my lack of lack of job:

[thene]

My jobs have both failed to dematerialise. Niceboss is referring to this as The Tax Season That Never Ends, Ha Freaking Ha; it is April 18th and we are still getting appointments from new clients; we have no idea wtf is going on or even what our opening hours for next week are. Part of me is grrrrf because I don't get to immediately gallivant off to something more lucrative; another part is okay with hunkering down to ~30 hours a week while I study for the Enrolled Agent exam (yes this is actually happening); most of the parts are full of weird achiness and yearnings on account of not having had a day off work since April 2nd and not being sure when I'm going to get one (maaaaaybe saturday). Also, the agency tells me the Dingbat has been trying to extend my contract 'indefinitely', an overfond gesture given how much my workload is likely to drop off. I told the agency I could happily fit a full-time job in around his request for my time and had indeed been doing so for three months, but they are being useless on account of me having no real qualifications to do anything. (Back in January, I saved their number in my phone as 'Useless People'.)

I don't even know that I want to be an EA other than in the sense of having meaningful letters after my name and thereby alleviating the sin of having a gloriously useless major, but I suspect that sitting the EA exam is the easiest way to make myself look like someone who deserves a real job. The next testing period seems to start in two and a half weeks, and I am inclined to put my name down to sit the part I mostly already know asap because why not.

Comments

[1000kindsofrain.wordpress.com]

What happens if you fail the module?

And see this strip. (http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2013-04-10/) Obvious, but there you go.

[thene]

Inconceivable!

[1000kindsofrain.wordpress.com]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[(Anonymous)]

In general, professional qualifications are good. The problem occurs when they pigeonhole you into a career you didn't want.

Are you stuck at home or stuck at work?

~Z

[thene]

Mm, I spent most of yesterday pretending to work while keeping an eye on the news.

I think the EA thing wouldn't get that pidgenoholey as it's the about only real tax certification outside of having a taxation master's degree (which are very rare). My niceboss says people will care that I have it even if I'm not using it toward its intended purpose.

[khronos_keeper]

*thread creeping*

Just wondering, are you interested in getting a taxation masters degree? I think Boston University offers one, and they also offer it online...

[thene]

I'm not sure - if I did a masters I think accounting would be more useful, and I'm not sure if places even let you study for a taxation masters if you don't have an accounting/finance undergrad degree. My preferred method of learning more about corporate taxation would be to get an entry-level job in the field anyways.

[1000kindsofrain.wordpress.com]

I take it you haven't got Saturday off now, but are having to make up for Friday? (And that you weren't including marshal law in your unpredictable opening times?) Or are they just giving you a week of counselling?

[thene]

Oh gosh no, I worked both jobs yesterday, and had to walk from one to the other because the buses weren't running. Such are the perils of working locally. My friends all got the day off and had an all-day lockdown drinking party that I missed most of. So I do indeed get a weekend off! This is unprecedented.