In November 1972 I was 25, and living by myself in London. Like practically everyone else I knew I had a very small bed-sit and three or four temporary and/or part-time jobs. At one point I was simultaneously a legal secretary (5 days a week), an usherette at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square (6 evenings a week), an usherette at The Prince Charles Cinema (Late-Late Saturdays), a telephonist in various hotels (Sundays), and an artist’s model (Saturday afternoons). They all paid peanuts.
Then we got the three day week, and suddenly “We don’t need you next week” or “We don’t need you on that shift” became more and more often “We don’t need you tomorrow”, or just “We can’t use you anymore” – and I finally got the message that I had a lousy lifestyle, no leisure time and no prospects.
In those days you could get a Green Card and go to the United States if you were a stenographer – they wanted 60 words a minute typing and a minimum of 100 words per minute shorthand. By June 1974 – thanks to Speedwriting I’d learned all about how to gt a gd jb & mo pa, turned myself into a stenographer, filed all the papers, taken all the tests, and was gone into another life.
It was a very frightening experience in many ways. I knew no one in America, nothing about the place, and nothing about the rules. But it was worth the gamble. I found friends there, and I learned the rules, and I’ve never regretted taking that step into the dark.
I was lucky, of course, because I had no ties, but having ties doesn’t mean that you can’t make a decision to learn something new, or change direction.
I don’t think that this is a good time to find a job, but I do think it might be a good time to think about where you want to be this time next year, and make plans to be in a better place - even if it means taking a step into the dark.
Then we got the three day week, and suddenly “We don’t need you next week” or “We don’t need you on that shift” became more and more often “We don’t need you tomorrow”, or just “We can’t use you anymore” – and I finally got the message that I had a lousy lifestyle, no leisure time and no prospects.
In those days you could get a Green Card and go to the United States if you were a stenographer – they wanted 60 words a minute typing and a minimum of 100 words per minute shorthand. By June 1974 – thanks to Speedwriting I’d learned all about how to gt a gd jb & mo pa, turned myself into a stenographer, filed all the papers, taken all the tests, and was gone into another life.
It was a very frightening experience in many ways. I knew no one in America, nothing about the place, and nothing about the rules. But it was worth the gamble. I found friends there, and I learned the rules, and I’ve never regretted taking that step into the dark.
I was lucky, of course, because I had no ties, but having ties doesn’t mean that you can’t make a decision to learn something new, or change direction.
I don’t think that this is a good time to find a job, but I do think it might be a good time to think about where you want to be this time next year, and make plans to be in a better place - even if it means taking a step into the dark.
I loved your advice on the Stay Sane and Solvent blog. It's definitely pertinent for this time of year.
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