Would you like an Interview by yours truly?
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I respond by asking you five personal questions so I can get to know you better. If I already know you well, expect the questions to be more intimate!
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Here are the questions "Kristy":http://agingdragqueen.livejournal.com/ asked me:
1. *Do you have any reservations about eventually living up in Canada? Why/why not?*
First, for those that don't know since I haven't made any kind of announcement here, Jess and I are strongly considering a move to Canada; strongly as in "willing to take a very large paycut and an utterly drastic change in life-style in order to accomplish".
I have lots of reservations. None of them have to do with Canada specifically. I feel that is a kind, comfortable, interesting, and safe place to live. Sudbury, in particular, seems to be a decent place to start a family, raise children, and get back to the more important aspects of life. However, I have great reservations about being able to immediately support myself and my family.
Jobs like I have now exist in Sudbury, but they are not nearly as plentiful. This means, most likely, a career change. This almost means, most likely, a less lucrative career. Even if the career is just as financially beneficial, I'll most likely be required to start pretty close to the bottom of the ladder.
To make matters worse, because of Canada's outstanding post-high school education system of Colleges and Universities, and the fact that there are several very good schools in town, most employers EXPECT a degree from job applicants. Despite being quite capable in multiple disciplines and having over 10 years of experience in my field, I do not have a degree.
Even finding a job to apply for is tough. In Sudbury, outside of the Mining industry (which almost all Sudburians strive to obtain jobs in and, therefore, there are very few to be had) few employers have ever hired from abroad. So, in many cases, I have to have Canadian work papers before I can apply for most jobs. Further more, there are not too many people who seek to move to Sudbury, especially from another country, so not being local really hurts. The best option may be to apply for work papers, wait the 12-16 months required to process that application, and THEN look for a job. At least then, I can be considered without immigration being a factor.
Selling our house right now could end up being a financial burden. Considering that we are going to be incurring moving expenses, living on savings until we find jobs, and taking a huge paycut, a financial burden couldn't have come at a worse time.
So really, my biggest reservations are that I will have to throw away 10 years of networking, work experience, knowledge, retirement savings, and financial planning, in order to make this move. That's very hard to swallow.
2. *What is your biggest dream? What sort of things did you want to do when you were a kid? Do you feel like you've accomplished a lot of those things?*
When I was a child, I wanted to be a Chemist. In the 9th grade or so, I decided I wanted to be a Physicist. Reality struck just before I graduated and I decided to get into a Business and Computer Information Systems degree. When the right job came around, I got out of college all together. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't. Not because I'm not doing well enough where I am, but because I would have more freedom to move around. For some reason, more people are willing to believe a piece of paper over a list of accomplishments, outstanding references, and a great interview when it comes to what a person is capable of.
3. *Are you sporty in anyway? What are your favorite sports?*
Not really. I enjoy physical activity and I love the outdoors. But a "sport" also suggest "competition" and I've never been very competitive about physical activity. I enjoy Martial Arts, Hiking, and Canoing. I used to be decent at Tennis but haven't played in years. I love watching Hockey and Football on TV.
4. *How did you get into photography? You mentioned that you and your dad went out to take photos together- was he an influence on that?*
The other way around, actually. One year, about 10 years ago, something clicked in my head and I realized that, in order to make good photographs, I needed more control than my point-and-shoot offered. For $150 I bought a manual 35mm camera and lens and started teaching myself the ropes of exposure. After that, my desire to create pushed me into better composition, and, eventually, I wasn't just looking to take pictures I wanted to make art.
About 3 or 4 years ago, my mom bought a good, manual digital camera to take photos of the many children she cares for. My dad latched on to the immediacy of it and began teaching himself as well. Now, it is a pass-time and hobby that we both greatly enjoy. Our shooting styles, equipment, budgets, goals, and favorite photography generes can be quite different, but we still enjoy working together. I wish I could do it more often.
5. *How crazy is your mother?! I loved the stories you told about her just from that car ride- do you have anymore good ones?*
Craaaaaaaaaaazy. I have plenty of good stories about her that would leave you in stitches. But, the truth is, despite her craziness, there are few other people that I can trust and rely on more than I can her. She seems to be able to read my mind and dig straight to the heart of any problem I have, even if I don't see it myself. Armed with this knowledge, if there's a problem she can fix, she will, even if she drives you crazy doing so. In the end, things usually work out for the better. I can't count the number of times my mom has saved me from trouble I didn't know I was in, or made my life so much easier when I didn't even know there was a problem.
She's pretty damn awesome. When we move to Canada, I think being away from her is going to hurt a lot more than I realize.
