Yeah, baby!
Just got the word today. They ended up advertising for the job and got two other applicants, but Mr. S was still the top candidate (he’s been a substitute custodian in that school district for about a year). They weren’t even going to interview him, but the custodial supervisor said, “If we’re going to jump through the legal hoops and give these other guys interviews, then Mr. S is going to get an interview too!” It was really just a formality – he went in today and the interviewers (principal, administrator, supervisor) all said, “Well, we’re happy with your work and we don’t have any questions. Do you have any?” Then they sat around yakking for a bit. The phone call came about 30 seconds after he got home – they had already interviewed the other two applicants. All that’s left is to run the paperwork past the school board.
It may seem weird for me to be crowing about my husband getting a job as a janitor, but it’s been a long row of un(der)employment to hoe. He had 20 years in printing when he got downsized in 2001; he’s managed to be working for most of the four years since, but they were all temp and sub jobs save one – and that one was too awful to consider long-term. There’s something to be said for being recognized for doing a thorough and cheerful job – which he did as a sub while many of the regulars leaned on their mops and complained. (The kids like him too – last year they were so disappointed when he said he was leaving. Many of them signed his T-shirt on the last day of school! Now he’ll see some of those kids at his new school.) He’s enjoying the pace of working in a school much more than the corporate rat race. Here at least he knows that his work is needed.
And yes, I feel a little bad for the other two guys who were run through the process only as a formality when someone else was already a shoo-in. But God knows we’ve been on that side of the fence again and again, and Mr. S has been putting in his time. Their turn will come too.
I’m looking forward to the much better health insurance (on his dime, not mine!), and maybe letting my freelance workload slacken a little bit. He’s looking forward to having paid holidays, vacation, and sick time again. But most of all we’re glad that after four years, he finally has a job that he can call his own.
Scarlett, glad to be a DINK again
Scarlett - I’m thrilled for y’all!! Congrats!!
I LOVES ME SOME GOOD NEWS!!! 
Having gone through the spousal job search thing far more than I care to recall, may I just say YAAAAAAAAY! for both of you! Life is good with 2 stready incomes.
Scarlett, I share your joy!! After two years of spotty consulting work, MrW is employed again (just started yesterday) as a photographer; unlike the other jobs he’s held during the last two years, this one actually pays enough to support us, and offers health insurance, which he and I have been without for some time now.
Let’s hear it for financial solvency! Yay!
Well, I’ll still actually be the breadwinner, since now I make more than twice what he does. If I were unable to work for some reason, we’d be in trouble. But luckily I have been in a boom for a long time – last year I grossed more than he ever did at his Real Job. (One of the great things about freelancing – you can’t get fired! You can lose clients, yes, but you can also find new ones, and you can “fire” the ones who are a pain. I’ve done all of those things.) So I’ll still be paying 90% of the bills, but now we can start making a plan to pay off our Evil Credit Card Debt (yes, we have been bad) by the time we pay off the house in 2008.
The steady work and bennies will be very nice, yes. But for us, it’s more the fact that somebody finally gave him a job, after all that rejection. He had some pretty hard days back there, self-esteem-wise.
Congratulations!
We went through a rough time last year at about this time with my husband and I both unemployed and a new mortgage. It’s one thing to be worried about your own work, and a completely different, but equally unpleasant experience to be worrying about someone else’s.
(We’re working on paying off our credit card debts, too. While we were both unemployed, we paid the mortgage and bought groceries with credit a bit. That was a low point of our marriage.)
Oh, I wanted to say too that there is absolutely no shame in being a janitor. If the job suits him and he’s happy, he’s further ahead than a lot of people.
Yup, we’re there. I worked as a student janitor for three years when I was in college, and it was interesting and fun despite the occasional grossness. Some of the stuff Mr. S encountered in his former office job were way more demoralizing than having to clean up a little doody or whatever.
Some friends in another forum have commented to the effect that you DON’T want to piss off the janitor. 'Tis true.
That’s awesome - congratulations!
Crack open a bottle o’ wine and do a happy dance!
Woohoo! Good news, good news! Congratulate him for me. 