Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Update: Victory! (Of a Couple Sorts)

A victory of a small sort, re my last post (half an hour ago): 
I checked my e-mail, and HR agreed to raise their offer to me. 
By fifteen cents.

But a victory of a LARGE sort in that I am very proud of myself for negotiating at all

I feel like the love-child of Shirley Schmidt (who wouldn't settle for less than $1 million) and Stuart Smalley v (who couldn't ask for 15 cents without massive anxiety).



The act of asking and then getting a positive response, even if the financial difference is piffling, assuages my wounded pride (my "sulk and feel bad" side).
 I know that a huge part of resentment, which is one of my biggest emotional bugbears, comes from powerlessness---or, rather, from feeling powerless.

Often I don't know if I've got power or not because I don't even try to affect change. So trying in itself is a wonderful thing. A real victory.

I'm going to sleep on it, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to accept. The job is only 20 hours/week, so I can gain experience and still work at the convention center (which pays me $1 more per hour) as well as volunteer at the thrift store, if I'm not too tired.

Oh, hey, the sun has set--it's Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the new year!
Begin as you mean to go on.

7 comments:

Zhoen said...

Fifteen whole cents? Wow.

Still, a step. And knowing right off you won't have a boss able to back you up and make it count. But then, I don't, and I can't change that either.

Fresca said...

Yeah.
Fifteen whole cents.
But at least it's something, a step, as you say.
-– I want this job and I would have had a hard time accepting it if they hadn't budged even one little cent.
This is miniscule, but it's symbolic.

Yeah, the boss seems to be a sweetie, but obviously not effective in this arena.

As Stuart Smalley says, "Give me the wisdom to accept the things I cannot change..."

Michael Leddy said...

Congrats on getting the offer and on having the nerve to negotiate.

Krista said...

It's something, and so is the fact that you asked for it and got it. Congrats on a really interesting opportunity!

deanna said...

Yay for the job! And for the interaction beforehand. May this all help you adjust to the world you're entering, and may this work enrich both you and others, dear person.

Fresca said...

Thanks, Michael, Krista, and Deanna:
You are dear people!

Laura B said...

Wow! That's great!!! I have the feeling it's a job you can enjoy, thought was it Mark Twain who said the definition of work is it's something you don't want to do so people have to pay you to do it?- kinda garbled message I'm makng but my point is it still might be hard work for not-enough-pay but as those things go it's a good one... I'm very happy for you!!