Well all, it has finally happened. I managed to not only apply for a series of jobs and sit through two interviews---I have now accepted a part-time position with the kids' local school district.

It has been an interesting couple of weeks and I have learned a lot....

First of all, staying out of the work force 10 years is easy....getting back in ...not so.....

Education field references are hard to find during early August. None of  them are sitting at their desks waiting for phone calls from my potential employers.

Some previous employers have horrible referencing ability. Case in point, my last employer told not ONE but TWO district personnel that they "had no record' of my ever working at the college. Turns out they don't have records of ANYONE working there prior to 2000. Now you would think when I had contacted the HR director a year ago, she would have mentioned this fact. Well, she also didn't bother to mention when she agreed to be a reference that her assistant wouldn't let any calls get through to her.

The internet is a wonderful resource for tracking down former bosses and co-workers. In a last ditch effort to convince the employers that I didn't lie about working at a small, private college in Ohio I ended up trying to locate a number of former co-workers.

And the final big lesson I learned is to never count someone out. In the final hours of my job search I needed to get a reference from a former supervisor. The first one I found was my last boss--- the last person I would think would be a good reference for me. She responded very quickly to my emails, called my now employer immediately and emailed me to let me know that she was sure I would be getting an offer that afternoon. And true to her word - by 3:30 I had an offer.......I am so glad I took the chance!

Now I have to get TB tested and have a physical (I am not looking when they weigh me). I am hoping to start on Monday........

Oh the job? Career and Technology Education Liaison. It is a 20 hour a week part time position. I will work 4 hours a day. Not sure how I will set the day up - but I think it will be up to me.......