The Unemployment Thread, spring 2005

I have my wits about me a bit more by now but despite the plethora of openings in Austin I'm not having much luck. When I first got here I had quite a few interviews but nothing's panned out. I was holding hope I'd get an education related job (consultant, editor) but turns out my three years of teaching wasn't enough experience. so that leaves me really only with graphic design. I'm going now to get a new printer cartidrige so I can print my portfolio up properly.

I get bummed somedays though. Yesterday I applied for the postal exam and a cashiering job at Whole Foods. Tell me it ain't that bad.

What's worse is I applied for the same kinds of jobs not too long ago and people seriously didn't want to hire me. I got a lot of prying looks on interviews and to put their suspicions to rest, I'd say stuff like, "I need a job and I've been working since I was 15. I had my own business but the work just basically dried up, so I need a steady, dependable job and I promise I'll be a steady, dependable worker." (Big smile)

So whatever you do, don't say anything like that. I guess you should go in looking like you don't give a shit and hate working but you need the fuckin' money or something. That's less suspicious.

When I first moved to Dallas a few years ago I got offered a full-time job at Whole Foods depsite my college degree and years of professional experience. They just opened a new mother-ship world headquarters store here so maybe that will happen again. (ended up not taking it b/c I got offered a position as a creative director somewhere else. . .)

I havne't purused administrative jobs at the university yet and I should. Although I'm overqualified (and usually this stymies) I've been assured UT is quite used to welcoming it's overeducated, underemployed alumni back into its bosom.

Yeah, me too. Sucks. And I still haven't decided on the city. blah.

Un aquoiboniste
Qui s'fout de tout et persiste
A dire j'veux bien mais au fond
A quoi bon..

Triple that. Unemployed, broke-ish, down-by-law AND my lease is up in 3.5 weeks. Haven't decided on a new place AND I'm wholly unqualified for anything but the service industry, despite a big fat shiny Ivy League education.

Yes, I'm about there, in fact. Well, I have decent job experience and qualifications when you get right down to it, but no energy or confidence these days to pursue something that matches up to them. The Ivy League kind of chewed me up, which is what happens when you are too much an idealist. So, uh, move to Seattle?

Your liberal arts degree is not useless! If you know how to write well and think critically that will turn out to be quite valuable. Good writing skills can't be outsourced as easily (while lots of programming and IT work can!) To be honest you may be starting out in the job market at a level that looks about parallel to that of people with no degree, but they will hit a ceiling as far as where they can go with it and you won't have as much of one. It's something to build on, you know? You just need experience.

Don't let it get you down. I mean I come from a lower middle class background and a really poor part of the country, and I guess I ended up feeling the same way about a certain Elite New England University where most students are insanely rich and had all the advantages in the world compared to what I'm used to.

Sure! See you there?

Absolutely. Degree is better than no degree unless you're a self-taught ass-kicker with lazer-like focus. At least having a degree (in my situation) means that I can jump into the job search, albeit a few years behind. If I DIDN'T have one, then I'd really be screwed.

-- giboyeux (skowl...), May 5th, 2005.

I'd disagree with this. As an unemployed freelancer I can assure you that any full time job I've had in the past/ freelance work has nothing to do with my degree/ masters. None of the outlets I write for know or care what my educational background is. "Can you write?" Yes. "Do you have good contacts?" Yes.

OK then! >, keske cela veut dire ?

Degree is better than no degree unless you're a self-taught ass-kicker with lazer-like focus.

Yeah.. I mean, I just don't have it in me to have a lazer-like focus and do it all myself. Pete I take your point; but freelancing and maintaining contacts seems to require more consistent focus than I can manage. I am the total SCATTERBRAIN quite often. Which is helpful as far as thinking outside the box but not helpful as far as handling a lot of tasks on my own time.

damn right.

Most UT jobs don't pay too well but the benefits are great and the atmosphere's very low-key.. hmmm. . . (i just got done napping. so much for my productive day.)

It bloody well is useless. It's in philosophy. And I knew how to write well (as well as I do now anyway) and think critically before I went to college. Unfortunately all of my classmates seem to have parents/family friends/uncles/cousins etc who are going to "hook them up" with jobs. Ok, I'm really don whining now. Promise.

Congrats on the job, Mary.

It's weird, since I got laid off i haven't been checking ilx as often! I started a thread about this they day they told me - I'm not exactly going to miss that job so I'm not very stressed right now.

Not that looking for a Graphic Design job is ever easy but the market is way better now (here in Toronto) than the last time I was looking for worka couple years ago.

But what's giving me the stress is, like giboyeux, I have to leave here at the end of the month. A friend has been kid enough to let me stay with him for June & July as he's moving into a big ass loft. Still not 100% if i should take him up on it or try to find somewhere on my own.

Think I might volunteer for the NDP too while I'm looking for work.

i did my audition on "filing your taxes online." i was gunna do "how a wah-wah pedal works" but figured that it might get too involved too quickly.

