Option A

An early start today. 7am rise is entirely unusual. Not for expats who are in town for a short period of time. I had to meet with some people I met on Friday night, as I had made contact wanting to know what a recruitment consultant does, and if it sounds like the kind of career I’d like to get in to.  I arrived at 8am, before the restaurant had even opened. I was expecting to just be talking with one person I met; his boss (the owner/director) came too. I had a list of questions I wanted to ask about the industry and what the work is like. It turned in to much more of an interview situation. They need a geologist, based in Brisbane. They have a big contract with a mine I used to work with as well as a large part of the company looking towards setting up in Mongolia. All of which I can do.

They were both so lovely. We laughed and they answered my often very direct questions honestly. They will match my wage at Origin plus I’d get commissions on top of that, providing I don’t suck balls at it. Their office is located in the airport precinct of Brisbane which just so happens to be very close to where I want to live (or move back in to anyway). All I keep seeing in a Jeep Wrangler. A red one. It scoots across when I close my eyes and it lingers in the car park when I imagine parking it at work.

The idea of being a recruitment consultant isn’t a new one. I’ve thought about it for a while. Mostly when I’m writing resumes for other people and finding them jobs. I like people and I like geology. But I don’t like geology enough to be really good at technical geology. But I like people enough to want to get them jobs. And that I can do.

It all sounds great. There are a lot of things to consider. It would be another risk to my job at Origin – it would mean leaving it completely. And I like it there. It would mean I’d be in an industry I know nothing about, working with people who do know things. I’d be completely out of my depth for a little while. Perhaps for a long while. It might be the worst thing I ever do. It might also be the best. I’m scared and anxious because I don’t know if I’d be good at it or not. And I hate not being good at things. I’d be on three months probation where I can leave if I want to. And then I could apply for a position back at Origin if they’ll take me (unlikely as I don’t have honours).

I don’t know when I could start. When should I leave this AYAD position? Today was actually the best day I’ve had so far at work. I didn’t do my presentation, which wasn’t a surprise. I did meet with an NGO doing amazing things with nomadic tourism, who we might be able to piggy back. I was thinking I’d leave in December. Now things have changed. The way things are planned, I would want to start with them in Feb 2012. That’s 6months away. I have plane tickets booked though. Lots of them. Okay, I have two return tickets booked – both return to UB. But that’s mean to them – having to wait 6 months for me to start. They probably wouldn’t even want to.

Baby steps. Baby baby steps. I’ll find out what they have to offer. I’ll contact Origin and find out what position they’re thinking of slotting me into if I return.

I don’t like the idea of telling people I’m a recruitment consultant. Do you think I could still get away with saying I’m a geologist? Probably not.

Left: the pretty little park in the middle of town being officially opened. Right: 7:30am this morning a bride and her family having the obligatory photos in front of Chinggis in Sukhbaatar Square. Wedding dates/times are all auspicious (I think that’s what you say?) – someone tells them when the best time for them to get married is. Sometimes it’s at 3am. Or whenever. You can see the family all wearing deels, and the bride in her dress with a black jacket on. It was probably about zero degrees this morning. Maybe colder.

Heating is central in all apartments. It’s hot water running through pipes in your house. The heating gets turned on at the same time each year, and off at the same time. Others have theirs on now. Ours is definitely off.

What would I wear as a recruitment consultant? There would be no beetle dresses, and I would have to wear heels. And now cowboy boots. I would have to shop at Cue a lot which would not be a deduction for tax but would cost me a fortune!

If I hadn’t have contacted this guy to find out what he does for a living, I wouldn’t be in this position. It’s a good one. It’s nice to be wanted but it throws spanners in the works. What would you do? Quit volunteering to pursue a career that might be terrible or stay in a boring volunteer job and go back to a stable but probably boring job at Origin? I like option A.