Well, I quit my last awful job, and now I’ve joined the ranks of the unhappily unemployed again. I didn’t want to quit, and I’m still fairly bitter about the whole situation and being at this place again.
How about it - anyone else out there newly unemployed and not particularly enjoying it? Oldly unemployed and not enjoying it? In need of words of encouragement and commiseration?
I’ve been out of work since October. I miss the routine of getting up and having someplace to be. Maybe I wouldn’t mind so much if it were summer, so I could g kayaking more often, or motorcycling, or boating, or fishing, or working on my film.
What’s particularly discouraging is that I send out at least three résumés every week, and I’m not getting any interviews. I’ve applied for jobs that pay barely more than my unemployment insurance. I’m not looking for much. I’ll take virtually anything that pays at least 45% of my previous salary.
My mother’s late-husband’s brother lost his leg last year. He’s been sitting around thinking the government will give him $1,100 because he’s “disabled”. My mom says that with his prosthesis he has less of a limp than I do! (I destroyed my knees in high school.) He wants to just sit around and get paid. I know other people who are quite happy to take State Disability or Social Security payments, even though it limits their freedom. They’d rather get “free money” than improve their situations.
I’m not like that. I need to be doing something. I want a job. I’m keeping somewhat busy, but it’s not the same as having somewhere to be. I’m not particularly enjoying unemployment.
That’s a big part of it, Johnny. I like to be doing things, too, and I miss having a routine. I guess my new routine will be getting up and going out looking for work, but I would much rather be getting up and going to make money, and knowing what to expect from each day. I had a lot of stress with my last job (hence the quitting and all), but I feel like I’ve just traded one set of stress for another. Knowing that our debts are just getting bigger isn’t helping, either. It’s taking a conscious effort of will for me not to worry about that.
I guess I’m in a slightly different situation. I just got my Master’s this fall and I’m still looking for my first “real” job, so I’ve been hitting the wall of needing experience to get a job, but not being able to get any experience unless someone will hire me. I even ran into that at one interview - the first question was basically “You’ve got this great education, but no work experience. Could you please explain why?” and then it was downhill from there. Needless to say, I’m not waiting for that place to call me back.
I also miss having a routine, and I’m feeling guilty about having my parents supporting me financially. I suppose I shouldn’t complain too much as I have at least gotten a few interviews and made one short list, though that’s another source of aggravation. First interview was back in November, second interview was almost a month ago now, and they wanted someone to start for the beginning of February but they still haven’t made a decision. Oh well, guess all I can do is try not to make a nuisance of myself by calling them constantly to see if they’ve made up their minds yet, much as I’d like to and keep sending out my resume elsewhere.
I’ve been unemployed since about September. I’ve had a few temp jobs here and there but nothing major and nothing for any length of time. I even moved from Tennessee to Nebraska to live with some friends (another Doper graciously agreed to take me in) and hopefully find a job with the better job market in a city of 250,000 as opposed to my hometown of 40,000.
I have an interview this week though. I filled out an application at a local bank to be a Records Technician at 3:00pm local time and by the time my roomie got home at 5:00pm, I had a message waiting for me, telling me to call in Monday to set up an interview.
Such a quick turnaround gives me hope.
I’ve been out of work for almost exactly one year now!
When I first moved back to the US from S. Korea, I looked for work pretty hard for a couple of months. I had no luck whatsoever. So I decided to instead live off of savings and go to school… several months later, and with a few computer certifications under my belt, I’m now, again, looking for work pretty hard (money is starting to get tight around here!).
So far, no luck!
I’m beginning to wonder if my resume makes me look over-qualified for the positions that I’m applying for. Ergh!
If you’re willing to reallllly move for a job, Calgary is crying for Records Technicians. All the oil and gas companies in town (and there are a LOT of them) need them. But good luck your interview.
Anyone else have really mixed feelings about weekends? I look forward to the weekend, because I can’t look for work then, and I don’t feel that pressure to always be doing something towards my job search, then when the weekend gets here, I resent being two days away from getting back at it again. Yup, never happy -that’s me.
Well, while technically I’m not unemployed - I have an 8hr/week student job in the library and an assistantship that pays a monthly stipend - I’m also in the job hunt.
I’m finishing my master’s in library & information science in May, and the job hunt is in full swing. I know that chances are good I’ll have something before I graduate, but there are moments when it feels like no one will ever call me from my resumes.
