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 ·Armstrong Zoom ..
|  I am jobless...
This week I did nothing job wise. I have been on unemployment since June, and it just renewed (in PA I just file another claim and it continues for another 26 weeks). Unemployment (full benefits) are ok, they pay the bills, but I hate not working. It drives me nuts! I have been searching every week since I was let go and have only had a few interviews. I have a good 10+ years in network engineering, a well laid out resume (even paid for the critique and re-writing, which is pointless in my opinion so nobody else go for that one), and just either see jobs that pay crap or never get interviews.
I have a family, I am not in foreclosure or late on anything, pay my car payments, etc. The good part is I get valuable time with my family, minus the stuff that costs money like vacations and going "out" with the family. I have cut back just a little on cell phone extras and DirecTV package, but nothing serious.
So I am wondering, how many people in IT are really in this position? I mean systems administration, network engineering, those type of jobs? What keeps you from going nuts? Do you feel the economy will pick up this year?
I am not going to get any "bailouts" because I am not losing my home. I am not going to switch careers, what is the point if there are millions that have more training in those other fields. My wife understands, but I think she is even starting to wonder if it is the economy or me. I have a tough time thinking that the economy really is to blame for me not getting a job, after this long it is really not believable!
Pain in the ass every week searching and fighting for jobs I never get. You just want to say #$ck it and give up. Sit on my ass and do nothing. Sit on my porch and drink beer all day and wait for the economy to be "fixed".... no.
I know others are in the same boat, but really, is it this bad? It is just getting to the point where it is shocking to me. You begin to second and third guess your tactics and skills.
My rant, if you want to call it that. | |
|   NY TelPremium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
kudos:3
 ·AT&T CallVantage
| Re: I am jobless... said by keyboard5684:I am a network engineer with over 10 years experience. Let go from a company last year in June and still not able to find a job. I know I am not alone but it has become a daunting task......... My rant, if you want to call it that. It is not a rant and it is definitely NOT you.
I have many qualified friends who are out of work in a similar situation.
I do think that perhaps the IT world may be changing and jobs might be "re-aligning" to reflect less dependence on what you have been doing well for the past 10 years.
I do think you will find something but don't be closed minded (not saying you are) to re-inventing yourself and going for a skill in health care or some other industry. Study to be a radiology tech etc. They are always in demand and you can moonlight in Doctors offices. Same for nursing, laboratory etc.
My point is, if your career is not keeping you happy, perhaps it is time to switch and do something different.
If you are bright enough to do network admin work, you are bright enough to succeed in health care.
Try to get out of the mindset that you are stuck in IT and look forward and go past it to another career.
I've had my share of unemployment in life and have dual career paths running so that when one industry chews me up and spits me out, I go running to the other one.
I can truly empathize with you and your situation and hope you will have a change in luck/life situation but a part of it has to come from you to take the initiative and do it. Not an easy thing to do.
Remember, you are a special person to your family and most importantly to yourself.
I will be thinking positive thoughts for you.
Now go have a beer and have one for me...  | |
| | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... I have thought about other areas, and it is tough to jump into those at this time. Health care is certainly something I have looked at, and tried to get into. The training is the thing, I cannot afford to take on more loans to go back to school let alone the time. Other option has been engineering since half my career has involved engineering (real engineering, designing patented technologies, etc).
Also, I would be competing against a very large pool of people as far as health care positions, say radiology or something similar.
If I could, I would take the time out and go back to school and go for strictly medical training. I would like to pursue medical school, but I am 33 and limited in funds.
Schooling I have been given the advice that I would be no further ahead. Reason being that my resume/skills/experience outweigh a degree in many ways.
I LOVE what I do, I love doing network work, and I am an expert at Cisco, Avaya and similar technologies and all that is involved. I have built 2 ISPs from the ground up, one was bought out the other is about sell. I can do what few can, but the demand and expressing that is hard. I need the interview to get that point across. I do not want to leave the IT career, I went from law enforcement to network engineer and have stayed with it for over a decade. I was writing programs at 8 years old!
