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Laid off? What are You Doing w/ Your Newfound Freedom?
dmorin asks: "Like many of you I'm recently laid off. So as I wake up every morning wondering what to do with my day I got to thinking, how everybody else is handling the new found free time? My original idea, that I would simply spend all my time working on my own software projects in order to learn new skills, went out the window when I realized that I'd burn out far too fast if I thought that the most important thing in life. My wife is working part time so I have at least 3 days a week to take care of my 10month old daughter, time that I would not have had if I was still employed. I'm doing my share of the chores around the house, not just taking care of the lawn but also doing groceries, laundry and so on. As for geeky stuff, I play with projects and technologies because they are fun, not because I think they will make me more marketable. I put away my "personal Java portal" and lately am playing with voice synthesis on my Zaurus just because I think it's cool. So how about everybody else? What are you doing with this new free time that's been forced upon you? How much of it are you using to job search? How much is 'honey do' list, how much is just free play time? Disclaimer: I'm researching an idea for a possible book. Not planning to quote anybody without their permission, just looking to hear what people are up to."
When I was laid off, I made looking for a job a full time job.
You could've hired me.
So I hired myself and started Linux Screws , a web site selling linux distributions and services. And, like another poster, I post on slashdot. A lot. I get a great click through rate to my site, but unfortunately, not a lot of people seem to be buying. now if only I could afford the $400 for an OSDN ad...
My original idea, that I would simply spend all my time working on my own software projects in order to learn new skills, went out the window when I realized that I'd burn out far too fast if I thought that the most important thing in life.
As for geeky stuff, I play with projects and technologies because they are fun, not because I think they will make me more marketable. I put away my "personal Java portal" and lately am playing with voice synthesis on my Zaurus just because I think it's cool.
Hey Jerky, you ever stop to think that maybe your natural inclination to waste time on shit you think is "cool" rather than spending effort on something that is more "marketable" is why you got laid off in the first place?
Why don't you spend your newfound freedom ruminating on your professional life and why you're in the situation you're in right now. (Hint: don't just tell yourself "The Economy" and go back to playing with your gizmos).
Certifications are BS for the most part, but people looking through resumes and doing the hiring don't know any better, so it looks great on your resume.
I was unemployed for 3 months, and I wish I would have taken the time to get my CCIE. I'm studying for it right now, and it's a pain in the ass between that and work.
Other than that, I spent an hour or two each morning looking for jobs to apply for, and spent the rest of each hanging out with my other unemployed friends at coffee shops and did some people watching. I read some books, I cleaned my house, worked on my yard, and relaxed.
You only get probably a couple of chances in life to really enjoy yourself, and this is one of those times. Just make sure you actually spend a bit of time each day looking for another job, because if your unemployment runs out, the fun is all over.
Need Free Juniper/NetScreen Support? JuniperForum
Converting my skills from MS to Linux having been an MSCE
Wired the apartment for CAT5
Studying for the Cisco qualifications and nearly there
Sent out a hundred or so CVs with a 1% reply rate
Learning Hungarian
Just because you're an unemployed techie there's no need to put on the pounds watching daytime TV and eating cheeseburgers. Make use of the time so that when you get that interview you can tell them about everything you have done during your time off.
Ice Cubes - they are cold and hard, like the truth.
: .COM flunky wannabe's have already flooded the poster with lies err... resumes.
Statistically speaking
1. You are not going to find a job on Monster, Dice, etc... A job may find you there, but if a job is posted it is either a scam, fake job because some recruited is collecting resumes, or 1,200 other Random L. User
2. You are not going to find a job in the Newspaper want ads.
3. You are not going to find a job watching TV.
4. Job fairs are a joke. I think the only purpose of job fairs is for people with jobs to go to a zoo-like environment where people without jobs are laughed at behind their backs.
Where are jobs found?
1. Personal references. Odds are your next job is going to be a direct result of you being walked in the back door by the hand of someone that knows someone.
2. Friend of a Friend. Just because the company where your friend works isn't hiring, doesn't mean that your friend doesn't know someone at a company where they need someone.
3. Existing Professional Contacts. If you interacted with other companies, you collected a bunch of business cards and you left a very good (memorable) impression. Do not email them, emails containing 'looking for work' get deleted faster than 'bigger schlong' spam - call ahead of time and meet them for lunch. Discuss your situation with them, see if they have any leads.
4. Contract solutions. They suck, and they suck even more if you don't speak Hindi, but if you are willing to suck it up and work for peanuts just to get your foot in the door and are willing to lie a little on your resume (actually the placement agency will create a wonderful work of fiction and put your name on top of it - don't laugh) then you are back in the workplace. The purpose of being back in contact with loads of new people isn't to make a lot of money, it is to make a bunch of new contacts because your existing contact base failed the first three options.
Glonoinha the MebiByte Slayer
You could make more money if you were using a website named www.linux-saves.com instead of www.linux-screws.com
Just my $0.02
Who's in IT? I'm an electronics guy. Lots of us aren't in IT. I detest recruiters who think that because I can write tight Assembly Language code for embedded controllers I am in 'IT.' The hell with that.
Bookie or porno director... Certified electricians and plumbers don't do so bad these days either, and it takes less time and money to get certified than it does to get a degree. Seriously. Unix admins who are used to installing there own cat5 cable and stuff should have no problems getting certified as good old fashioned electricians. I've heard a lot of stories about _huge_ sums made by electrical contractors on major construction projects, or simply those doing residential wiring who are known and trusted in a neighbourhood. We're talking lawyer/banker-sized paychecks. This stuff is well paid because it isn't glamorous and nobody thinks about setting up in plumbing or electrical contracting after years running up student debt & cramming their heads with useless abstract 'middle class' knowledge at university, ergo:- You won't be competing with thousands of unemployed MIT & Stanford Ph.Ds who have no family to provide for and are prepared to work 16 hour days. People need a plumber to stop the poo backing into the shower _even during recessions_.