Meanwhile, one of my professors spent a good half hour last week talking about the “greying of the profession” and how all these librarians are getting ready to retire. I say they should get out of there and give us young’ns the job. 
Well, I went back to the unhappiest place on earth today to get my last cheque and record of employment, and I’m sure I’ll be fit for human company again in a couple of days (or weeks). Man, I thought they had finished screwing me when I quit, but they’ve managed to take a couple last pokes since then. I know I’m feeling awfully sorry for myself these days, but how do you look for work when you feel like a big, raw, open wound from your last job?
Well, if I had know you were in my office, I would’ve come out of my hole to say hi… of course I would have had to get permission first and get approval on whether the word ‘hello’ is acceptable.
I shall begin the job hunt in April, that is if I don’t get fired before then. I had a dr. appt this morning and the dr. told me to quit my job… you know its bad when when the dr. tells you to quit. I guess my blood pressure was through the roof.
hey, great thread ! Can I play if I’m underemployed?
I’m almost done my Masters, working in a temp job that pays the bills (barely) and is pretty boring but not bad enough to give me the kick in the arse I need to go find a new one. I’ve started the hunt for my first ever full-time, permanent job, and I’m really hoping for one in my field (Social Policy), have sent out a number of resumes and haven’t heard a peep from anyone. I have it in my education, and my work experience, so what gives?
Doesn’t much help that all three levels of government (who hire a lot of policy people) are under hiring freezes right now. But it’s even more frustrating that my bold ambition of becoming a civil servant (which isn’t much of an ambition, really) is being foiled !
Also doesn’t help that nearly everyone I’ve spoken to suggests I get a PhD and become a professor. Yah, right. I’ve already spent eight years in postsecondary education and never had a permanent job. I’ll get a PhD when someone pays me to and not one second sooner.
Another unemployed Calgarian checking in. I got screwed over but good by my old company, as they laid me off while I was still halfway around the world after working a bunch of 12 hour days in a row. This is actually the second time this has happened to me in the last six months, although the last time they waited until I was back before letting me know, which is marginally less ridiculous.
The routine thing is definitely the hardest thing to give up (well, besides the money) and I find myself getting a lot more tired than normal. Chemical Engineers are like a commodity in Calgary so I don’t think I’ll be too bad off, it’s just irritating to have my career go in fits and starts like this. I am seriously pondering a career change and if something more stable doesn’t show up by September, I will be going back to school (already applied as a fail safe).
Update:
I applied for employment insurance today on the basis of quitting due to being harassed at work. We’ll see how that goes.
(I thought they had had their last kicks, but I went to use a gift certificate a supervisor had given me for all of my hard work, and it bounced because she hadn’t activated it. Sheesh.)
Aside from three weeks of work in late November/early December and some sporadic help for my best friend’s orthotics company, I’ve been out of work since mid-October. In that time I’ve got about two dozen resumes out, but the only reply I’ve gotten so far was a “thanks, but no thanks” from one company.
My last job was as a painter for a local commercial/residential painting company. As a guy relatively low on the totem pole, I was one of the first lay-offs when the winter slow-down began.
Currently I’m trying to get myself established as a construction safety professional, for which I am fully certified. Three problems: First, at this time of year the city’s construction industry is still pretty slow as it gears up for the summer season. Second, I’m still not entirely sure I want to find a permanent position with an established company or try my hand once again at operating as an independent sub-contractor. My last experience with being my own boss was not great, mostly because my father did not pass the sales genes on to me, so getting steady work for myself is very, very difficult. Third, to be brutally honest, I hate work. At any given moment there are a hundred things I’d rather be doing than working. I have found in the past that I’m content to put in maybe four days a week, six hours a day, but that simply does not pay the bills. When I’m putting in full-time hours, the money’s ok (it has never been great), but I’m constantly tired, barely coherent, and miserable.
I remain optimistic that the next few weeks will prove fruitful as the industry heats up and I have an advantage this year in that the province’s occupational health and safety legislation changes in April which should create a demand for my skills. Or, if all else fails, I can go back to stupid painting for another stupid year because it’s slightly better than going bankrupt.
To my wife (you know who you are): Fret not, baby. Sooner or later one of us’ll be bringing home the bacon again and we can get the financial picture back in order.