But again, jumping to something else needs training, but I am willing to do it.
I appreciate the ideas and encouragement. | |
| | | NY TelPremium
join:2004-04-09
Smithtown, NY
kudos:3 | Re: I am jobless... I just sent you a PM with some open IT positions at my company.
Hey, you never know. | |
| | |  Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA
1 edit | No offense, but with your attitude you will never get a good job.
You talk "I can't" this, and "that wouldn't help" that. You want to get ahead stop looking at the barriers as insurmountable and start figuring out ways you can overcome them. A good start would be to cancel your stupid direct TV that you shouldn't have since you're living off the government dole and put that money to some other use that might actually get you somewhere, like a fund to pay for training.
You need to come to the realization that you probably aren't going to get another strictly IT job and start looking into broadening your skill set be it more education, or a job you really don't want to do for now. Life sucks sometimes and we don't always get to do what we want all the time, it's time to grow up. Even if you get a job at McDonalds it shows potential employers that you're willing to do what it takes to get the job done even if it means setting aside your pride and doing a job you probably consider below you.
--edet-- I bee maken aup werds twodey.
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Come let us reason together. | |
| | | | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... No offense taken.
I was really starting more of a generalized post, not really dishing out my life story. More of a poll in my mind. It is tough to make judgments, and I do not expect accurate ones, based on a post like mine. Life does suck, and people make do.
My last position was actually a combination of network engineer and development for an energy company. Basically designing equipment to automate oil and gas production facilities. The monitoring, analysis of data, and predictions of oil and gas productions based on particular modifications of control mechanisms. This required full knowledge of network, server, and other IT systems. However, it required the knowledge of how oil/gas are pushed from the ground. Basically chemistry, geology, and many other fields all rolled into one.
Government "doll" pays more than McDonalds. I am certainly willing to take lesser positions, and I have, which supplement my income (you can work and still get unemployment).
I can pay for training, question is do I want to and for what? Training, I feel, at this point will give me just a piece of paper that says I can do it. That is fine, but will it really be worth anymore than my experience? Will that piece of paper really help me get a job? No guarantees, ever. Will it hurt, no.
It has nothing to do with pride, it has to do with realistic outcomes. Is working at McDonalds, which would completely cut off my government "doll", worth it? Is that really going to show anyone that matters anything? I would not be able to make my mortgage payments, I would lose everything, and I would be working full time at McDonalds at lesser pay than my unemployment pays. Sucks, but the unemployment is there to ensure, or help ensure, that you are able to maintain a certain quality of life while you find another job.
I have kids, if it makes a difference, and they require that particular money. They have requirements. With a family it is no longer a selfish issue, it is a critical issue because you are under enormous pressure to provide for them.
Also, the government (tax payers) do not pay for unemployment, employers do. In this case the employer who tossed me is footing the bill and will continue to do so. It is not government money, it is company money. They pay into unemployment insurance for this reason.
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| | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by keyboard5684:It has nothing to do with pride, it has to do with realistic outcomes. Is working at McDonalds, which would completely cut off my government "doll", worth it? Is that really going to show anyone that matters anything? Do you have anything to show for your time? "McDonald's" is going to look better to an employer than "sat at home looking for job" which reads as "sat at home moping about problems rather than doing anything to solve them".
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Come let us reason together. | |
| | | | | | | | Re: I am jobless... Yes, I started a consulting company upon layoff. I do consulting for many different small companies.
I have also done some contract work. Different banks and other large companies. | |
| | | | | |  KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T DSL Service
| BS. "McDonald's" means "We can exploit this guy."
How about you go work at McDonalds, and see what that does to your next job prospect.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
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| | | | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by KrK:BS. "McDonald's" means "We can exploit this guy." How about you go work at McDonalds, and see what that does to your next job prospect. Looks better sitting around and collecting unemployment for 2 years. Which is what it sounded like the OP was doing from his post.
