Tek needs work badly

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Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
I'm tryin' to find a job, people. I'm tryin'.

I'm not gonna lie: The job search is awful. I've been unemployed for a year and a half now, landed a few interviews, and been passed over for jobs for which I was clearly qualified (and often, overqualified). I've applied for countless jobs in the last 18 months and don't understand why I'm still unemployed. I know the economy is down and jobs in my fields of expertise are few and far between, but I didn't imagine I'd still be looking for a job after so long.

I'm going to keep searching, but figured I might as well post here and see if any community members have leads on jobs in Missouri or jobs where I can work remotely. My background is in information technology and communication (editing and writing).

With so few members in the Midwest US, chances of someone having a lead for me are pretty slim, but I figured it's worth a shot.

On a related note, I'm going to try to go back to my plan not visit the forums (except, of course, in case of emergency) before 4:30 p.m. Central, with the possible exception of during the lunch hour.

I also plan to continue using my personal instant messaging IDs (instead of my gummyzergling IDs) during business hours, which means I won't be on AIM, ICQ, other IM networks, or in the #cga or #toj IRC channels until after 4:30 p.m. Central (possibly earlier on Fridays). (I'm in the IRC channels today because I forgot to switch users in Trillian this morning.)

As always, my job search comes before my online responsibilities (even though I much prefer handling administrative duties to the job search, not that that's much of a compliment).

Please continue to pray that I'll find full-time employment or at least a short-term assignment soon--or that one of the literary magazines to which I've submitted my short stories will think they're so awesome that they'll put me in contact with people that are willing to pay me to write for a living. That would be sweet.
 
What kind of job are you looking for, Tek? Anything specific, or anything that pays? What kind of job do you prefer?
 
[gfc#6]suicidebomber;370406 said:
start your own business that matches your skillset.
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There's more risk involved with starting a new business than I'd like to take on at this time, but it's not outside the realm of possibility. It's something I've thought of doing in the long-term, but the current state of the economy makes me want to play it safe and stick to traditional employment.

Bowser said:
What kind of job are you looking for, Tek? Anything specific, or anything that pays? What kind of job do you prefer?
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I'm not terribly picky about the jobs I apply for these days, but whatever job I take on needs to pay at least three times my and my wife's monthly rent after taxes and tithes (so I can continue to qualify to renew our apartment lease in the unlikely event of my wife's employers going under or her being unable to work). I don't want to post specific numbers here, but anyone with leads can send me a PM and I'll give more information privately.

I won't work in sales or food service, but other than that, I'm fairly open. I stopped expecting to find a job I could truly be excited about about 15 months ago, so my job search standards have dropped from "meaningful" to "tolerable."

I tend to focus my job search on information technology supports positions or Editor/Writer jobs. I don't want to make a career of IT, but I have enough experience (5+ years) that I lean toward that industry.

I prefer jobs where I'm doing something creative, though I understand that such jobs are rare and tend to be unstable (i.e. pay is not consistent, job security is minimal, etc.).
 
My inner monologue read that title in the Gauntlet guy's voice. (Red knight needs food badly!)

In addition to that very constructive comment and the fact that I have no job leads, I just wanted to say: be encouraged. Look to the sky, seek ye first the kingdom of God. You're much more important than the lilies of the field. These are all very "Sunday school" type things that I know you know, but you sounded a tad discouraged on this (and very understandably so).

So...chin up! :) <------ easier said.
 
RyanB said:
My inner monologue read that title in the Gauntlet guy's voice. (Red knight needs food badly!)
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Exactly.

RyanB said:
you sounded a tad discouraged on this (and very understandably so).
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Aye, I'd definitely say I'm discouraged at this point and have been for a while. My wife's been wonderful (and wonderfully patient) with this whole "unemployed husband" thing, but there are days it gets to me. I'm willing to work, I'm qualified for the positions I qualify for, and I follow commonly recommended procedure (e.g. cover letters, customize resume for positions, follow up, etc.).

All I can really do is continue to pray, continue applying for jobs at this point, and stay sane.
 
Have you tried all the Monster.com type sites to get your resume out?
 
