Thursday, September 30, 2004
becoming employed
I HAVE A JOB!!!
After 17 months of unemployment, I have at last found the right place for me. Since September 23, I have been working at a travel certificate company, as the customer service rep for their top-of-the-line product.
For those of you who don't know — and that's all of you — travel certificates are those pretty brochures you're given when you earn a free vacation by attending a timeshare tour, or test-driving a car, or re-financing your house, or something. The company I now work for is one of the largest providers of TCs in the country, and one of the few that is a full-service agency; i.e., we have an in-house travel agency that handles all arrangements, and we specialize in TC fulfillment. That means we help people use their TCs correctly so they actually DO get a nearly-free trip (or air fare, or whatever it is they've earned).
And then there's the product I support. It's a package you buy for $1500-$2000 that gives you 30 free vacations. Well, sort of. Most of them provide free accommodations, some provide free air fare, two are cruises at up to 60% off. It's a helluva bargain, if you add it all up. My job is to help people understand how it works, so they can get the most out of it. And because this is our premier product, my clients are all treated with loving care.
I LOVE working here! The company is very classy, and the building is beautiful. By far, the nicest place I've ever worked. Lots of glass, tropical pictures, exotic plants and nice furniture. Very casually elegant. It even smells good in here! They must have little scent-makers hidden here and there. There's a faint, undefinable fragrance to the air that — combined with the pictures and plants — makes you think V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. I keep expecting the Beach Boys to stroll through singing "Kokomo."
Best of all, I'm getting PAID to sit in this lovely place, talking on the phone with people about their vacation plans. Aren't you all SO jealous?
After 17 months of unemployment, I have at last found the right place for me. Since September 23, I have been working at a travel certificate company, as the customer service rep for their top-of-the-line product.
For those of you who don't know — and that's all of you — travel certificates are those pretty brochures you're given when you earn a free vacation by attending a timeshare tour, or test-driving a car, or re-financing your house, or something. The company I now work for is one of the largest providers of TCs in the country, and one of the few that is a full-service agency; i.e., we have an in-house travel agency that handles all arrangements, and we specialize in TC fulfillment. That means we help people use their TCs correctly so they actually DO get a nearly-free trip (or air fare, or whatever it is they've earned).
And then there's the product I support. It's a package you buy for $1500-$2000 that gives you 30 free vacations. Well, sort of. Most of them provide free accommodations, some provide free air fare, two are cruises at up to 60% off. It's a helluva bargain, if you add it all up. My job is to help people understand how it works, so they can get the most out of it. And because this is our premier product, my clients are all treated with loving care.
I LOVE working here! The company is very classy, and the building is beautiful. By far, the nicest place I've ever worked. Lots of glass, tropical pictures, exotic plants and nice furniture. Very casually elegant. It even smells good in here! They must have little scent-makers hidden here and there. There's a faint, undefinable fragrance to the air that — combined with the pictures and plants — makes you think V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. I keep expecting the Beach Boys to stroll through singing "Kokomo."
Best of all, I'm getting PAID to sit in this lovely place, talking on the phone with people about their vacation plans. Aren't you all SO jealous?
