I am keeping this Jornal public in the hope that others who have lost their jobs in this difficult economy will find some hope through my experience. I am also documenting my journey to help me keep track of where I’ve been and where I am going. I listed some “tips and hints” at the end of this blog.
One warning is to beware of scams. I encountered numerous fake job offers in emails, phone calls, and on legitimate job sites including LinkedIn (especially “work from home” offers). If in doubt, check the company on the BBB website.
Sept 11, 2024…Wed…Jesus Christ is good (always). I keep forgetting that he promised me way back in January that he would provide for our needs. We are still doing well and have not missed any bills even with some very large out-of-pocket medical expenses. I have been able to teach for a major university and I am doing some consulting as well. It is Autumn weather here in western PA, so I intersperse outside jobs with my teaching, consulting, and continual job search. The outside jobs are both a means to get things done without hiring anyone and as mental sanity therapy–we live in the country and being outdoors has its own healing properties. I am trying to get all the outdoor trimming done asap and cut firewood to save us money this winter.
My teaching jobs absorb a lot of my time and energy so I have not been focusing as much on increasing my cyber and programming skills as much as I would like and I need to get back to that asap. I’ve considered downloading some cyber podcasts in Spanish that I can listen to on my mp3 player when I’m working–that will help me to continue to learn Spanish and keep my cyber skills current. I borrowed a better laptop from school that I hope to use to run a vm and test some Kali Linux and other cyber tools since my PC is old and only has 4GB RAM. I started to develop a ‘Tic Tac Toe’ game for our daughter, which I will compile from JavaScript into an Android app once I can make time. I am surprised how busy we are this time of year–jokingly, I am too busy to work a day job!
On a more serious note, professional jobs continue to be scarce and jobs for which I’ve been contacted are often delayed. I asked one of the Talent Acquisition persons what she thinks is my problem with finding a job and she overtly told me that it is most likely a combination of my age and the fact that I am overqualified for most jobs. She said many companies want someone that will be challenged by the job and that they can mold into their way of doing things. Since I have a lot of experience and education and have managed my own businesses and managed others within the corporate world, they are assuming I will want to do things my way. I told her that I am just looking for a local job that pays fairly–if I was worried about those other things I wouldn’t have worked in a customer service job for two decades (for which I was obviously overqualified). I fulfill my passion and get joy outside of my corporate work and I don’t rely on work to meet my spiritual needs. So it is looking like my best options right now are to work freelance, restart my own business, or retire and work part time. I also started to write another book and I set up a shirt and mug sales site on Printify (my store is at https://usa-victory-tee-shirts.printify.me/products ).
Another problem I am noticing is that prospective employers are taking advantage of older employees and only offer pay of $19 to $23 an hour for professional positions! This is barely more than a fast-food store manager makes in our area. I’m considering freelance work on sites that pay for individual smaller jobs in programming.
I was sad to find out that my former employer is closing their doors in Monaca, PA by the end of this year. I predicted over a year ago that they would close this year, and even more so when they cut me and other professionals loose without severance…I firmly believe that you “reap what you sow”, even on a corporate level. But that being said, there are still many good people that work there and I wish that things were different for them. I know what it is like to lose your job after many years of excellent service and I don’t wish that on anyone else. I have offered to give personal or professional references to some of the people I used to work with as I still keep in touch with them.
July 29, 2024…This is my last week of unemployment pay. I am so frustrated, almost to tears, that I haven’t found any good jobs yet. (And I’m not being overy “choosy” as I will take anything that pays more than $25/hr net, as long as it is moral and ethical, even though that is much less than my previous salary). I’ve reached out in every way to contacts, including a general appeal on LinkedIn, and applied to hundreds of jobs directly and via third party apps like LinkedIn and Indeed. I contacted lots of people in person as well and targeted specific companies. I do have a couple of meetings this week with prospective employers. But given my documented qualifications and experience, I just can’t believe that nothing has surfaced. I’ve kept myself current on technology including cloud computing and neworking and I’ve also taken “umpteen million” courses in programming, cybersecurity, and related topics and have worked countless hands-on exercises, so I could (literally) teach courses on these topics! I did read an article this week on LinkedIn about other older professionals “in the exact same boat” as I am because of the poor political/economic environment in the USA, but that is little comfort when you are about to run out of money, and I would hate to be on public assistance even though I paid into it for over 40 years. I am proud of my strong American work ethic and I just want to work in some kind of meaningful job! The only good thing I can see from this past 6 months is that I’ve had the opportunity to connect more deeply with my family and to complete several home projects that were pending for a long time because I was always at work. We are still looking for homes for the 11 cats we rescued, but nothing so far, and that costs us a lot of money each month in food and litter and vet bills. We also downsized to one vehicle and are selling off equipment we haven’t used for years…if I get a job I plan to use public transportation as much as possible, but if I get a job in the city I will literally have to take 3 different busses to get there and home each day.