Tek7 said:
I won't work in sales or food service, but other than that, I'm fairly open.
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Sounds like my taste in jobs I just can't ever see myself working in the food industry or, shudders, janitorial work. I'm a fairly clean person and I don't believe hand sanitizer works. (It's physical matter people! Even if it kills germs what does the gunk come off on when lackadaisical employees don' rub it all off?). Also I could probably stand incompetence and laziness from co-workers/bosses but I couldn't stand there and smile to a customer if I know how his food has been handled >.<.

I was also thinking maybe you could try your hand at cooking dinner for your wife instead of ordering out. It saves money and might make her feel better with some good food :) (assuming your disdain of working in the food industry is not based on disliking cooking)... and no I don't consider cooking to be un-manly :p .
 
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The Mighty Gerbil said:
I was also thinking maybe you could try your hand at cooking dinner for your wife instead of ordering out.
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I help my wife as her "sous-chef" when asked. :)

The take-out meal we order from a local restaurant is roughly as cheap as cooking and fairly healthy, too. But yes, we try to save money where we can on food. Hypoglycemia can make that difficult, though. :(

The Mighty Gerbil said:
and no I don't consider cooking to be un-manly :p .
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Me neither. I would guess that most people agree with that opinion.
 
Now you've got me all hungry!

Since it has been so long with out a job, why not take a cashier position at a grocery store or something else of the like until times turn around a little bit? 1.5 years is a while but at least you will be bringing in a little money.
 
Odale said:
Since it has been so long with out a job, why not take a cashier position at a grocery store or something else of the like until times turn around a little bit?
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Two reasons:
  1. My "minimum pay" guideline I mentioned in my first post. If I'm going to spend time working at a job instead of looking for a job that pays better, the job I take needs to at least allow me to qualify to continue living where my wife and I are living now. The baseline is far below my previous salaries, so I think it's a reasonable rule.
  2. At the risk of sounding vain, I'm overqualified. I've applied for several jobs for which I'm clearly overqualified just to get a job--any job--and can't even land those.
I'm not saying I would turn down a job if it didn't meet my "minimum pay" rule, but I would be looking to get out of that job and into a better-paying job as quickly as possible--and the company that considers me for a job at sub-standard wages would know it.

Think of it this way: If I walk into a McDonald's tomorrow, explain to them I have 5 years experience in IT and a Bachelors degree and want to work the drive-thru, they know that I'm just using them for some (though not much) quick cash. The manager that interviews me is going to be thinking of the time and money that goes into training a new employee. If I split a week after I finish training, he or she won't have a return on that investment.

The Mighty Gerbil said:
I vote male model oh you handsome devil you :p .
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Maybe Valve could hire me to don a HEV suit and pose for some promotional posters for Half-Life 2: Episode 3. I could even be the high-class alternative to booth babes at the next E3.

EDIT: For those who are new to the community and are confused right now, let me explain: I once suggested that I look like Gordon Freeman. kraniac, a Tribe of Judah member and friend, said instead that Gordon Freeman looks like me. Thus making me the natural choice for Half-Life 2 promotional materials and events.
 
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Tek7 said:
Think of it this way: If I walk into a McDonald's tomorrow, explain to them I have 5 years experience in IT and a Bachelors degree and want to work the drive-thru, they know that I'm just using them for some (though not much) quick cash. The manager that interviews me is going to be thinking of the time and money that goes into training a new employee. If I split a week after I finish training, he or she won't have a return on that investment.
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I have another friend with a similar dilemma, and I recommended to him to downplay his resume and experience based on what company he was applying for.
 
I have the skills and experience to have a very nice job, however, since no jobs are available I am stuck working 8 months out of the year for $9/hour, 40 hours a week...it does not pay the bills, and getting laid off all the time stinks...but you have to do what you have to do :p
 
Doesn't necessarily ay the bills, but volunteer work is always good. I've seen a lot of volunteer positions lead to pay, though.
 
Have you looked into some of the temp employers - with IT and a degree you would be sought after there. They usually get uneducated and no experienced people. Many times those can lead to a permanent position in the company you are placed. I've seen that happen for people in my church and family.

Just an idea - praying for you, Tek. I went 12 months without work one time. Well - without the job I was trained for. I worked at odd jobs and temp jobs. Not fun and not encouraging to spend time doing those things. Hang in there.
 
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