless to say, the students at my school are pretty insulated against the difficulty of that job market.) But that’s another story for another blog post.
If you have any advice on how to break into a new field or area of the country where you don’t have any connections, I’d love to hear them, so please comment below!
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Chasing Simple Dreams 