July 18, 2024…This morning I was considering Job in the Bible. Sometimes it feels like we keep getting rained on here without an umbrella, but I was also reminded that Job persisted and was rewarded. Also the recent speeches at political rallies on TV demonstrate that it is what you do daily that counts in the long run (i.e., you do reap what you sow). Yesterday I saw an insightful video by a black gentleman who is a chess master. He said that to become a Grandmaster, you first have to be a Grandmaster. In other words, you have to put in the hard work every day so that when your opportunity comes (and it will) then you will have not only the ability, but the internal confidence to take it on and reap the rewards of your success. This is an encourgement to me because I believe that God told me (and career skill tests confirm) that I am supposed to work in Programming and/or Cybersecurity so I have daily (well truthfully, almost daily) studied and practiced. (I need to look him up and thank him for posting this video).
I was about ready to give up when I received this encouragement. And the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life and his triumphant fist raise and the subsequent speakers at the RNC gave me courage to hang in there and not give up, so now I’m back in the deep end again to dig in and do ‘whatever it takes’!
Today I posted this on LinkedIn. One of my other IT contacts on LinkedIn tried this several weeks ago with success so I sincerely sent this message:
Greetings everyone! I am still searching for a good job after layoffs early this year, just like many other older professionals.
The “tried and true” methods have not worked for me yet–I’ve read books and articles; rewritten my resume and cover letters at least 20 times; applied directly to companies on their website; searched diligently every day on LinkedIn, Indeed, Career Link, Monster, and other sites; taken career placement tests; attended Career Fairs; worked directly with my personal and professional contacts; met with consultants; worked with headhunters; completed additional online classes and certificates; created a website; and even worked a stint with some entrepreneurial endeavors; but nothing.
I have certifications and certificates in cybersecurity, programming, IT, business, and a master’s degree in Business Administration. I teach IT/IST classes as an adjunct faculty when available. and I published a couple of books on Information Security. My direct business experience is working for an industrial manufacturing company for a couple of decades in Customer Service/CS Management and Inside Sales, and many years experience in Medical (Research and Clinical), Construction, Landscaping/Agriculture, Finance, and Social Services.
If anyone is aware of jobs available in western PA or eastern OH that are relevant to my experience, by all means, please let me know. I’ve never been too proud to take on any type of work. I’m willing to work on-site, remote, or hybrid. I prefer full-time but would consider part-time or contract if the salary is fair.
I have a strong American work ethic and I’m proud of it, but I need to find some meaningful work to do! You can reach me directly at “david.failor@davidfailor.com”.
Thanks all!
David
This week is our own personal “State of the Union” prep. My unemployment runs out in two weeks so I need to do another review of all our finances and expenses, costs, possible cost reduction, potential increase in other sources of income, etc. The goal is to take an objective and truthful “hard look” at our circumstances and project over the next 1, 3, 6, and 12 months–also considering things like bills, future annual expenses like property tax, holidays and birthdays, etc. We also need to take a realistic look at starting our own business and/or providing our own food through hunting or fishing and/or farming. We could apply for additional assistance from the gov’t but I’m trying to avoid that as I want us to be as independent and self sufficient from others as we can. I would much rather contribute to the welfare of others than receive “gifts”.
