One Step Closer!

I had my third interview today ... and I'm conflicted.  On one hand ... I think it went very well!   On the other hand ... damn you, math!

The first half hour of the interview was a 50 question test.  I can't lie ... at this point, I'm glad I didn't know what to expect ... because I would've been a mess.  My least favorite of all math problems are word problems.  It's like there's a connection missing in my brain and as soon as I start reading one, a circuit breaker flips and my mind shuts off.   So ... you can imagine what I thought when I read something like ...

A man buys twelve dozen items of fruit to re-sell.  Two dozen of these items will spoil before they go to market.  How many dozen will he need to sell to maintain a 30% profit?

Oh sweet blessed Jesus ... are you fucking kidding me?  I don't know ... what are his operating expenses?  Does he have to pay for marketing or transportation?  How about fuel or labor?  Does the 30% profit include taxes and depreciation?  I have no idea how to calculate a question like this!

You might as well ask me about nuclear fusion ... tell me to translate ancient Coptic texts ... bring me the Dead Sea Scrolls and let me see if I can bang out another gospel or two.   Math is not only completely foreign to me ... but intimidating.  I know it's a mental block.  It's not that I can't do it ... it's that I panic at the mere sight of a math problem.

There were two math questions that I skipped over ... but since I had time at the end of the test, I went back and re-read them ... and I knew the answers.  One was calculating square yards of carpeting.  Once my panic subsided, it him me ... I know how to figure that.  Another was a very simple geometry problem ... that once I got past the horror of seeing a figure on the page ... wasn't hard at all.

After the test, I job shadowed in two separate departments ... then I had a final interview with two managers.  At the last minute the HR rep sat in on the interview ... which was fine because she was a really nice, open woman.

The interview part was great.  I like both of the managers ... they were friendly and easy to talk with.  It seems like a company I could thrive in.   One of the managers and the HR rep had been there over 20 years ... and the other manager had been there over five.   My cousin has been there almost 20.  It's a good sign ... it looks like people who get in with them stay awhile.

So ... we ended the meeting with a smile and a handshake.  I should hear something by the end of the week.  It would be nice to hear something positive.  Today came and went with no severance and no unemployment ... both because of the government shutdown.  I'm no where near panic mode yet ... I have savings and I put off paying a couple things so I would have a cushion until everything gets fixed.  Getting this job wouldn't instantly fix everything ... but it would be a step in the right direction.

Hey ... it's another baby step ... but I'm getting closer!

I won't pay, I won't pay ya, no way
Na-na, Why don't you get a job?
Say no way, say no way ya, no way
Na-na, why don't you get a job?

The Offspring - Why Don't You Get A Job