Hamilton- Our Very Own Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Hamilton seems to be on the upswing. Housing markets are incredible, the music and art scene are picking up steam, but if you are trying to find a job in Hamilton...well...good luck.

I'm not even talking about big business, fancy shmancy jobs. I'm talking about any normal, Monday to Friday, 9-5 jobs. I'm talking about any office, retail, anything kind of jobs. Unless of course you are a student and are looking to work 0-15 hours a week. There are jobs for you folks...until you graduate.

Sadly if you are like me. In a job you don't love that you have to commute to by GO train (which adds almost 3 hours onto the day) and trying to start over in the city that you live in, that you grew up in, well it's probably not going to happen for you. Just like it's not happening for me.

This is SO my train life. Errrryday.

So many people are moving to live in Hamilton because in comparison to Toronto and outlying areas we have fairly affordable real estate. So they are buying here and commuting to other cities for work. So it begs the question. If Hamilton is expanding, why isn't our job market?

Of course some of this is my fault. I have never pegged down a realistic passion. Something that I could love doing for 40 hours a week and never complain about. I've done a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I have a varying post secondary education and employment background. At this point in my life I have other things on my mind. I'm 30. I want to start a family soon. We've been talking about buying a house or condo sometime in the near future. When can these things happen if I'm spending all my time hating my job, or looking for work that doesn't seem to exist?!?!

Maybe at this point I don't care so much about "the dream" anymore, but convenience is becoming a bigger part of my dream. I'd like to work in the city I live in. Less time commuting = more time living. More living = more family time. That is what I'm after. A great work/life balance.

Maybe it was easier back in Audrey's day...

I would be happy working 30ish hours (not even full time...since it appears that no full time jobs even exist in Hamilton anyways). Doing something that I like or that at the very least I don't mind doing. If it doesn't make me dread getting up to go to work and make me stress to the point of feeling ill, well that would be a huge improvement. I would be okay with that. The truth is that that doesn't exist. Or at least I'm having trouble finding it.

After what feels like an eternity of applying for jobs online without ever hearing back from anything (besides jobs that were fronts for door to door sales or worse), I decided to start reaching out in my community. I have applied at malls, independently owned businesses, so many places, so so so many places. The malls were a let down. There were very few non-seasonal jobs. I have yet to hear back from anywhere.

Yesterday I decided to put it out to the people. In this day and age it's all about who you know. I posted to Facebook that I was looking for a job and if anybody had any leads to please let me know. I do have to say I know some incredible people and the support I felt with that one post was huge.

The sad thing was that every single lead I received from that post was not in Hamilton. I got Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville. I appreciate every single person responding to that message but why are none of these jobs in Hamilton?

With every message I sank a little bit lower. I don't want to leave Hamilton. I grew up here. My boyfriend and I have a nice little life here. But I just can't wrap my head around the job situation here.

This past year has been particularly tough and eye opening to me that yes, work is important but you have to have a life balance. I need to have time to see the people I care about before it's too late. When I'm 80 am I going to look back and be like maaan...I wish I had spent more time working and less time with people I love. No. I don't think so.

Last year my uncle passed away from lung cancer, then my boyfriend's mother from the same thing. This year my mother has dealt with breast cancer and had 1 of 2 hip replacement surgeries. My father has health concerns too. I want to spend all the time that I can possibly afford to with them. Maybe that's selfish, but my eyes are open to what really matters.

I want to spend time with my niece and nephew before they're all grown up. I used to see them so much more. I want to see friends. I want us to start our own little family. I definitely want/need to work to live. Not live to work. I just need to find that place. That work life that I can love.

This is so true for me. Also family isn't always blood.

Don't get me wrong. I don't think I have a bad work ethic. When I'm at work...I work, it's just maybe I don't want to spend all of my time at work. Or commuting to and from work. I'm just so confused. I feel like I can't explain it sometimes. I mentally and emotionally have this block that I can't seem to get around. For me I feel like I've always had a hard time with full time, this past year has solidified that for me. Maybe I'm not cut out for full time. Or maybe I just haven't had the right full time job.

I'm getting off track. This isn't supposed to be about my personal work issues. Hamilton as a whole has a lot of employable people who are just killing themselves trying to find something they can call their own.

I can't be the only person dealing with this. Do you live in Hamilton? Do you work in Hamilton? Are you looking for work in Hamilton? Feel free to share your experiences and maybe we can all help each other out!

Good luck!

Out With The Old

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I know, I know it's about 18 days too late. I do apologize for that but I have been busy. Like actually busy. I'm not just saying that. Heck you were probably busy as well so I don't know why I'm explaining myself to you.

December was a great month. It flew by without giving me a chance to write about exciting things that took place.