June 10, 2024…More “when it rains it pours”. We have had to help a family member in need until they are able to get back on their feet. Not that we mind but I am concerned about finances until I find a job. Then the bearing went bad on our car and the garage damaged the ABS sensor when they replaced it. (Just another annoyance because I replaced the rear one myself and was very careful not to damage the sensor and I’m not a mechanic). Then the car battery died so I had to spend over $200 yesterday to buy a new one but so far it seems fine after I installed it. On a plus note, that was the original battery from 2015, so it was probably on its “last legs” and I broke down on a back country road when I took the car for a drive to try and reset the sensor. But again, Jesus is watching out for us–shortly after I broke down and was planning to walk home several miles away (no cell reception in that area) there “just happened” to be a guy driving past. He decided to turn around farther down the road to see if I needed help and he gave me a jump so I could drive home.
But needless to say, yesterday was still discouraging for all of us. Plus we have to drive some distance this week to a medical appointment and we have a birthday this week. Add to that Mother’s Day recently and Father’s Day upcoming, and I’m fretting about money.
I am still plugging away today. So far, I updated my resume late last week and my website this week. I continue to practice programming in advanced JavaScript and will refresh my Python programming and Kali Linux cybersecurity tools in a few days from now.
For my own sake, I want to make sure I can say to an employer with confidence and in truth that I can do ‘this or that’…
June 06, 2024…Things are “looking up”a bit. I was in touch with the WIOA coordinator from our local CareerLink office and he walked me through some possible scenarios to help me find employment. One large positive change is that he reviewed my resume and made significant suggestions. Since none of the previous resume advice I followed has landed me a job yet, I made the changes to my LinkedIn profile and my online resume. I also received offers to teach in the fall from a local University. This is not full time, but it made me feel good (that employers recognize my skills) since I was starting to lose both confidence and hope.
May 23, 2024…Nothing yet but I keep a daily log in Google Docs of my “to do” list and basically a diary and time line to encourage myself that I really have put in the time each day to search and to prepare myself. I am working on two JavaScript projects which I plan to post on my website for others to see. One is a clock and the other a “rock/paper/scissors” game with my own improvements. I was excited to realize that I do have good coding skills–I try to develop programs myself first and then go back and look at the examples taught by the professional coders. In one instance I was able to use my knowledge of C++ memory allocation so that my code version was more efficient and used less RAM and CPU cycles than the code by the instructor that was teaching the course. (I verified this with AI).
Today I focused on jobs through our PA CareerLink because they seem to have more local and “real” jobs than what I’ve personally seen on LinkedIn and Indeed and the other job sites. I applied to a couple jobs again today and made contacts on LinkedIn with two people from one company where I am targeting the job. I believe it is more effective to find the name of companies that are hiring through my email job notifications that I have set up on various sites and then look up that particular company’s website careers directly. Then I take the time to do research and tailor my resume for that company. I also try to make contacts within a company and send them information as well.
I am a little depressed but maintain a decent work/life balance by spending quality time with my family and pets (we rescued 9 cats and gather eggs from our 6 chickens). I also take an hour and a half for lunch to work outside around our farm…just being outside in the sunshine helps my mood.
I keep in touch with others including former coworkers. One person told me today that they had to get a secret shopper job at a local store for a few months when their unemployment ran out because it took over 7 months for them to find a job. I’m a little over 4 months right now so am getting a little nervous but I feel that God has provided and we are not wanting yet for food or money to pay our bills. But so far none of my business acquaintances have been able to help me–everyone has good intentions and claims to know someone in a certain company but nothing has panned out so far. (I realize they are well meaning but are busy with their own jobs–no hard feelings, but it is a little frustrating when people make promises and don’t follow through).
And just so no one else gets discouraged–not only does it take a long time to find a new professional job but it does seem true that “when it rains it pours”. Sometimes it seems like the world is against you when you try your hardest, but that is probably not true. Like a few days ago the caseworker from the assistance office called and told us they were significantly cutting our food assistance by more than half. I also had to sell my truck so we can save and purchase a second “beater car” for work since we need our other used car for family and medical use. I did review the bus schedules from the two different bus companies in our area, but without a car I would literally have to take 3 busses each way just to get to work if I take a job in the city.
I have never been a slacker nor asked for handouts when I was able to work. One thing I have noticed as time marches on is that I am less tolerant of others who don’t have the same work ethic as me or who are rude to others. (I’m not talking about people that are in a bad way and can’t find work–but even while I am unemployed we try to be generous and give assistance to others in more need than us). But I’m talking about able-bodied individuals with a sense of entitlement who either won’t work and that are a drain on the system, or who will not do their job as well as they can.
