Post Retirement Employment

After about 3.5 months of submitting over 90 applications, résumés and cover letters, I have found myself a job. It sure isn't what I had in mind, as far as pay or hours go nor as the position itself goes, but it is a job even if only part time. I am starting at $14 an hour with yearly raises. It is a civil service job with no benefits other than salary, that because it is part time. The job itself is a security guard slot at a public library. The hours are, as I said, part time - probably only 8 to 12 hours a week to start. I can probably earn just enough for two weeks worth of groceries a month at that rate. More hours may be forthcoming.

As I said, not what I ever had envisioned myself doing with my investigative skills. Yet, other places, such as a large, well known department store, the owner of which never told Mr. Gimble anything nor did Mr. Gimble tell Mr. ---- any of his secrets (you need to be fairly old to understand that), have turned me down time and time again for similar positions because they say they cannot match my skill set or I am flat out unqualified. Imagine being unqualified for employment as a front door guard at a department store! That was pretty depressing to hear especially since they paid better and had more available hours but getting this job is a blessing since I have been out of work since November.

As it now stands, I am taking what I can get and will be happy with it to supplement my partial pension payments. I will probably keep looking for another job and if luck has it that I find another part time job, well then, I may wind up with two of them.

As for this job offer, it should be at least somewhat interesting working in a library across the street from a high school. Of course, the hours I work will be right around when the school kids are there. I imagine the job will be not so much to protect them as to protect the library from them but maybe a bit of both.

Who knows? I may like the job; I used to love hanging out at the library as a kid. It got me out of the misery of my childhood family life and into the fantasy of living a life of adventure by way of reading about others' lives and such. I guess that kind of led me to my career and the work I did over the past 32 years, that sure was an adventure at times - more than my fair shares worth.

Anyway, libraries are pretty neat and I am hopeful I will have book borrowing privileges (it is in another county than where I live, so maybe and maybe not). Too bad all my years of seeking out, collecting, preserving and cataloging evidence, intelligence gathering, intelligence analysis, report writing, and the like does not qualify me for a even an assistant librarian position. It would be okay by me if it did so - working as a librarian, even an assistant librarian, would be kind of fun, if for nothing else, then for a change of pace.

All the best,
Glenn B