In today's society you're only going to be exploited if you let yourself be exploited or you're incredibly stupid.
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Come let us reason together. | |
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| | | | | Reviews:
·magicjack.com
| said by Combat Chuck:Do you have anything to show for your time? "McDonald's" is going to look better to an employer than "sat at home looking for job" which reads as "sat at home moping about problems rather than doing anything to solve them". Just say "Sabbatical." Everyone envies someone who has the means to take a sabbatical and grow personally.
I have a couple acquaintances who have worked 1 year out of the past 3 years (on and off). To fill the gaps they say they worked for their own consulting company. They didn't actually do anything. Just showing you worked somewhere doesn't signify anything.
Mark | |
| | | | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by amigo_boy:I have a couple acquaintances who have worked 1 year out of the past 3 years (on and off). To fill the gaps they say they worked for their own consulting company. They didn't actually do anything. Just showing you worked somewhere doesn't signify anything. If I were in charge of hiring and I saw that my first question would be what exactly did you do with that time. People aren't that good at BS'ing.
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Come let us reason together. | |
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| | | | Reviews:
·magicjack.com
| said by keyboard5684:Government "dole" pays more than McDonalds. Personally, I wouldn't call it "government dole." You worked 10 years and part of your compensation was your employer contributing to the state's unemployment insurance program. You now have a claim against something you essentially earned and paid for.
Mark | |
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| | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Nice. Turn off that TV you don't deserve and go work at McDonalds. FFS. I hope to God nobody works for you. You're obviously sitting high and pretty, eh?
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
| | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by KrK:Nice. Turn off that TV you don't deserve and go work at McDonalds. FFS. I hope to God nobody works for you. You're obviously sitting high and pretty, eh? No actually, I saw the writing on the wall and quit my job to go back to school. I scrape for every penny. And quite frankly your implication that I wouldn't be good to work for is based only on your bitter reliance on class warfare to justify your position in society.
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Come let us reason together. | |
| | | | | | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: I am jobless... No, it's based on your actions and your deeds. Being on unemployment and looking for work is not the same as sitting on welfare making excuses how you're a victim of society.
Anyone who would say "you don't deserve XXX because you're on unemployment, go work at McDonalds" is someone who has zero compassion and would be a heartless jerk to work for. In my opinion, anyway. I'm sure you'll disagree. Sounds like the bitter one here is you, personally... scraping for every penny and all.
I'm not really trying to pick a fight with you, but your tone just struck me as wrong and overly harsh. Your ongoing comments only seek to confirm my original impression.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
| | | | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by KrK:Anyone who would say "you don't deserve XXX because you're on unemployment, go work at McDonalds" is someone who has zero compassion and would be a heartless jerk to work for. I'm sorry but you tell me what end does satellite TV serve? The guy stated that he couldn't afford school and then goes to cite DirectTV as one of his bills. Well a great way to make school more affordable is to stop paying for stuff that ultimately isn't needed and does nothing to contribute to a solution. I'm not heartless, just a realist. The problem today is too many people thinking with their hearts at the exclusion of thinking with their brains.
I hear people bitching all day long about how hard it is, they can't afford to pay for this thing, and whatnot, yet squandering the resources they do have.
The OP apparently isn't doing that, he seems to be beating his head off the same wall hoping that something different happens this time.
--
Come let us reason together. | |
| | | | | | | | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... said by Combat Chuck:I'm sorry but you tell me what end does satellite TV serve? The guy stated that he couldn't afford school and then goes to cite DirectTV as one of his bills. + The OP apparently isn't doing that, he seems to be beating his head off the same wall hoping that something different happens this time. I said I am limited on funds. I also said I could afford to pay for training. Med school is a little different, however there are certainly student loans available. I did not say I could NOT afford school?