May 3, 2024…Still looking and plugging along and praying. This week I stopped at our local CareerLink office to see if I could get some tips as to why I am still unemployed and for some job application advice. (Again I had to be persistent and refuse to leave until someone helped me–for some reason many of the people that work there act like you are “bothering them” and are not willing to help you. That is annoying for me to experience that attitude from people that are getting paid to work, since I lost my job when I was an excellent employee with a great work ethic and my customers told me I treated them extremely well). When they realized I wasn’t planning to leave, someone brought out a job expert to talk with me. She was a great help (I’ve spoken with her before) and she encouraged me and told me that my experience is typical and it often takes at least 4 to 5 months to get a real interview and job offer. My brother-in-law recently experienced the same thing with his new job. (So I guess the longstanding belief that it is often a “numbers game” is still true).
I feel like I often “sell myself short” in presenting myself to prospective employers, so one ethical question I asked the experts is if it is wrong to put down 5-7 years experience on my job application (instead of zero years) if I actually have that level of education and skills but have not worked 7 years for an employer. I was told (emphatically) that yes, I should because my education and hands-on experience (by installing and using software and creating programs myself) are equivalent, and ‘education = experience’ and vice versa. For programming jobs I plan to look at some code projects done by professionals, and as long as my skill level matches theirs, I will put down my equivalent years of experience. The same for cybersecurity jobs.
I also feel my age is working against me and if I put 20 years of service at one job it is easy to figure out that I’m not a younger guy. But I did not want to stretch the truth by putting down less than 20 even if the job stated they required “6 years of experience”. The job expert suggested I put “more than 6 years” on my resume with I felt is brilliant–it is true and also does not work against me. I know age discrimination is illegal but let’s face it–everyone knows it exists. I need a chance to explain to an employer in person that I plan to work for at least another 10 years in some sort of meaningful career. I would be ‘bored to tears’ if I had to retire and play golf every day, instead of working. (Not that it would ever be possible for me to retire in ease, since we live on a small farm).
I have been struggling less with bitterness towards my former employer. I realize they personally will give account to God one day for their actions against me and others, but we all will do that, so there is no room on my part for judgement or bitterness. I even stopped down at the plant this week to say hello to the security guards because I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye when I left. I keep in touch with several people from the company via WhatsApp, text, phone, and LinkedIn…some were “let go” like I was without severance, and others confided in me that they are leaving within a couple weeks for a new job–so apparently I am not the only one who has been preparing to leave. One of my former customers offered to pay me to consult for them on a project, which is ironic and humorous because I am making money indirectly from the company that wrongfully terminated my job. This makes me wonder if maybe there are consulting jobs available in my areas of expertise. I enjoy doing the research and challenging negotiations and implementation that goes with it, so that could be an option.
This morning a gentleman from a cybersecurity site was kind enough to contact me to encourage me and to give me some valid pointers on my resume.
The best takeaway I found in the past couple of weeks is to stay connected with others and make new connections whenever they are available with “anyone and everyone” whether it is our local delivery person or someone we meet in line at the grocery store. When I stopped at the plant this week there happened to be someone from another company that told me they will be hiring soon and how to contact them. I found that I can often glean a lot more information by talking to people in person than if I only looked them up online or emailed them. The thought crossed my mind to create some business cards but I don’t know if that would be helpful or not.
Another takeaway is to follow up with requests I have made. Sometimes I feel like people have forgotten me or just don’t care when in fact they are busy with their own work and issues. I (re)contacted a recruiter that I met at the job fair that did not get back to me and they sent me a contact name and email so I could send a resume, since they were not currently hiring for online teaching jobs. Both (the recruiter and the contact) connected with me on LinkedIn at my request. I also ask companies that reject my application to tell me what I can do for future ones and I have received some valid tips.
I am finishing another JavaScript course this week. This one is from Microsoft.
One thing I found is that I can’t let things fall apart around the home just because we are depressed. Bills still have to be paid on time and the grass is growing around us here in the country, so I pledged with my wife to put in at least two hours a day working outside, since I spend so much time working at my desk on job searches.
