General Maintenance

Unemployed Log:  Entry dated 20130212:  Location Bedroom

When you're home all day life takes on a different pace than you are used to.  To keep myself from falling into bad habits, i.e. sleeping in until noon and wearing a bathrobe all day, I have to give myself a daily goal or task.  Today I am watching our neighbor's son after school.  He's 6 and has way more energy then I do.  So in preparation I made of list of things for him to do.

1. Have lunch
2. Rake yard
3. Clean Gutters - don't worry I'll hold the ladder for him
4. Vacuum out my car
5. Play video games
6. Build Lego Fortress

Those last two items are really just for me.  After all I am not sure he'll be done with the gutters by the time his mom gets home.

I've been trying to keep my skills sharp while I am between jobs.  This weekend the prime opportunity to use my contract negotiation skills came up.

Initial contact with potential sub contractor
Me: Hey Will, I have a job for you.
Will:  Not interested.
Opening negotiations
M: I'll pay you
W: Keep talking.
Defining scope of work
M: I need you to clean the living room.  You know sweep the floor, pick up the books etc.
W: Isn't that your job?
M: I am subcontracting it out.  Come on, $5.
Walking into the living room, W : There's nothing in here.
Settling terms and contractual obligations
M: So it'll be easy, pick up the blanket and pillow you left out here.  Put the books away, sweep the floor and clean out under the couch. What do you say?
Rolling his eyes, W: Fine $5.
M: Deal, and don't forget under the couch.

7 minutes later

W: I quit!

M: You can't quit we had a deal.
Receipt of change request

W: Deal did not include cleaning up cat puke.
Negotiation of change request

M: Yes it did.  The deal included cleaning up under the couch and if there's cat puke under the couch you have to clean it up.

W: That's like hazardous duty.  You need to pay me a lot more then $5.

M: How much more?

W: Like a million more.  You know I hate cat puke.
Rejection of change request

M: Too bad, it's part of deal you don't do it and you don't get paid.
Breech of contract

W: That's fine, have you seen my bank account?  I don't need your $5.

Crap, I  forgot the kid has almost has much money in savings as I do.  I need my other, perpetually broke, subcontractor Jonathan.  So I cleaned up the cat puke, but I kept my $5 and he'd cleaned the rest of the room so I think I won this round. Next time I'll add liquidated damages to my contract terms.

I am in a quandary.  Everyday I am looking through job listings, and there aren't too many out there in retail construction management.  I see lots of IT project management openings though.  An area I have no experience with outside of school.  Managing a project is essentially the same whether it's building a store or a piece of software, but I am still hesitant to apply for a PM job in an IT industry.  So I have been thinking about taking a PMP course and then sitting the exam.  If I pass I'll be more qualified for any type of PM job and probably get paid more.  Do I wait and see if I can't find something in the area I have the most experience?  Or do I branch out?