By saying I could pay for TV means I am not broke, I was trying to express that I am not in dire need of money. I said I cut back services like the package level (giving up HD and special channels) and cut back my cell phone package. Little cuts here and there just to preserve money. I am not paying for Satellite TV instead of school.
It sucks going through college and paying for it yourself, which sounds like you are doing? But I already did it, made it through, and have established myself money wise and career wise. I have savings, a home I bought, and clearly on a different "scale" then you are.
I am not beating my head of the same wall. I have explored every single avenue, including the ones posted here, except moving and going back to school. Friday thread, I can post what I want, and if you are tired of hearing it then quit reading it.
Moving is probably my best option, and I have known this.
I am not wining, I was simply "pasting my thoughts on this board" which actually, to me, has created an interesting bunch of perspectives on the situation.
There is a huge difference between a student and someone who has worked a good portion of there life to raise a family, establish where they want to raise there family, gain stability, and then looking for a job within that area after loosing that stability. There are so many factors that go into decisions, particularly relocating. Tearing your teenager away from there friends, selling the home you worked so hard to build into what you wanted (yes, the kids heights are marked on our basement door from when they could stand until there current ages) and no, I do not expect a violin to start playing. | |
| | | | | | | | | Combat ChuckToo Many CannibalsPremium
join:2001-11-29
Erie, PA | Re: I am jobless... said by keyboard5684:It sucks going through college and paying for it yourself, which sounds like you are doing? But I already did it, made it through, and have established myself money wise and career wise. I have savings, a home I bought, and clearly on a different "scale" then you are. You'd be surprised to find just how close to my scale you are. I gave up quite a bit to do this, I am not that much younger than you, and I had a really good job and likely would not have been one of the ones laid off in this cycle due circumstances I'm not going to go into. However in the distant future this might not be the case, I figure an economic downturn is the best time to pursue more education.
Really, I think you might do well to see if you can mange to get a chemical engineering technology degree if not a full CE.
The people who are going to have jobs and who will do ok in times like these are people who are versatile. Be it a chemical engineer with IT experience or a mechanical engineer with experience in management, logistics, the health care industry and a bit of programming.
--
Come let us reason together. | |
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| | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
 ·Clearwire Wireless
| Based on your comments I'm assuming you do not have a bachelor’s degree in any area.
If you don't have one, I think the advice to not go back to school because your experience is worth more than the degree is a common mistake and assumption people make in your situation. I made this mistake in the past and have learned my lesson. You and your friend are missing the point. Of course a higher education institution is not going to teach you more than you currently know now about Avaya, Cisco, Dell, HP etc. However, these institutions will give you that piece of paper called a diploma that will get you the interviews, keep you employed and make you stand out above the rest when layoffs are coming. The benefit you will receive from these institutions is that you will become more polished, credible and confident than you are now. These traits will help you to stand out above the rest and remain gainfully employed going forward. I have worked for several large corporations in IT and Software Product Development. I'm a little older than you but since age 30 I have completed both my bachelors and masters degree. My salary has doubled since then and I attribute that directly to the degrees. Once you have these degrees you are open to almost any job within the company including, director, VP, manager, engineer, architect etc. Without the degrees, you are limited to certain positions specific to your technical skills. At least enroll in something and get started. Providing evidence on your resume that you are actively engaged in educating yourself while unemployed, will look much better and also allow you to focus on something productive while you are out of work. We recently contracted with a software developer who is working towards his MBA while searching for full time employment. We give him Friday's off so he can go to school. www.baker.edu and www.excelsior.edu are two online schools that are reasonably priced, will accept your prior college credits and help you get the soft skills needed to stand out above the rest in a competitive industry. Don't worry too much about where you go to school at this stage of your career. Just pick a degree you like or were working towards previously and get it done as fast as possible. If you already have a bachelors degree get started on a master’s degree in something you like. Good luck and I wish you and your family the best! | |
| | | | Reviews:
·RoadRunner Cable
·Clearwire Wireless
| Re: I am jobless... Remember job success is not always about what you know or can do. More often than not its about who you know or who you meet. If you don't have the ability to get your foot in the door with folks who can pay you the big bucks you are never going to meet them or benefit from what they have to offer. Get the basic credentials and then watch the offers roll in. | |
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| | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... Thank you.
