Anybody else going stir-crazy and in need of some comfort/support/sympathy/swift kick in the ass? I’m laid-off at the moment; I will probably get called back around June, so there’s no point looking for a permanent job. I’ve got my name in with numerous temp agencies, but no luck so far. Well, there was the data entry job, but I wasn’t desperate enough yet when they called. It seemed easier to be unemployed when the weather was nicer, too. Long walks, getting up early, getting out and doing stuff, instead of spending extended periods of time in front of the ol’ pc here.
Yup. Got laid off from my CAD Artist job in December (the same day I found out my mom had brain cancer).
I was a Data Management Analyst for nine years, until the Indians took over. Not much call for that sort of thing up here. I’m putting out résumés every week, but not getting responses.
I did get a call from one of my former customers in Seattle. They might need someone to do data conversion programs for them. If they’re looking for someone who knows Easytrieve Plus, and also knows their specific data intimately, then I’m their bloke. I’m also waiting for a book on SQL so that I can try to learn it. (Is there any way to practice SQL online?)
I’m going nuts. I wish I had a job so that I would have someplace to be every day.
Looks like I may be picking up some videography work in the coming months; but I’d rather have a full-time position and do the videos on weekends.
I had a happy ending to my layoff story. It started out very sad–I got the minimum 30 days notice when I got laid off, so my last day of work was two days before my birthday. 
Nice birthday present, huh?
I had zillions of interviews (well, at least 12), but no job offers. But none of the jobs were really that good (some part-time, but I was getting desperate enough to take a couple of part-time jobs). So I finally got a job offer, for a job I really didn’t want. For a company that did market research on prescription drug commercials, and they had .com in their official company name–both very bad signs. I had just interviewed for another, way more interesting job right before I got this job offer. Now, I live in North Carolina, where if you turn down a job offer, no matter what the reason, your unemployment benefits get cut off. Not good. But I didn’t want to take the job, and then leave in two weeks if I got offered the job I really wanted. So I turned it down, and a week later, I got a phone call saying I got the cool job (that pays almost twice as much). I’ve worked there for almost a year now. I like my job. 
I just moved to the city from a rural area a week and a half ago, leaving behind my part-time receptionist position. I’m probably getting a job through a temp agency in a week or so, though, as soon as my background check comes back. I don’t really want this job because I’ll have to work in the afternoon/evening which will kill my social life and I moved to the city in order to have a social life (all my friends live in Pittsburgh), but at least I’ll have money to live on until I get a real, permanent job.
Before my part-time job I was out of work for three months. And before the job that I had before the PT I was out for eight months (I was in college before then). Now that’s going crazy. Especially since I was in the country so there wasn’t anything to do. It’s easier to entertain yourself here.
Sorry about your mom, Johnny L.A., and your job situation. Hang in there.
Yes!!! Unemployed and trying to move out anyway, No fun! I’m well educated but I have no car and live a 2 hour walk from public transport! I’ve had a few job offers but all bloody ages away. At the moment I’m looking at buying a $2000 car (that’s AUD BTW. [about $1600 USD]).
You can download and install MySQL for free. It should give you the basics for understanding a relational database. Keep in mind, though, that every SQL vendor will differ slightly. Some of the things you learn in MySQL will not be the exact same in MSSQL or Oracle. But the concepts you should be able to learn from MySQL; plus, there’s a helluave community out there supporting it.
Another good free one is PostgreSQL.
I’m out of work in 2 weeks. After 16 years at my current retail job, I’m having a sort of mid-life crisis. I resigned last December — but gave them 3 months to find a replacement–and now the prospect of unemployment is starting to seem more frightening than ever. I guess I’ve got no one to blame but myself, but then a nervous breakdown wouldn’t have done the company or me any good.
I’m counting on finding a new job soon…
I’m unemployed as well. Almost all of my job experience is in an industry I cannot fathom tolerating again, and almost all jobs in my area are in that industry. To complicate matters, I am unilingual in a city that frequently demands bilingualism (French).
I don’t foresee getting a job in the near future. I’m pregnant and sick all the time, and any job I would get would have to work my hubby’s hours and our one vehicle. I would also want a job where I could work sitting down and was able to use the washroom whenever I wanted. Featherlou, I want your data entry job 
Yep, have been since November. On the upside I’m taking classes and the unemployment bit makes life a little easier.
I started volunteering after a previous layoff and that helped a whole lot - hard to sit around feeling sorry for myself when I’m busy and other people need me.
Technicly, yes. (did I spell that wrong? Probably) I’m “unemployeed” thru this week.
Got “seperated” last Sept. (told an asshole customer to “F@^& O$$”, quite deservedly so, I might add). Been ‘looking’ for work oh so diligently since then as required, but allowable by the fine ski weather. I even had an interview! Got an offer, coincidently, two weeks before the unemployment benefits ran out, and I go to work this coming Sunday for the first day.
Milked it out an extra week, as the snow is melting and its my wife’s birthday. I feel pretty bad about staying home all college football, F1, holiday and ski season, doing nothing but Bar-B-Quing, drinking beer, watching TV, skiing and cashing state checks.
Well, not really! But its back to work this Sunday! Truth be told, I’m only doing it for the benefits.
Boy howdy was I ever. Spent about 9 months unemployed last year. The jobs here round these parts are mostly seasonal: golf/ski resorts, lawn care, resturaunts that are never really busy in the winter, etc. I decided to try to get out of the seasonal thing and find something full time year round. :smack: Turns out they really don’t exist. Spent a lot of time on the ole PC and getting a lot of reading done. Put in applications. Sent out resumes when there were jobs to sent them to. Got interviewed a few times that never panned out due to the number of people looking for jobs in the area.
