Leaping into Unemployment

I am but a half day of school away from unemployment (By choice, of course).  Now we're heading into uncharted territory for me: a plan-less life.  My "plan" (because I feel like I need to have one) is to see what happens now. How terrible is that?

I have decided to leap into unemployment.  The scariest thing I can think of that I have done to date.  I am leaving behind my awesome school kids and a stable (though insufficient) income for nothingness.  Thank God I have amazing parents who have no current plans to throw me out--they also pay for way more than normal parents do for a normal 24/25 year old. Yes, I do feel guilty about it.  With their help, and a tight personal budget, I have probably a year of college loan payments saved...and about 17 months of health insurance.

I will be spending the next 8 days dog-sitting for a retired teacher. After which there is even less of a plan.  I will become a professional job hunter.  The thing with me is I know what I want and I don't want to settle for less.  A coworker suggested applying at a local factory.  I informed her that I won't be taking any job until it's THE job (at least until I'm too poor to afford my loan payments).  The entire point of not signing my contract for the next school year was to take away the security blanket.  Having a steady job is like having a safety net--why leap if you know there's a safety net?  There's no point and no fun.

I've noticed that I enjoy security and safety.  This has caused me to be lax when it comes to applying for jobs and pushing myself into a change.  So now I have to do my best to fight off any sort of depression--which I'm hoping will be helped by the dog-sitting and the multiple crafts that I need to get done within the next month.  I need to keep searching and applying for jobs, and if nothing happens by fall, I will be remaining on the local school district's substitute list and applying for graduate school to start winter/spring 2013.  (See I have to have a plan)

So if anybody knows of a zoo or a nature center in the Midwest (preferably WI, MN, MI, IL) that is looking for an environmental educator with a biology degree, 16+ months of experience working in a school and a total of 15 months in internships in education and aviculture, let me know :)

The other thing I hope to use to keep my mind focused:  Football.  Packers last OTA practice open to the public is this Tuesday, June 5th.  I shall be there.  Nothing can make this girl feel better than a little Packers Football--Remember the "G" stands for Greatness.