I do agree on the branching out. I did not post my resume, maybe should! But I have a diverse few companies that I worked for and that did give me specific training in different areas. I say IT, I guess it would be more accurate to say in the technology areas.
I am not going to sit on my ass. I have found that 1 week, and then it is so much harder the next week to get up and going. You HAVE to keep at it, keep hitting the pavement and keep working at it.
I never looked, but there should be an unemployed forum. More for networking (in the sense of people) to really try and get a diverse set of people looking for jobs. I know places hiring for certain things, I need those hiring for others?
I did start my own thing upon layoff. However, I was trying to start a WISP and consulting company. I was sued into oblivion by people that did not want me to succeed. I won, but that does not mean they pay me back in my legal fees. Longer story short, I am still doing the consulting which is here and there, certainly not full time but I hope it grows. | |
|
 N3OGHYo Soy Col. "Bat" GuanoPremium
join:2003-11-11
Philly burbs
kudos:1 | Ya know, I feel the same way in some respects.
I feel as though I have reason to bitch, but then again, I feel as though I don't.
I've had the same job for 11 years. I absolutely hate it. At least my Full Time Job. The PT job is tons of fun, and puts some extra cash on the table, so that's like a hobby that pays cash.
But my FT job is nothing short of a fucking grind. Difficult, adversarial, addicted, mentally ill people who want nothing but to be left alone, and I can't do that, as it's my job to play parent to adults who had no parents in the first place. Often enduring being spit upon by people with hepatitis and sometimes being shot at.
So, I'm happy to have a job, as so many are jobless. Even though when times were good they gave me (or no one around me) a raise. As a matter of fact, I've received not so much as a cost of living adjustment since 2003. OK, I can hack that, since I have a job.
I found out Tuesday they're cutting everyone's pay 10%. Like I said, we have jobs, but now I'm making the same amount of money I made 6 years and two hard fought promotions ago. Considering how long it's been since I've seen a raise in general sometimes I feel like I would be better off on unemployment.
And sometimes I feel like a damn ingrate.....
No matter how you slice it, it's some fucked up times we're living in.....
--
Petty people are disproportionably corrupted by petty power… | |
| | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... That seems to be another problem, many people are being cut pay. This is basically the same as being put on unemployment except you are going to work everyday.
I feel bad for you because I think that would be worse than just being unemployed. You are basically "forced" to make less to do the same thing. You do not have the "free time" to hit the pavement and look for a new job.
You see the news, and they paint this picture, but the picture is coming from statistics and pic and choose articles. I really do not think it captures it all.
My neighbors, all of them that I have talked to, are layed off. It is odd because we got this nice day here so I take the kids out in the yard, and noticed everyone else doing the same thing (older kids in school, some people just out doing yard work or whatever). Well, this was a weekday, when everyone is working, but nobody was. So I started talking and asking and they all where just layed off? More neighbors overheard and gathered around and it was amazing to hear the stories.
Unemployment, pay cuts, all of this just makes people feel like shit. Moral is horrible, but what can people do?
College students are scared to death to leave college because they have nothing to look forward to.
Retired people are loosing there investments, there retirements? They are scared to death as well. | |
| | | | | Re: I am jobless... They are consulting jobs in IT online. Contract work but there. If you're not posting a resume on the free ones, I would question your desire for a job. Get out of the pity party. If your resume doesn't have all the stuff you did in the past, they did a lousy job.