I finally got a job working in a grocery store with an old friend/coworker of mine from another job. I took it for the benefits but have been screwed out of every one as they became available. :mad: Now I’ve put in my notice essentially. Haven’t found a new job but let the deli manager know that I’m looking. She’s leaving at the end of April so she doesn’t mind. If the job I get is seasonal, oh well. I want to get back to college in the fall anyway. If I’m unemployed it will be easier to shedule more classes.
Hang in everyone.
I quit my job at Christmas to go home to Australia for summer. Now I’m back in London – happy to be here, but just slightly wondering what I’m suppposed to be doing in this country. I’m setting up some interviews for next week, but I’m questioning whether I even want to remain in my industry (equity trading control – snore.) This might be a good opportunity to rethink my career path, but I’ll damned if I can think of a job I’d like to do instead.
On the plus side, I’m painting the flat to keep myself busy and enjoying it. Maybe a new career in the trades beckons…
I’m on a tail end of an extended jobless stretch. It’s been longer than I care to admit. But very recently found something which didn’t sound very good at first but started to look and feel better as time and negotiations progressed. I start back to work on Monday of next week. Very pleased to be getting back to it. The income couldn’t have come any later… phew!
I’m a senior IT project mangler. I haven’t always been in management. I’ve actually been very technical thoughout my career of 18 years but as these things happen, slowly graduated to team leadership. Could not compete salary wise with the junior programmers and the off-shore body shops. When things got desperate I ernestly tried to convince the agents that I’d be happy to role up my sleeves and get back to coding for going market rates but they would not have it. Nobody believed that I’d stick around because I was “over qualified” and would bolt for the first better ($) opportunity. Probably would too, but I tried like hell to convince them otherwise. But to no avail. Fortunately things did turn around and I’ve got a gig just a few blocks from my house.
The biggest hindrance, I found, was that the agents (a necessary evil in my line of work) are brutally ignorant and incompetent. My resume reads like a IT industry skills audit and I have quite a few “specialties” but it seems it was too general. Not a single agent was capable of synthesizing the information and selling me. I kept saying to each and every one that if they just got me in front of a client I’d clinch the position 9 out of 1
Grrrr Who hit that “submit” key!!! :smack:
Anyway, 9 out of 10 times. Which I have always done. I play well with others and come across very well at interviews and subsequent engagements. But this time around was particularly frustrating. Agents have gotten more and more incompetent. They increasingly focus on selling their own agency expertise and position in “vertical” markets and understand less and less about the IT industry and how to recognize talent. Useless fuckers all.
But that’s my sorry ass tale. Things are finally looking up.
My sympathies and best wishes to you all.
Johnny L.A. - When you get comfortable with standard SQL, get a book on PL/SQL. It’s an enhanced data manipulation/retrieval stored procedure language used in Oracle databases. Very handy and quite straight forward. I believe you can get a free single user Oracle database downloaded from their web site. A couple of books, some practice and you’ll be a relational database guru. Good luck. 
Unemployed. Just about given up on finding a frigging job. Making money doing some freelance writing, and hoping to qualify for SSI (Disability). 8-(
Technically I suppose I’m unemployed. After frustrating and being frustrated by my somewhat amateurish publisher at my last gig we decided to break up and I went out on my own. Lady Chance told me it was time to try to get my own firm off the ground and that’s what I’ve been doing.
2+ months doing the writing and research for an effective and conservative business plan. And for the last 3 weeks or so I’ve been meeting with potential investors in my economically depressed region. So far I’ve got some nibbles and I’ve met with the President of all the local banks.
I need about half a million dollars for the first year. I think I’ll get it through some combination of local investors, some loan programs, one local non-profit VC firms and a non-profit economic development agency (business loans at prime! woot!)
So it’s a temporary thing.
I am approaching the first anniversary of officially being made redundant (31st March), although the last time I actually did any work was on the 16th of January 2004.
I foolishly decided not to go for just any old job, and especially not any job in the area I worked before (railway regulation) but to attempt to do something completely different. But after 7 job applications to my chosen area and not a single interview I am beginning to think I might need to review that policy. The good thing is that my redundancy package amounted to three and a half times my annual salary, of which the first £30,000 was tax free (although the remainder was clobbered). So it is not as if I am compelled to get a job. But the dosh will not last forever.
I am surprised I am not as bored as I ought to be. Happily, daytime television in the UK is mostly rubbish so I have been compelled to find other things to do to while away the long hours. Making fatuous contributions here helps a bit…
I am currently unemployed, currently debating grad school.
Yeah, five months now. Interviewed with several companies, but no go yet. I’m looking now at facility management positions, but really don’t relish the prospect of going back into that field. It’s a constant headache, but I need a paycheck to feel worthwhile. I’ll also be marching steadily backwards in the amount of money in said check.
Salary history:
1990: $26,000/yr
1993: $48,000/yr
1998: $53,000/yr
2003: $72,000/yr
2004: $144,000/yr
Prospective salary: $50,000
Yep, three months now. I’m in the self-pity mode too, which makes it twice as bad. I’m currently hoping to get anything as long as it’s midnights. Then I can get my debt down and in a couple of months return to school, taking a few courses in the day. Hopefully I can then finish my degree in a couple of years. It’s a history degree, so employers won’t be bashing down my door to get me, but its something that I feel I have to do.
I seen an offer in the OP for a kick in the bum. I’d like to have that, please. Make it a good one.