Monday, September 25, 2006

Looking for a New Direction

Upon returning to the Rio Grande Valley from my migrant adventure next week, I'll have some time to resettle myself and my family. There is much catching up to do. There will be job hunting to do. Personally, I don't know what direction I'll be going. For the sake of self-preservation, I've historically sought low-hanging fruit, jobwise. Unmetaphorically speaking, I've looked for jobs that I would have no problems getting for the sake of not being unemployed. Consequently, I've lived in poverty for a long time. When there is a job requirement written in a job description, I've taken it literally, not applying for stuff where I don't meet a requirement or two. I should probably apply for those jobs anyway on the chance that my other qualities will compensate. But, what shall I do? Retail? Call center? Maintenance? Writing? Perhaps a sales job? I would love a technical job. One of my favorite jobs was as a cable puller for a networking company. Computers are obviously a big interest for me.

There are very few jobs in the United States, let alone the Rio Grande Valley, that count being a blogger as any sort of job qualification. Very few people make a living at this. Those who do, have jobs doing something else. We'll see what "something else" pops up. More than anything, I expect that this hobby may very well result in being excluded from many jobs. Where can a blogger find a job with open arms?

On a similar tangent, what direction should this blog take? The original intent of this blog was to comment on what we have going for us in the Rio Grande Valley and what we ought to do to have a region that meets the needs of its public. For a while, I participated in a very well-run campaign. I am glad I got to witness such a great team in action. This summer, RGV Life took a different direction by documenting my experience as a migrant. This phase is almost over, so what next?

On occasion, I've taken the liberty of criticizing some of our public officials for their actions or failures to act. In other words, they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. I recognize that it is an unfair approach to encouraging our leaders to do what is necessary to move the Rio Grande Valley ahead. In the coming months, I will probably take a more diplomatic approach to presenting things that affect us in the Rio Grande Valley. Our region has so much potential and has some serious issues to address. We can't afford to be fractured by politics. Rather than fuel divisions, I want to blog with the ultimate goal of bringing ideas to the fore so that our leaders have a resource rather than a kick in the pants. Rio Grande Valley leaders need to recognize that they need to maintain good relationships with others in order to be able to accomplish their jobs. I think by being critical of leaders, I am merely driving bigger wedges between them and their public. One of my stated suggestions to our politicians is that they ought to blog so that they can be closer to their public. If they fail to follow the suggestion, the least I can do is be less critical of the politicos and more supportive of any good actions they take. We'll give positive reinforcement a try.

October 2006 will witness another change in direction for RGV Life. If you are a regular reader, thanks for your support. I hope that the changes are not too drastic and continue to draw your interest. Furthermore, I hope that whatever job I find will allow me to continue propping up the Rio Grande Valley.

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