Monday, October 13, 2008

[JonPorobil]

I dreamed last night that my old job asked me back. Not sure if I would take it back even if they asked me, but that's another story. On the plus side, it's fairly nice not having to go in on this Monday. Still, money would be good, too. Filling out applications is kind of a drag, but it's the only way to resume functioning in this world.

QotD: How long ago was your most recent period of unemployment, and how long did it last?

[signboy]

qotd: 6 years ago I was a bum in edmonton, and spent almost a year just busking on whyte ave. It was actualy pretty good money; I was able to rake in about $60 in two hours a night just playing sax in front of the blues bar. And yes, the unemployment was entirely due to being too damned lazy to get a job.

[HeuristicsInc]

Er, well, in my freshman year of college I didn't work. That was in 1991-92.
-bill

[Spud]

Around this time of year, in 2001, the company where Stubs, Mad Dog (the artist formerly known as Bro) and I worked closed its doors. They did so at the end of the month, telling us that they were sorry that they couldn't pay us for the month we had just worked. They didn't bother to tell the landlord that they had closed - they just stopped paying the rent. So, we kept coming in and using the office to work on our resumes and look for work, and using the studio to continue recording Octothorpe Hits.

About a year later, I finally accepted a job from the same boss (different company), which came with the provision that he hire Mad Dog as my assistant. Stubs had long since moved on, being a young man in the computer industry, he didn't have to look as hard as we old guys do.

I still work for the same company, but Mad Dog has moved on to intermittent temping, which suits his lifestyle better than a full-time job.

SPUD

[Reist]

I am in a period of unemployment, but in school. I should probably get a job to cover the costs of my bad habits, but I saved up some cash for this year. I should be fine until next summer.

ps - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing. I love this holiday.

[Billy's Little Trip]

QOTD: I've been pretty much working from the time I had to make my own living. I started my swimming pool business in my senior year of high school cleaning pools and I still have the same business today. Although it's grown to a much larger company, it's hit lean times through the years, but through those times I just worked harder to make a profit. The only times that I worked less was in college or when my band played 4 or 5 nights a week. But I just busted ass in between those times. I'm kind of a workaholic and always have the irons in the fire. I'm not sure if it's for the money or the art of making a profit, but I enjoy being financially productive. It's kind of like a scoring system as to how well I'm playing the game.

[Hoblit]

I am in a period of unemployment, but in school. I should probably get a job to cover the costs of my bad habits, but I saved up some cash for this year. I should be fine until next summer.

ps - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Turkey, mashed and sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and stuffing. I love this holiday.

Cool, I'm glad that this day serves up a better holiday than that BS one we are (not) celebrating here in the States. (Columbus Day)

QotD: I went a little over a year without a full time job. For about 6 months I was officially jobless. (For a year before that I found myself having to cook @ Gameworks was actually decent money for THAT TYPE OF JOB.) I was doing odd jobs on the internet for money and I had a few bucks left over from an insurance settlement. But that ran out and I was living on a credit card until I picked up a part job at Traffic.com . I loved that job but the hours were few and very awkward. (9-5 overnights / 6-10am / 2:30-6:30pm) I finally got this job here at the VOIP company. ( www.pbx-change.com ) I've been working here for over a year and they treat me very VERY well.

I know, I always elaborate too much.

[Märk]

drc: Happy paid holiday, fellow Canucks! I just woke up (it's noon) and am enjoying a cuppa coffee and maybe I'l make some breakfast. (lunch... brunch?)
qotd: I was jobless and destitute in late 2003, to the point of being evicted from my place due to non-payment of rent. I had to move in with my sister in Calgary, and found a job the first day I was there, which I stuck with until late 2004, at which point to job market in my home town picked up again, and I moved back here (It was a serious pain travelling back and forth on alternate weekends to get my kid). I've been gainfully employed since.

[Billy's Little Trip]

Oh yeah, happy Thanksgiving, Canada!
good day, eh>> <<yeah, good day

[jimtyrrell]

Roll Call: Workin' on Columbus Day. (And Canadian Thanksgiving, apparently. Save some turkey for us, eh?)

