well, my 1000th post has unfortunately come. After years of lurking, I registered for this BBS 2 months after being laid off in January. I remember the first day I posted my first message and saw the "Posts: 1" next to my handle... At that point, I told myself that I had to have a new job by the time I reached 1000 (which I thought would be sooner, given that I'm at home constantly, and i'm on my computer searching for jobs)... well, 6 months later, its sad to say that I am still jobless and have no prospects! not looking for anyone's pity, just needed to vent. thanks. i came to houston to get away from the job hunt for a week and get my mind off of my worries. not working. ok, i'll stop whining now!
What do you do? Why not market yourself in this thread and see if you can network a little? Congrats on the 1000th post.
I feel for you drapg...I graduated from college in late May and I still have been unable to find a decent job. Things really suck out in the technology field right now...
i'm an out of work software engineer, for those who asked. i've been spending time working on my website (in my sig) and people tell me to try to market it somehow... but i haven't quite figured out how to do so yet. good luck Raven Lunatic, yeah its rough out there!
drapg, Well, if it makes you feel better, with the way things are going at my company, I may be out of work soon, too. I'm not that worried, though since I think I can live for a few years off my savings (not that I want to). I also don't mind escaping Texas to look for a job if necessary. Are you still single? Have you considered anything out-of-state?
If it makes you feel any better: I was unemployed about 8 months coming out of college. After month 6, I just gave up on my job search. The only exception is one day, I worked about 2 hours on it and sent one application to an interesting-looking company. And they gave me the job. It takes a lot of work to find a job, but you never know when the job will turn up.
that doesn't make me feel better! good luck to you though, hate to hear that kind of news for anybody! yeah, its not the money issue... i've been outta work for 6 months and am still just living off of my checking account (haven't even touched the nice savings bundle I stashed away while working for the past 1.5 years! i could live comfortably for at least another 1-2 years on that... its just the sheer boredom! i wake up everyday w/o a purpose or reason to even get up (except that I LOVE TO RUN!!!) i feel like george costanza in that Seinfeld episode where Kramer says: K: "you're wasting your life man" G: "what do you mean? what you call wasting, i call living!" K: "do you have a job?" G: "no" K: "do you have money?" G: "no" K: "do you have a woman?" G: "no" K: "do you have any prospects?" G: "no" K: "do you have any reason to even get out of bed in the morning?" G: "well i like to get the daily news" substitute, news for running, and ya got me!
Congrats on your 1000th post, drapg. I have been in your shoes, and I'm one of the very few that is fortunate to be working right now. But w/ the economy being so terrible, who knows....I might end up in the bar getting drunk w/ you... My advice to you is to do what I did....and I know this might have been told to you already. But try applying to job sites like Monster, HotJobs, ComputerJobs, etc. Get registered to their search engines, and have those sent to either your existing email address or make up one. Just check up on it frequently for any job....and I mean any job in the industry. Just anything to get your foot in the door. I started looking while I was school in Nov. 2000, when the downfall just blew up like the Black Hole. It was frustrating as hell, and I had some interviews here and there. But I finally got the right job that's a stepping stone, but I see great advances in moving up. Don't worry, something is out there for you!
Keep your head up there, drapg... You'll find work soon enough. I know its hard looking for a job when it feels like all of your jobs leads have dried-up, but there IS work out there. Have you thought about maybe even doing some contract or part-time work while you're looking? Monster, ComputerJobs, et al are good to sign up for, but they're not exactly the most effective way of landing a job right now. Sign up and post your resume, but don't depend on them alone... Sonny had the right idea; look for new ways to network. Most jobs are landed by or through someone you know, not by cold-calling. Have you ever heard of Techxans? Here in Houston, these "networking socials" are usually held at bars/restaurants in the downtown or Westheimer area on Thursdays. (the last one was held at The Flying Saucer) $5 gets you in the door, business casual, free food, etc. Plus you might meet Micheal Garfield! A couple of my friends and I have been meaning to go, but just haven't. Maybe I'll meet ya up there sometime... Good luck...
