Work is a 4-Letter Word
by Raven Usher
I quit my school bus driving job in February of 2000 to stay home and take care of my kids. I love being a housewife. It has been more rewarding than any other job I have had. Watching my children grow, progress and succeed gives me a sense of accomplishment that is unrivaled by anything else in my life. I truly believe that being a homemaker is the career the Fates wove into the tapestry of my life.
But the warp and the woof of a tapestry are subject to an intricate weave. Threads that are pressed closely together in one place may not touch at all in another. Every time the loom cycles, the tapestry changes.
The loom is about to cycle.
In a few months my youngest child will start school. When my empty nest syndrome is not making me curl up in an overly-emotional ball on the couch, I think about what I am going to do with my time. I could take up a series of arts and crafts projects like my mother. I could utilize my interior design background and turn my house into a showpiece. I could open my home and spend my day caring for someone else’s child. Or... I could venture back out into the world and get a job.
Get a job. That does not sound difficult, does it? People do it all the time. And I am not unskilled. I have even kept up with my CDL. I have options.
The prospect of re-entering the work force has me facing an aspect of transsexualism that I have not had to deal with thus far; being transgendered in the workplace. I count myself lucky that I did not have to worry about losing a job or wrecking a career during my transition. 85% of transsexuals lose their jobs when they transition. I did not have to face ridicule from co-workers. I did not have to worry about a transphobic boss firing me.
A homemaker re-entering the workforce is not an easy change for any woman. After many years of staying home, you may not have verifiable past employment. (Most companies simply do not keep records that long.) You have to start at entry levels when you are middle-aged. You may not be up-to-date with current business technologies. In a nutshell, if you do not have some kind of degree or certification, you may not be marketable. Or you might be transgendered in a conservative community.
I pass. Even without make-up I successfully display a female gender expression. But I have not held a job as a woman. That may not sound like a big deal. But think back to your first job. Were you unsure of yourself, intimidated by the people who already worked there, nervous about doing something new? The job probably sucked too. Now imagine that sundae topped with the cherry of being transgendered.
I have been watching the “help wanted” signs around town. I have seen a number of jobs that would either utilize my skills or just be fun source of extra income. There is, in fact, an establishment that I would love working for. On one hand: It would put me in the public eye under close scrutiny. Maybe even closer scrutiny than I have been under as a woman thus far. On the other hand: I am a bit of an attention whore and I would probably get off on being seen so much.
Oh, what the hell. I will do it. I am going apply for a job as a Hooters girl!
Blessed Be
by Raven Usher
I quit my school bus driving job in February of 2000 to stay home and take care of my kids. I love being a housewife. It has been more rewarding than any other job I have had. Watching my children grow, progress and succeed gives me a sense of accomplishment that is unrivaled by anything else in my life. I truly believe that being a homemaker is the career the Fates wove into the tapestry of my life.
But the warp and the woof of a tapestry are subject to an intricate weave. Threads that are pressed closely together in one place may not touch at all in another. Every time the loom cycles, the tapestry changes.
The loom is about to cycle.
In a few months my youngest child will start school. When my empty nest syndrome is not making me curl up in an overly-emotional ball on the couch, I think about what I am going to do with my time. I could take up a series of arts and crafts projects like my mother. I could utilize my interior design background and turn my house into a showpiece. I could open my home and spend my day caring for someone else’s child. Or... I could venture back out into the world and get a job.
Get a job. That does not sound difficult, does it? People do it all the time. And I am not unskilled. I have even kept up with my CDL. I have options.
The prospect of re-entering the work force has me facing an aspect of transsexualism that I have not had to deal with thus far; being transgendered in the workplace. I count myself lucky that I did not have to worry about losing a job or wrecking a career during my transition. 85% of transsexuals lose their jobs when they transition. I did not have to face ridicule from co-workers. I did not have to worry about a transphobic boss firing me.
A homemaker re-entering the workforce is not an easy change for any woman. After many years of staying home, you may not have verifiable past employment. (Most companies simply do not keep records that long.) You have to start at entry levels when you are middle-aged. You may not be up-to-date with current business technologies. In a nutshell, if you do not have some kind of degree or certification, you may not be marketable. Or you might be transgendered in a conservative community.
I pass. Even without make-up I successfully display a female gender expression. But I have not held a job as a woman. That may not sound like a big deal. But think back to your first job. Were you unsure of yourself, intimidated by the people who already worked there, nervous about doing something new? The job probably sucked too. Now imagine that sundae topped with the cherry of being transgendered.
I have been watching the “help wanted” signs around town. I have seen a number of jobs that would either utilize my skills or just be fun source of extra income. There is, in fact, an establishment that I would love working for. On one hand: It would put me in the public eye under close scrutiny. Maybe even closer scrutiny than I have been under as a woman thus far. On the other hand: I am a bit of an attention whore and I would probably get off on being seen so much.
Oh, what the hell. I will do it. I am going apply for a job as a Hooters girl!
Blessed Be
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