Getting Ready To Lose My Job

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I may as well start a proper thread on this.

My job skills are, and have been dinosaur-like for several years, now.  I was just lucky to have found the job I am currently in.
They are implementing a new billing system sometime around August that will eliminate the IBM mainfraime (MVS) that is my specialty, in operations.
The big boys are dropping like flys, and operator jobs are getting scarce.

Except for my daughter's school loan of ~$15,000 and whatever it takes to rent someplace cheap to live, I don't need a big income to sustain myself.

I will look around Indianapolis half-heartedly, if, for no other reason than to maintain my current lifestyle and continue to pour copious amounts of money into said college debt.  The sooner that is paid off, the sooner I can lower my income expectations, and the happier I will be.

I have a dream in the back (and front) of my head to move back to Pennsylvania to be within a reasonable distance to my daughter - and wonderful riding and mountains and trees.  


So I am going to be going through the house looking for stuff to sell, and more importantly, stuff to throw away - make myself as portable as possible!

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose..."

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

And the reason I started this thread, so folks can feel free to post on it instead of me trying to keep track of PMs!


Thanks, Bob!


Subject: Job Hunting
Date: Today at 18:57:06  


Sorry to hear about your job .

You mentioned about 18-24 months ago, that your current job probably wouldn't be renewed .

Any plans on where you're might be  going from here ?

From an aviation view, I know that Republic Airlines, or Airways, has just made a major corporate headquarters expansion in the Indy area, after acquiring Frontier Airlines last August .

An airline, is quite IT intensive, just a possible job tip .

Bob

[msbuck]

I think it is pretty much guaranteed I will be out of a job sometime in the next 4-6 months, so please respect my price.Sad

This is not good news.  Seems like you were just in this position not so long ago.  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

How do you like the way I moved your post to here, Aïda!

Too bad I can't find a job in HTML.  It's the only programming language I have ever been able to get a grasp on.  Not that I used it to do this parlor trick.  I just used my moderator options and read all the instructions and stuff.  (something I rarely do... )


But yes, this job has had a timer on it since I started.  But it was so perfect for my personality and pay expectations (work alone, get paid more than ever in my life), I just ingored reality, as normal.

[nhmaf]

Sorry to hear the bad news about the job, Rob!
It seems that there are still website development jobs out there - more than most other programming jobs.   Perhaps you can get in some Java or Ruby or Python/PHP classes at community college, or self study with some books @ home, to broaden your web-appeal?
If you haven't already done so, check out www.linkedin.com  a basic account is free, and I've gotten several leads on jobs from there through networking with other folks.

[NC Steve]

Very sorry to hear about this, Rob. Although things are obviously bad everywhere, there's still a fairly strong tech field in this area. And Philly is less than 7 hours away, if that helps.

If NC is a possibility, I'll keep my eyes and ears open for anything that sounds good for you. And, you are always welcome to come down and crash here for a while to look around, interview, whatever. Mi casa es su casa, so if you want, hook some days to the Gathering of the Clans, if not sooner.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Thanks everyone.  NH, I am now a member of linkedin.  Now all I have to do is figure out why it won't let me look at some jobs it listed when I did a search!

[Melena]

So sorry!    But at least you know a bit ahead of time.  

I don't know what to say.  Just know where you're at.  Will you get unemployment for awhile to tide you over?  It has saved me...............so far.  

I know it's harder to believe in yourself than it is for other people to believe in you when you encounter a job loss.  (sigh, yes, I know that one   :-/ )  But I know you can find something out there.  

Go for it Rob!!  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Yes, I am already thinking about unemployment money.

And if things are truly fruitful (I'm not counting on this one), there could be some kind of severence package.  The reason I doubt that, is because the city is shifting control of the water company and sewage treatment at the end of the year  to the gas company, and the gas company will just eliminate most of the jobs here in the office, as they will be absorbed into their call center and IT departments.  They will need to keep the field labor, no doubt, but the equipment, et al will be moved, and this property will be plowed under, as the local city university has been chomping at the bit for it for a long time.
It is such an idyllic setting - I hate to have to leave.  

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=39.783518,-86.184837&spn=0.00545,0.009624&z=17

[nhmaf]

Rob, I sent you an invite to "link in" with me - hopefully I got the right Rob Valdex - there appear to be 10 pages' worth of them (whoda thunk that )?!?!?!!

It isn't exclusively a tech-only network, but it is tech-heavy, and there ARE companies which will only post jobs on linked-in or else will post them there first.

I will help  any way I can.

[Mike V]

Rob,

We can piss and moan together. Sorry about your employment situation, I mean that. If you sense a bit of anger in my delivery, you're right. I too am facing the big reality of loosing my job...and business. I've been part of a successful Land Surveying Business for over 28 years. Now we're facing the reality of closing our doors and the humbling experience of rewriting my resume' after almost 40 years. With little optimism. I've worked without a paycheck almost 6 months now and I can assure you it's a contributing factor why I'm up at 3:30 posting this message while my girls are sleeping soundly downstairs. I still have 2 college educations and 2 weddings to pay for someday. I have a 21 year old currently attending community college hoping to transfer to USD while my 16 year old has dreams of attending Emerson in Boston. I'll be damned if she won't get her wish.  I look around and notice an increasing separation of the "haves" and "have nots". We're currently puking out about 3 proposals a week with no notice of award or status. Seems all the jobs that resulted in our president's stimulus plan that was supposed to be the holy grail of our bail out - has only resulted in a flood of work for the city, county, state and federal governments while the small business operators are dropping like flies.

Misery loves company brother. We'll land on our feet, somehow. As you mention, probably with less weight and baggage. For me, failure is not an option...although i use that word carefully.  My situation along with hundreds of other professionals (as you) isn't a result of glut, greed, theft or dishonesty.  All I want is the opportunity to work hard every day and earn my way with no gifts as I have in the past.

All my best thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

[Ed Miller]

That's tough news, Rob.  I used to program on my high school's big NCR computer, I don't remember the model number.  NEAT-3 was the least useful programming language I ever learned, as it was specific to their machines.  I never even bothered with the brand new Apple II computer the school bought, as it was too slow.

Does your workplace offer training for new jobs, or anything like that?  

Anyway, I hope you find something that you like, where you like.

[trolle]

Sorry to hear about your situation, there isn't much I can say but  I think that you will land on your feet somehow.

I hope that you find a new job soon.

greetings from a sunny and cloudless north with excellent driving conditions, 46F~8C

[Melena]

Mike V.

You too?    California is in the pits right now for sure.  I worked for a construction company that was doing relly well until .............................. well, you know.  Nothing going on at all.  And I'm still out of work since October.  We are all  holding on by our fingernails.  Although I've heard encouraging words from some folks in the construction industry that things might be picking up here soon.  I sure hope so for  your sake.

My thoughts are out there with you and Rob.  We will get through this!!!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Finding my current job was such a stroke of luck, that it has made me believe.

I found it on Craig's List, posted by a Contracting Agency that places people with specific experience in job openings, and I was paid by them for the first 6 months before the water co. hired me on.
It is a common scenario here in the States, I don't know about Europe, trolle.

I will probably head back to their office, and others, before this is over.

But I will also be scanning the want ads.

Is there a program that you can set up to look at Craig's List automatically for key word searches?
You know, like eBay has for looking for things.


My company reimburses any money spent on education in my field.  But I can't get my head around Structured Query Language, which has been the mainstay language where I work.

I'm much better with the machines that are rapidly disappearing - the big printers, etc.

We'll see.


I sold my back rest!  Thanks Yikes!