In between DirecTV and cellphones, you can Google for them. | |
| | | | | »hotjobs.yahoo.com/job-search?act···auXXQl4i
here, yer welcome. start searching and get off the dole, fer chrissakes.
i moved away from the "jobs black hole" known as PA in the late 80's and haven't looked back. sure, i visit-but only for vacations and holidays. do yourself a favor and get the hell out while you still can-unless one of the jobs listed above pans out | |
| | | | Reviews:
·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... Moving is where I am headed.
You put in the wrong town, I live in Youngsville, Pa, which is zip 16371. I included all nearby towns, etc, and it came up with one job. Expired and one I already sent my resume and stuff into.
If you look up where I live, that is really part of the problem as well. The nearest cities are 60 miles away. That means we are used to driving straight for an hour an a half to work. On occasion I find some local jobs, but usually they are over an hour, usually 2-3 hours, which I have taken some contracts in those cities (Pittsburgh, Buffalo).
This area used to be thriving, used to be. In fact, I moved HERE because of a job, and only got better ones locally as time went on. One major company relied on the auto industry, as they made lighting and other technology for cars and trucks. Many other companies are in the same situation, they are not getting orders for their products so are laying off as well. It was not until last year where things really became an issue.
But I have talked to many that have moved and not looked back. PA sucks in jobs, but when you look on the "unemployment map" it is one of the states holding its own, which tells me what?
It is certainly "on the table" though, maybe even the only viable option. | |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| I in the same boat but unemployed Technician and did not lose my job because of my economy, I have no hard feelings for the company I left, it was a business decision and as running a side business I been in the same where I was over my had and had to cut my losses.
IT always been a vulnerable field, forget outsourcing as the problem, For most business IT is an expense and not a way to ad value for example I do not care how much you save IT doesn’t make money for an auto parts store. I also felt IT oversold itself as the cure for everything and frankly living in it own technical buzz word charged world.
I would keep working at it, in addition consider expanding your search and relocate. | |
| | | | Re: I am jobless... quote:
For most business IT is an expense and not a way to ad value for example I do not care how much you save IT doesn’t make money for an auto parts store
Great, tell them to go back to a paper inventory system, and let's see how much money that "saves" them.
I've heard this dead horse before-what a crock. Time alone is a savings. | |
| | | Reviews:
·Comcast
| Re: I am jobless... Ha Ha
I worked for company that built the circuitry for pacemakers, they were going to a paperless system but after spending tens of thousands of dollars for a system that did not work, they finally they fired the guy and stuck to the paper rider.
Anyway you missing the point, IT is an expense. If the company can automate the system and layoff a few IT guys they will. | |
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KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
1 edit | Don't forget to keep an eye on your Local Government.
Even right now, my city needs some IT pros.
Also, the Casinos around here have been expanding, and also hiring IT.
Also... I'm seeing some IT jobs where it's all Telecommute. Literally--- work from anywhere. | |
| | | Have you considered relocating?
Granted "Fast Eddie" Rendell has promised alternative energy industry jobs in your neck of the woods, not much going in where you live. I have lived just above you in the Southern Tier on NY in the 90's and business was going down even then. (Sorry Karl) If I was looking for a a new career path health care is the way to go and might work W/O relocation. It's the only growth industry now.
Well good luck to you and your family. It's nice to see that that the benefits we pay really help people keep their head above water VS. people who abuse the system as a career. | |
| | KrKHeavy Artillery For The Little GuyPremium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK Reviews:
·AT&T DSL Service
| Re: I am jobless... said by Voyager2K2:If I was looking for a a new career path health care is the way to go and might work W/O relocation. It's the only growth industry now. You forgot about Casinos 
Personally, I think Healthcare is heading for a correction as well. It's just getting so expensive that people can't afford to pay for it. Eventually there will be some reform, either by force or by simple market collapse.
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"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini
| |
| | | | | Re: I am jobless... "Personally, I think Healthcare is heading for a correction as well. It's just getting so expensive that people can't afford to pay for it. Eventually there will be some reform, either by force or by simple market collapse."