NO DONATIONS FOR YOU, DREW UNIVERSITY!!!

I know re: internships (I'm in ny. actually, judging from your email addy, we went to the same school). unfortunately intetrnships don't usually pay one's rent.

x-post

This is going to be a thread for me again, soon....maybe we can axe out the "spring" part in the title though, so it can be applicable all year? Heh.

I have a job for now, but it involves being a kitchen-bitch slave to celebrities instead of utilizing any cognitive abilities or the like (not that I have many), and while it would probably be enthralling to most, I am really beginning to DESPISE it. I'm just trying to think how I can leave, and even go back to something low-paying / non-"industry" yet ideologically sound...like telefundraising for the DNC as I was doing last fall. In retrospect, that was quite an awesome job, and if I go to the grad school I got in in the fall, I only have a few months to kill anyway. Benefits are almost too much to even ask for or think about these days. They're basically a luxury.

You know it's not a good thing if you spend half your workday trying to think of "realistic" lies to slip your bosses on Why You Must Quit Immediately. Especially if they've spent weeks "training" you (to be a kitchen-bitch slave) and chose you after an interview process that included upto twenty-five people. Oh the "guilt."

Help. Today was only the eighth day.

Vic, is this the 3-lettered place or another celebrity-centered one? I'm not sure what to say. If you can stick it out till school starts, you might get *something* out of it (cash, at least). If you can't stick it out, and you know it, probably better to leave now before they get more dependent on you/you get more entrenched. E-mail me personally with more details, if you like. I think you could just tell them the truth, it wasn't what you expected and you don't feel it's the right thing for you at this time. Don't feel bad, if they decided to get rid of you I'm sure they wouldn't feel too many qualms about it.

I had a wake-up call at my new job today. The wearing of blue jeans is verboten, except for on casual fridays, when you are also not allowed to wear those dirty pieces of denimn. There was a memo posted warning ladies against the wearing of revealing tops--apparently a patron had complained! You would think they'd be happy for the chance to see a bit of cleavage.

well i'm not gone, yet. we'll see what happens.

I know I should give a wek or so of notice, but I have a replacement lined up if they want one. I just don't feel like explaining anything, since I hadn't expected doing anything w/ food in the first place. I know I'm being flaky and cowardly, but ultimately it's their problem and I've had enough. I'm cutting up monterey jack all day, and I made G4ry Sh4ndling a fruit plate on Tuesday. Amongst so many other things.

I was going to reply to yer email from yesterday soon anyway Mary...nice hearing from you. I'll fill you in; the details are kind of hilarious. I hate fruit now, like I never have before.

I almost miss the pr0n store...

unemployment's BORING. I went to the bookstore today and bought some books about teaching in an attempt to research the market. did some online consoling to a friend of mine who's having her own teachign meltdown. I promised her when it's all over in two weeks she'll forget all about it. I nearly have.

...and yes, being unemployed and super stressed over it is just as bad as having a job you loathe and stressing over it. Just different shades of agony.

I need something soon just b/c I eat too much during the day. and drink too many diet cokes.

I also found out that a got an A on this weird aptitude test I had to take in order to apply for a position at the University here. The grade was need to gain an interview for a program where you train for six months to learn to write code for university software. I like being paid to learn highly valuable skills.

perhaps applying for unemployment shall once again prove to be the key to actually getting a job for me.

I had wanted to go for something very specific, but the money situation is such that I've got to cast my net wider. I'd still like something vaguely related to art books etc, but damn if it doesn't suck to not really know what I'm doing that isn't getting me calls about jobs I'm totally (over?)qualified for.

whine whine. I'm trying to be proactive (barf) and send out query letters this coming week. One to an awesome publisher who is hiring multiple project editors, one to ask for a volunteer position at a museum. Anyone had any success doing something like that? Cold-pursuing things?

I think nowadays it is acceptable to put things in the order most useful for the job you're applying for. At least that is what people who tell you how to write good CVs say. Maybe people whose business it is to receive CVs would disagree. It has a name, this re-ordered CV. Something like "Functional CV". But I'm not sure it's that.

They said they'd need to be hiring a new Art Director full time soon and if things worked out well I'd be in line for the position. Hurrah! My only concern with that is they mentioned the pay and it was insultingly light. I told them they might want to hire a more junior person for that role if that was the salary offered. They looked a little surprised and said that figure wasn't set in stone - they'd decide who was the best fit and pay what they were worth.

I just got a snail letter saying I didn't get a graphics position I interviewed for on Thurs. and I thought the interview went well! :(

I'm sorta worried about the same thing...except replace "computer programming" with "advertising" and "graphic design" with "ski bumming."

i'm still underemployed. not having much in the way of leads for a second job.

Still no luck for me, but I found a cool volunteer thing I could apply for.

Mm, well. At least you knew what I meant.

Is UNEMPLOYED a happy state or unhappy state for you though, jon? The capitals suggest unhappy, but there's only so much one can read into a CAPITALISATION