For 18 years, I worked for a small air conditioning company. It was just the owner and me. I was originally hired because the owner got a DUI and needed a driver. Over the years I picked up the business. I even learned enough to take and pass the state contractors exam for HVAC. Unfortunately, I lacked the capital required to start my own company. “No worries” I had thought; at the time Florida was still recovering from the effects of the 2004 hurricane season. Out of town companies were moving in to take advantage of the abundance of work and needed people that could qualify for the state license. Within 2 months of passing the exam, the post hurricane work dried up. But I digress.
It was always part time at best. My boss had the philosophy of “If we don’t get the job we don’t have to do the work.” He never really seemed interested in developing new work other than occasionally going door to door and dropping off flyers. I usually had other odd jobs to supplement my income, but that work faded into obscurity. Very often it seemed that opportunities were on the horizon, but they were like mirages in the desert. For a time, I did quite well as a mobile DJ, but that will be the subject of another blog, as will the stories of my adventures in other professions.
To continue with my story of air conditioning work… Last spring, I was advised by my boss that if I could find other work, I should take it, because he didn’t have enough work for me to support my family. He was making enough for himself, but the business just couldn’t support an employee. And so began my quest.
The first thought is, there are lots of AC companies out there. I should be able to get a job with one of them. At this point I need to explain one of the many “catch 22s” I have encountered. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the term, catch 22 came from a movie of the same name. I combat pilot wanted to quit flying so he said he was crazy. BUT… by saying he was crazy so he wouldn’t have to fly any more proved he was sane and would have to keep flying. It is often used to describe a situation where one must achieve goal number 1 before moving on to goal number 2, BUT… goal number 2 must be reached BEFORE goal number 1 is attainable.
I AM a very good AC technician, and I have applied with several companies. I think one of my problems is a lack of EPA certification: that is the card you get when you pass what is commonly called “the Freon test.” It allows you to legally handle Freon coolants. The fact is, I never needed one because I always worked with the owner who had one. Why don’t I get one? Because it costs over $100 and everything we get goes towards rent (which we are behind on) or bills. And even if I DID have one, there is no assurance that WOULD in fact get me a job. So risking $100 at the moment is out of the question. At this point, giving the landlord $100 could be enough to keep us from being homeless.
Some of you know what I am talking about, but others do not. We are broke. To some, that would mean cashing in insurance policies, selling investments, tapping into 401Ks etc. To us, however, it means we have no money, and have sold what we had of value just to keep us fed and keep a roof over our heads.
I’m spending the rest of today scouring Craigslist and planning a big day tomorrow. My luck has not been good with the online classifieds. Tonight I will tell my son will have to get himself to school in the morning. He starts at 9:15 and I plan to be out the door at 6:30. I am going to hit a busy intersection with a sign and a stack of resumes. I can’t do any worse than I have with the online classifieds. I'll be reporting on the results.
I'll also be reporting on my venture into direct sales, the spammers and scammers of the online classified ads, and more, so stay tuned.
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