QotD: Man. The last time I didn't have a job was probably 1991. I've been at my present job for seven years, the longest I've worked anywhere.

[Niveous]

Happy Thanksgiving, Canadians.

Happy Columbus Day, Americans.

Congrats on the wedding, J$.

QotD: I honestly can't think of when I was last unemployed. I think it was some time in college.

[The Weakest Suit]

congrats (also) on the wedding j$.
i will be married next saturday.

[rone rivendale]

QotD: Well I went from 2000 to 2007 without a job. Jobs are short around here.

[erik]

QotD: How long ago was your most recent period of unemployment, and how long did it last?

About 3 years ago, for 9 months. In Austin. Good luck, yo.

[jack]

working in silicon valley, there is no such thing as "job security". since i've been doing what i'll call "corporate" work (since around 1995 or so), i've been laid off 4 times. first time was from genentech of all companies (around 1997-98 or so) due to a lull in their development pipeline (i was long term temping there, almost 3 years). out of work for a few months. then got laid off again in 2001 after 9-11 and the dot com meltdown. that time lasted about 7 months. then again in 2005 (small company, shitty management, guess what happened). that one lasted about 6 months. then most recently, in early may of this year, but i turned that around quickly (about 4 weeks) and for the better (a 20% salary increase from the last job).

i will say i've been there enough times to know that i'd much rather be working and getting paid then begging for free (and that's what job searching basically entails in a nutshell). when i'm not working, i'm working damned hard to be working again. it sucks beyond description as far as i'm concerned, but it is what you make of it (either a damning indictment of what you can't do or an opportunity to do better). it's a matter of perspective, but the best thing you can do jon eric is stay positive, and the best advice i can give you is network, network, network. let others help you find what's out there. register with temp agencies, job recruiters, online job boards, etc. do it all! at least in my experience, there is very direct correlation between effort and result here.

good luck.

[JonPorobil]

Well, lost the old job this past Tuesday, and didn't ask that QotD till today, so in a way, I guess it's funny that I should happen to have gotten a job offer just as the current business day closed. I did a testing/application session last week with one of those banks that has recently added "Federal" to the end of its name. I phoned the HR contact just after lunch today to inquire as to whether I would scheduled for a formal interview, and she called back at about 6:00 to tell me I could start Wednesday if I was still interested.

When I applied, it was temp-to-hire, but now it's just temp. Still better than nothing. And it pays better than my last gig.

So how about that.

You guys can take credit for it, if you want, what with all the good vibes you sent my way today. Thanks.

[Paco Del Stinko]

I was unemployed, by my own making, for over a year. I lived off of my future, and am now back to work at a just starting up psychiatric hospital. I am neither a doctor (!) nor a nurse, but an experienced goon. The best goon you'd ever want as either a patient or staff, thank you very much.

[Ross]

LAst time for me was summer of 1996, I was unemployed from the middle of June til the end of August.

[Billy's Little Trip]

I was unemployed, by my own making, for over a year. I lived off of my future, and am now back to work at a just starting up psychiatric hospital. I am neither a doctor (!) nor a nurse, but an experienced goon. The best goon you'd ever want as either a patient or staff, thank you very much.

I hope that when I finally lose it, you're my goon.
breaks into a dream sequence with the theme song from courtship of Eddie's father playing while Paco and I are on the bumper cars at the county fair with him ramming into me repeatedly laughing and me with no muscle control being tossed around like a salad looking like this.

[jack]

charlie, you're way more mcmurphy than nurse rachid.

[Caravan Ray]

I was unemployed June, July and most of August this year.

Sat on my arse and played lots of Age of Empires and watched the Olympics. And became "Give Our Regards To The Earth's Core" - a one-man-band that swears a lot.

It was soooo sweet! I really miss it.

But now I have a job again.

i still spend most of the time just sitting on my arse - but I have to go to an office to do it. And wear pants.

[sausage boy]

Oddly, same as Ray, but around April/May.

My forced unemployment is documented on here somewhere.