Let's see, there was Christmas but really what's more important than that? My birthday of course! It just so happens to fall on the same day as Christmas. Way to take the spotlight away from me baby Jesus. Real nice.

Of course I had to celebrate my birthday before my actual birthday and it was great! It all started in the morning when I looked at Twitter and saw that the Arkells had Tweeted that they were going to be shooting a music video at This Ain't Hollywood on James St. N and they were looking for fans to be extras. Obviously I had to do it. Laura was in as well and we headed on down to go be in a music video! How exciting!

It was very interesting to watch it all and I must say that I really respect the band for sticking with their home town. They've definitely had enough success to film music videos elsewhere but they continue to pay homage to the Hammer and to their roots. It's great to see that their feet are safely on the ground.

The video hasn't been released yet but I'm excited to see if Laura and I made the cut. Maybe we'll be on your teeeeveeee some day, maybe not. Either way it was a lot of fun. Here's an older video from Arkells.

Here's a picture of me "on set"...I'm such a nerd.

That's one of the directors in the background. Hollywooood!! :P

After our day of pretending to be important, glamorous film stars it was time to head to the most important red carpet event of the day. My birthday party. Now I won't divulge how old I turned because a lady never reveals her age. Wait a second...I'm not a lady! Okay I turned 28. Egads! That was harder than I thought.

I celebrated my old age with a low key celebration at the neighbourhood pub, Ye Olde Squires. I really love the atmosphere there, plus their food is pretty awesome as well. It was all very nice and once again my friends made me feel very special and loved.

This is not the whole party. Some of them had left already but this is most of the gang!

My friends like to make me act a fool. I will admit that it was pretty yummy :P

It's my party and I'll lie on the floor of a pub with my best friend if I want to.

After the epicness that was my birthday (thanks Squires staff btw) Christmas kind of paled in comparison so I will just move right along to New Years Eve.

My friends and I kind of failed to come to a cohesive decision about what to do. Apparently you have to plan this one evening months in advance and as a group that is made up of some couples and some singles it's hard to find something that won't make people feel left out. Anyways we ended up all kind of splitting off and that is fine. I think everybody got to do what they wanted and had a good new years.

My little group went to Milestones. They had a special NYE evening going on and the menu was delicious! It was only my second time there but boy do they have some yummy food. After dinner My friends Erin and Amanda and her boyfriend Gary came back to my place. My family was having a NYE board game extravaganza. Unfortunately we took so long at dinner that we only made it back juuust in time to drink some champagne and ring in 2013.

I have pretty, pretty friends! <3

My lovely little niece was my kiss at midnight! She promptly passed out right after the ball drop!

That seems to bring us to January. I got a job doing communications consulting for the Community Centre for Media Arts (CCMA). It is part time and a contract position BUT it is definitely a step in the right direction. I started last week and am happy to report that so far I'm really enjoying it! It's a bit of a relief after stressing for so long about ever finding a job in my field, especially one in Hamilton. I think it is going to be really good for me.

Aside from that January has allowed me to make some great memories with friends. Karaoke at The Staircase Theatre (go check this place out, you'll thank me) is just one of those great memories. That was such a fun night and Amanda even convinced me to sing (to the absolute shock and horror of all others in the room).

Olivia Newton John...eat your heart out.

If January is any indicator 2013 may just be my year. I have so much to look forward to. My sister will have her baby (so soon I can't wait!), I get to do some cool things in my volunteer role at the CNIB, there are a couple travel opportunities which I am so excited for and who knows, maybe even doors opening for me in the career corridor of my life.

Bring it on 2013. Bring it on!

Been a While.

Sorry to anybody who follows my blog. I have been crazy busy of late. You may not know but I am in a Public Relations post diploma program at Mohawk College. It's been going great but the course load just took a turn for the INSANE. I'm also doing my internship right now as well as work. So I'm busy. Busy, busy, busy. But I'm feeling good.

Recently I started looking for jobs in the PR field and sadly I am finding that many of them are not in Hamilton. I've been thinking about it for a while now. Am I going to have to flee the coop to find work? Will I no longer be nailed to the hammer? The thought is terrifying and exhilarating to me.

I've lived here my entire life and although we have had our ups and downs it's always been home. It's always the center. I always come back. Working in another city could potentially prevent me from coming back. I couldn't live here. It's scary. I talk a lot of smack about how I would love to leave, go live in some other country but it never gets past the talking stage. Now I've actually applied for jobs in another city...it's only an hour away and it freaks me out.

Why can't there just be more jobs in Hamilton? If there were more opportunities people wouldn't leave and it would be better for the city. No? It doesn't make sense.

Anyways in the next few months I guess everything will come more into focus.