Tag: Work

It’s about 9:24PM on a Sunday night and I’m getting ready for the week but thought I would write a post about something that happened almost a year and a half ago. In September of 2019, I decided to head back to Target. I’ve documented some things about Target on this blog but nothing out of the ordinary for someone who was young and looking to earn some money in his college youth. I was gone for approximately 1631 days from Target but I learned the value of being courteous and respectful towards people who could do nothing for you but in the end, they ended up having a better impression of who it was you were and what Target could do for them. I remember most of the time they were the simplest of questions like where is the toilet paper or where is laundry detergent but that impression of getting something for the guest really helped me get over my shyness and my social awkwardness towards people. I came back with the idea of doing Target as a part time job because it would be a nice supplement to my job at the time which was research coordinator at Sutter Health.

The research coordinator position was in oncology and I saw there was some opportunities for growth. I also was told at the beginning of this assignment that the role would be temporary with no real timeline for when my assignment would end. I had a feeling that because it was to cover someone who was going on maternity leave, it would be a few months after their child was born. I realized that it wouldn’t be easy balancing two jobs but for what it was at the time, its kind of helped me see that not everything can be easy unless there are challenges along the way. That first week proved to be one of the hardest sets of shifts I had worked because I worked 8-4AM that first set of days but eventually I settled into a schedule working 7-11:45PM. I slowly would work my way into getting a set schedule and realized if this was going to work, I would need one day of rest off which would end up being Sunday. At the end of October of 2019. I got the word that my assignment was over with Sutter Health and my last day would be November 6^th 2019. I left with my head held up high and full of enthusiasm for what was next. I spent the next several months applying to more than 100 jobs I would say and it was tough to say the least. I got an interview here and I even got the word that the places where I interviewed were considering me for a position but after following up on several of these, I never got anything back.

However, target did me a big favor around this time because it allowed me to continue working at a time when I had little to nothing of income. Target also gave me something I was missing before and that was the ability to work with a new generation of workers. Gone were the times when after work, we would go out to eat at a local restaurant or going to work out after work because simply put most days we have to work the next day unless it’s a weekend. Now, I was and am still focused on “putting over” the new crop of workers. It also helps that I’m not as nervous or have trouble staring people in the eye. I can mix the idea of having fun and being serious because that’s what life is. But then, something funny happened in March of 2020. California and the rest of the world started experiencing a pandemic and all of a sudden, I was now a part of the front line. Those first few days everyone shopping for toilet paper, detergent, hand sanitizer, and wipes was quite overwhelming. As the days passed, we would get products but those products were gone in an instant. I also had the looming idea that I was still only working at target and just that alone was not a steady income but I was grateful for that alone. A month or so passed after the shutdown happened and I started again applying to places again in April. The weeks passed and after several interviews got an opportunity to work at a regenerative medicine company and have been there ever since June of 2020. With target and my current job at this company, I realized it’s okay to see that one job sometimes may not be enough.

I felt that if I worked two jobs, I would be seen as less but in fact I’m grateful and blessed to be able to still work at both jobs during the current pandemic, Even during the holiday season, I realized how lucky I was because most people around the world would not be able to have the same luxury of celebrating with loved ones who may have passed away. I survived working two jobs during the pandemic and during a holiday season that felt different than most. I got a kick out of people that everyday were looking for the PlayStation 5 because of how hot of a commodity it was. I also felt happy to do my main job at the regenerative medicine company without having to call out sick to target. Just overall, 2020 may have had a crap beginning with the pandemic and shutdowns but in my opinion, it ended with a bang. 2021 is off to a good start because I’m still learning and crafting my skill set in life, at work, at home, and in other endeavors. You don’t have to be the world’s best cook or best anything you just have to be able to say I can do this if I have the support and backing of family, friends, and acquaintances because no one does it on their own. The cream always rises to the top and with that comes great sacrifice and great time learning things. I hope I can continue down this path without any major interruptions. But mostly, I would like to thank Target for giving some confidence back on assisting people shopping and just with people in general. I mentioned earlier this idea of “putting over” team members is one reason I enjoy this the 2^nd time around and I really do enjoy it even more so that I think about it. I hope one day this idea of having two jobs pays off.