You know my favorite thing to do on Fridays at work? Be given 45 mintues to leave the building, as I am now officially laid off – a victim of the economy. They said if I voted Democratic we’d all be laid off and we’d be dragged into war. I voted Democratic – and they were goddamn right!
Hey, CEO’s! Why is it you turd-burglars get a golden parachute and your dignity as you “move on to other interests” aka “shitbird got the boot”, and the proles get 45 minutes and two cardboard boxes!! Excuse me? How is that fucking professional – a bunch of white collar engineers (Cisco in my case) who work nights and weekends – you need to lock them out of their computers? Kick them out like they’ve been smoking the rock in their cubicles?!?
Whatever to that – hopefully it’ll all work out. Right now the economy is so soft, I’ve been unable to replace my roomate, as my garden Brownstone is apparently too expensive for winter rental. And the lease is up next week.
You know what? Fuck it. Is there a warm state that needs a Cisco Engineers?
As someone who recently just got offered a fantastic job in Michigan after spending nearly a year in unemployment, I’ve got the following to say:
Hang in there. File for unemployment benefits ASAP. Exploit the Internet’s resources for job-hunting. Apply for any job in your field anywhere…heck, I live in Oregon and I applied for a job in Michigan even though I wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of moving there, and figured it was a long shot anyway.
But they ended up offering the job.
And above all, don’t lose hope. Being unemployed is hell, but you will survive.
I also feel your pain. I have gone 6 months without much beyond part time stuff. Got my first interview this week! Touch base with your clients; they know the good work you do and may be able to help out. At least a reference, if not some sort of opportunity. Do the unemployment thing, and stay busy. Me, I learned my daughter has a learning disability in my time off, so my time filled up rather quickly! Keep your sense of humor (easier said than done, but try). Don’t worry about those nights you wake up and can’t get back to sleep. We’ve been there.
Thanks for all the good wishes. I have contingency plans and severance, and a bunch of good friends, so hopefully everything will work out.
I kinda want to wing it and head west though. There’s something about being single, still young with no job and no lease that makes me want to just close the chapter and move someplace warm, y’know?
I’m still annoyed by the way folks get treated. Where’s the fucking white-collar union?
I am planning on quitting my job and going to part time. There are profound reasons for this. It does sound insane on the surface, but some jobs are not worth keeping. My job carries the risk of being sued or being beat up. I kid you not. (Seriously—long story.) Even though the chances of either of these happening to me are supposedly not high, I have experienced a few things recently that have convinced me that even if the odds are small, I don’t like them.
Ace, you’ve got my sympathy. While I’ve only been laid off once, I’ve at this point had three companies go out of business from underneath me. The whole “empty your desk and get the hell out” routine really robs you of your dignity.
In my case, I’ve had an interesting few months. The company I was working for -“BS Interactive”- went out of business rather abruptly on October 1st. I filed for unemployment, and two weeks later was hired on at my new job. I worked there two weeks, and then THEY went out of business- I didn’t even get paid for the two weeks I worked there.
I’ve been slaving away over an art test the past four days- damn, my eyes hurt- for a company in Chicago. It looks like it’s unnecessary, though; the second company is officially restarting tomorrow morning, which means I’m gainfully employed again!
[SUB]Still, doesn’t hurt to finish this art test… you know, just in case…[/SUB]
See, now I feel bad for bitching about my problems. Sued and also possibly beat up? Child-welfare? Special-ed teacher? In any event – yikes! Why would that be a good thing even part time?
Ace, I’m really sorry to hear that. Being unemployed really sucks. But, there’s a bright side: There are lots of warm tech-rich environments. JD and I are moving to one of them in a couple months, with a sweet job and possible my-own-business waiting for me. If you want, I could hire you! haha
Plus, I know a CCIE out there who has his plate full. Maybe I can feel out the market for you if you like.
While we’re at it, anybody know of a good job for a Tape Librarian, Mainframe? I can catalog tapes to a CA-1 TMS system like nobodys business, I got SDSF and TRMS skills out the butt.
Heck, I can monitor batch jobs, do job escalation and assist with abend resolution.
EDS bites the root.
I think in a few months I’m going to go back to delivering pizza, and go to school.
I’m still unemployed after over a month; things are dead in the tech sector down here. But, I’ve discovered that my county has ample retraining opportunities available. I should be taking some Oracle courses shortly, on their dime.
Also, I’m almost finished with my first novel, thanks in part to a comment of yours about my ‘nascent writing career.’ So, thanks.
It’ll be a different story when the unemployment runs out, but for now, it’s pretty much a blast.
Oh, hey, I’d almost forgotten about that pointed comment. Can I call 'em or what!
No, no, you do write very well, something I appreciate even if I’m on the receiving end. I hope you’ll post some of it on one of the boards, you know, in between Oracle courses…
Feh. I could go for the next level up, CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional), but if this thread is any indication of the economy, I might be better off writing or backpacking around the world. Feh, I say.
A wise man (a DJ for a local classical station) once said “Maybe you’re not scraping the bottom of the barrel, it could be you’re just scratching the surface”. Or something to that effect.
Sued and also possibly beat up? Child-welfare? Special-ed teacher? In any event – yikes! Why would that be a good thing even part time?
If you want, I could hire you! haha