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I hate my job and for the next few weeks I'll be doing little to nothing. š I am in higher ed. My employers can see what I look up on my work computer (I'm on my phone now and take precautions when accessing Ovarit). So I have to keep searches somewhat relevant to my position.
Basicallyāwhat skills, tips, etc. would you recommend to me to learn?
I work with datasets that include both text such as names and titles and numbers such as course codes and identification numbers. Basically anything Excel related or Word related I can learn and would be happy to. It can be formulas or simple tricks to make life easy (for example, in this role I learned different ways to use conditional formatting which was great). I recently attempted to learn the XLOOKUP function but am doing something wrong so I'm still working on that one.
I can Google search and visit relevant pages and navigate to YouTube if neededāthat's all okay. I probably don't want to risk spending time in watching videos to earn a certificate in something while on the clock though, I'm not sure if that would be percieved as shirking my daily duties.
My goal is to advance my skills and knowledge in using these applications effectively just generally, but I'm at the moment attempting to leave to return to the biological science field that's a mix of both administrative and scientific duties. In addition to Office 365 applications I have access to Teamsāso not just Excel or Word, but any office related application I can learn.
I think it'd be cool to learn tricks to also maybe some day be able to apply to a website like this or other computer science related skills though things like web development probably wouldn't apply to my current position, so I'm not sure I could argue that.
So mods, people in administrative roles and data driven jobs, scientists, program specialists and coordinators, those in education, technology, etc.āI would love to hear your ideas!
Poverty makes so many necessary tasks into major problems. A ride back and forth to the garage to get the old car, that you can't afford to replace, get fixed. Someone to mind the kids for a morning or afternoon when you have to go in to see the doctor. Etc. Groups of women can be there for each other and develop caring friendships that make things more bearable.
Is there a library/community center/community garden/health clinic/food bank or some other similar place where you could volunteer? Or perhaps volunteer on a political campaign or for an event in your area. I'm not in the poverty class, but from what I've seen, volunteers in any community are overwhelmingly women, and the more people you meet, the more chance you have finding someone -- or a group of people -- you're compatible with. The nice thing about volunteering rather than trying to meet someone through hobbies is that there isn't an outlay of money (except perhaps transportation). Also check to see if there are any free/low cost classes or workshops available to you -- that's another good way to meet people. I'm sorry you're in a difficult position and wish you the best.
Perhaps you could find female friends that share the same hobbies as you? I hope to one day be able to leave the house (I care for my mom 24/7) and have another caretaker be with my mom while I pursue my hobbies with likeminded women for a few hours at least once a week. I love nature journaling, snapping photos, writing, and reading. The hobbies I like donāt have much cost (except snapping photos which I use my phone for). I think you need to find women who have the same interests as you. Everyone has hobbies and interests, regardless of their income level.
Now how to find those women locally? I havenāt been able to explore that path myself yet. And you want to find women closer to your income level, too. Perhaps another woman here can help with this by sharing her own experience?
If you are in the US, & your Mom is on Medicare, contact them about eligibility for someone to come into the house to help. It depends on income & how much help she needs, but you can get someone in for a few hours a week to more. They can do house chores, fix & give meals, etc.. And you don't have to pay.
I did a little research online, and everything Iām reading says that Medicare will only cover respite care if the person is in hospice care in a in-network and in-patient hospice facility. My mom isnāt in hospice. She is at home with me. I do plan to hire an experienced, female caregiver soon to come in once or twice a week to help me with her, so I can have a much needed break. I just need a way to find these experienced, female caregivers.
Thank you for sharing what you know though. If my mom is ever in-patient at a hospice care facility in the future, I will take advantage of all the respite care I can get with Medicare.
Women in the poverty class don't have time or energy for hobbies. She'll have to look outside her cohort for that.
I disagree. Poor women can have the time and energy for hobbies. As for time and energy, poor women will have way less of that than richer women who can pay for another person to do all the necessary work that we have to do ourselves. Even if she only currently has 5 minutes a day to devote to her hobby, that is better for the mind, body, and spirit than nothing at all. My hobbies donāt cost much. If you have a notebook with paper, a pencil, and can go outside, you can nature journal and write about anything else you want.
If we knew what OPās hobbies are, we may be able to point her in the right direction to find likeminded women in real life to make friends. Maybe in the mean time, we can be her online friends, so she wonāt feel so lonely.
As much as possible, dress like the women who are in the class you want to be in, including makeup, hair, and jewelry. These things do play a role in who people want to be friends with. Generally women of higher classes go lower-key on all of that stuff -- "less is more." There are doubtless thousands of YouTube videos on this topic.
And then do volunteer work where you'll meet women in the class you want to be in. And smile.
Iām curious to know, how have they made you feel unwelcome?
Iām asking because Iāve had the opposite experience. Our family is middle class, although lower middle class and not in very stable circumstances, but I grew up poor, and I feel most comfortable around blue collar people, but I find that a lot of the women I encounter who live in poverty now have a very hard shell and are automatically defensive, and Iām wondering what I said or did to bring that upon meeting me.
They seem to make automatic assumptions about who I am as a person or what I can or cannot afford and write me off as snooty. I donāt think itās what Iām wearing, either; I buy my clothes at bargain basement places and we drive a really cheap, 8 year old car.