(Giving) blood, sweat and tears

I was recently reading a book about looking for a job.  It said that doing a "self-assessment" was important when looking for a job.  Doing an honest evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses helps in finding a job that is the best fit for you.  So here goes:

I am not a genius but I am not totally stupid.  I am well-educated and articulate (I hope).  I am friendly and I like to help people.  I am terrible at math.  I have much less tolerance for rude and ignorant people then I used to.  I am willing to work hard.  I am punctual.  So listing these qualities I would think that I would be able to find a fairly decent job out there...somewhere.  As I have mentioned (numerous times) before my hours at the grocery store had become increasingly erratic and I have been looking for another job--either a second part time job or (preferably) a full time job.  I spend time on the Internet sending out job applications and resumes.  I have been on a few job interviews...blah, blah blah.

I recently went on an interview at an office supply store.  The interview actually went really well.  They asked me the pretty standard questions.  I was intereviewed by two store managers and they really seemed to like the answers I gave to their questions.  I told them about my customer service experience and I told them how much I really loved office supplies (which is acutally 100% totally true--I can't explain it).  They asked me what my availability was and I told them.  It all seemed like it would be a pretty good fit.  So then the manager, Sara, says "the next step in the hiring process is the drug screening and then we can have you come in for training."  She said that every person has to take a drug test before they get hired.  Now, first I would just like to state for the record that I don't take drugs.  I don't even take Tylenol when I have a headache.  I don't take medicine when I have a cold.  My point is that I had no reason not to take a drug test--other then the fact that it is incredibly invasive, demeaning and offensive.  What the company is saying (before a potential new employee has even started working there) is that right from the start we are going to assume that you are using drugs and you have to prove to us that you are not.  Well, sorry buddy I'm not going to give you a blood sample or pee in a cup or whatever it is you have to do for a job selling office supplies at $8.15 an hour.  Has everyone lost their fucking minds?!?  I would just be a cashier ringing up paperclips and binders.  I'm not performing brain surgery here people. 

So I sat there for a second wondering what would happen next.  Sara handed me a business card with the name, address and phone number of a lab that was "right up the street" where they did the drug testing.  I took the card and said thank you.  She said, "Great.  After you go just give me a call and I can schedule to come back for training."  I smiled and said it was nice to meet them and walked out to the car.  I got into the drivers seat flipping the card around in my hand.  I was desperate for a job...but how desperate?  I went for a drive and when I got out of the car I threw the business card away.  I decided that there is a lot I am willing to put up with during my job search but I don't have to prove to anyone before I have even started working there that I don't use drugs.  Any palce that wants a blood sample is just not a place that I want to work.

Since the interview I have been asking myself 'Am I being too picky?'  'As I am looking for a new job are my standards and expectations too high?'  Well, the answers still aren't 100% clear to me but I guess I just have to go with my gut.  I didn't go back to the office supply store.  Maybe I'm willing to give sweat and tears to a job but not my blood.  It's just too degrading.