Or, perhaps, reform by mobs hauling insurance company executives and hospital CEOs out into the streets and flaying them alive and drawing and quartering them.
Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?  | |
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | I hope you can find a new well paying job soon.
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Blagojevich / Madoff 2012! | |
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1 edit | Re: I am jobless... said by pnh102:I hope you can find a new well paying job soon. Thank you. I appreciate it. | |
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| | Guy - I don't really know where to begin, so in no particular order, and it will sound mean, which it isn't...
I'm 53 years old. Spent 35 years in IT, starting as an operator on an IBM 360/50 using punched cards and screw-in disk drives (and stone knives and bearskins), and ending as a software consultant in the retirement and benefits industry. Got a wall full of certifications along the way, awards, plaques, etc... Burned out and walked away, had a lot of trouble finding a job / career / direction. Reoriented myself, found a new path, and am plowing along in that direction. I know where you are.
First off, you need to lower your opinion of yourself and your skill level down a few notches. Lots of people do what you do. Maybe better, maybe worse, but you're up against a lot of competition in a field that is going to continue to shrink for a while.
Decision time. Do you want to stay in IT or not? Bear in mind that IT is a couple of letters that represent a few thousand different career paths. Many skills in one career path are transportable to other paths - many skills are not.
Get out of your "locked into IT" mindset. Take the skills you developed in IT and law enforcement, and apply them to other fields. Sit down and list the things you do with your brain and your hands (anything but Cisco), and apply that list to other fields. Got Microsoft Office skills? Critical thinking? Short and long-term vision? Good with numbers? Fast on your feet (figuratively speaking)? 10-key experience? Management skills? Anything and everything other than networking experience. That list will open up worlds of possibilities. Trash the traditional resume, incorporate the unseen skill set into a new resume, and cast your net wider. You may wind up with career possibilities in other fields in IT, or other fields entirely.
Going back to school doesn't necessarily involve a lot of time, money, or a brick-and-mortar edifice. There is a wealth of information on the Internet for just about any field, free for the taking. Lots of schools (traditional and otherwise) have a multitude of ways to take courses - online, audit, full-blown student. Audit some classes - you don't get the grade, only the knowledge and proof you took the course. Heck, I'm studying Dreamweaver and Wordpress over the 'Net for free with an eye toward setting up my own business online, while taking combo courses (classroom and Internet) for a certification in medical billing. The combo courses are a lot cheaper than traditional courses ($28 per credit hour vs $97).
Take a job doing something completely different than IT. Doesn't have to pay that well, just enough for the bills. Shake the rust off your thinking, break up the monotonous non-working routine. I'm working in inventory control in a distribution center - a far cry from my software consulting days, pays a lot less, different kind of people (waaaayyyy different).... but it (just) pays the bills, gives me somewhere to go, and exercises my brain and my body. (Also eliminated any desire for a career in a distribution center, but that's another story).
The bitter pill to swallow.... Unless you get a networking job, you are not going to start at the top of a new career. The good news is, you won't have to start at the absolute bottom, either. You already have developed skills that will take other, more recent entries into that career years to develop, and that is a significant advantage. Use it!
One last thing, then I'll shut up. You've got lots of time left in your life. Time to switch careers at least a couple of times. Take the long-term view, with an eye towards paying the short-term bills. It's not the easiest balancing act, but it can be done. And good luck! | |
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·Armstrong Zoom ..
| Re: I am jobless... Not sure why you thought that was mean.
Best advice yet.
Thank you. | |
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| | It's NOT YOU....
There are no jobs!
God the Borough just had an ad for a clerk and at least a couple of hundred people applied for it. It's the only job that I have seen in month's other then bartenders or wait persons. Oh wait you can flip donuts in Jamestown. 
There are no Good Jobs! People are leaving the ones they have. If there is a miracle Job opening...that Job is scarfed up before it hits the air. People are desperate.
»jobs.timesobserver.com/Jobs/Profiles.aspx | |
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