I have been trying to find ways to increase our income and to reduce costs. (Miraculously?) we ran into an electric provider company who happened to be working at a local grocery store one day when we were shopping. I am always very skeptical (“if it sounds to good to be true, it is…”) but in this case I saved us almost $150 a month on our electric bill and it is locked in for 11 months. We also get a $50 gift card from them next month. I sold my truck to a guy that works on them and found out again we were blessed because it would not have passed inspection at the end of the month. I reduced the price for him but still received a fair amount which we put away where we could not spend it and plan to use it for a new (to us) replacement vehicle. I also “have not because I ask not”…I mentioned to a buddy of mine that my septic was backed up and that I had looked at local rentals of an electric drain snake (at $40 for 4 hours)–he told me he had one and I used it this week to unclog my system. I plan to return it today (along with some patches for his swimming pool which is leaking).
I am thankful to God that he inspired me to put money away in savings over the past couple of years and to pay off most of our debt. Now I understand the reason. Right now we only have 1 credit card–which I pay off every month and use the rewards points to purchase things we need–and our mortgage. I will probably need to purchase a “beater car” to get back and forth to a new job or at least to drive to public transportation.
I am still frustrated with people who won’t get back to me (like our financial planner through the credit union). I try to learn a lesson from that and make sure I get back to people on time.
Apr 25, 2024…Updates: Still no real job offers. At this point I’ve applied to well over 100 jobs (that I’ve recorded) plus numerous additional inquiries to various individuals. I’ve tried the textbook “spear fishing” method of finding individuals in a company (like department heads) who are responsible for final hiring. It takes a little research to find their real email address but it is possible. I was a little devastated when one cybersecurity job for which I was a perfect candidate did not pan out. (It was a local company which matches all my business experience and cyber and programming certs). The CTO was kind enough to reply but said that they are not hiring for those positions right now. I’ve had a few of those types of rejections. Others told me it took them 4 to 5 months before they got an interview and were hired. It has been 3 months for me and I’m starting to get concerned about our financial resources.
I continue to study JavaScript and Cybersecurity and learn new Linux admin commands each day. I decided to focus (deep dive) on one thing at a time, instead of multitasking and parallel learning. For example, I use Node.js but I felt it is more important to gain expertise in advanced JavaScript and perhaps get a job as a front-end developer instead of trying to learn fullstack development all-at-once since I would be spreading myself too thin and only have a basic knowledge of the tools and programming languages.
I connect with people everywhere I go–this past weekend at my daughter’s bowling banquet I connected with a local database programmer for backend web development. I stopped in at a local warehouse and spoke with the manager there–this is for a company that packages polyethylene for the new Shell plant and where I used to sell to their sister company in Europe–but they are not currently hiring. The other day in the grocery store I ran into an agent for one of the plastics brokers I sold to in the past and he is friends with the CEO of a local medical facility so I sent a resume. I also contacted an old friend who lives locally and works for another plastics broker. He said to call him but wasn’t available yet when I did. I’m not as good as I need to be at ‘follow up’ as I should be and I have at least these three people that I still need to contact. I think tenacity with people that can help me (as well as polite confidence with some aggressiveness) are qualities that I do not use often enough. I tend to be too polite and not want to “bother” people. But per the Bible, I don’t receive because I don’t ask, right? And maybe the “squeaky wheel gets the oil” concept is a valid one to get results.
I loosely decided on this, but now have emphatically changed my tactics–now I only use LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and other sites to find company names and then I go directly to the career page on the actual company website to apply to jobs. I suspect and have been told by others that many of the jobs I’ve applied to via job boards/sites never made it to the employer, or at least the cover letter did not. (Especially for the “Easy Apply” jobs). I did circumvent this on a few submissions by making the cover letter the first page of my resume and submitting it as a resume.
I also quit responding to so-called recruiters from blind emails, unknown phone numbers, gmail addresses, people that call my home phone (I only use my cell phone on my submissions and resume), or with a foreigner on the line that does not speak English very well. I think some of these are only looking to fill their database with candidates, not to find you jobs.
There are a LOT of scammers and charlatans out there with fake job offers even at career fairs! (One company website posts a warning that they have not authorized any recruiters to offer jobs from their company). And some of the jobs on Indeed and LinkedIn do not exist or no longer exist when you go to the real company website. However, I do use these two sites to connect with other people and to ask questions about certain job categories. I also joined some of the forums and category links, posted and commented in various areas, and wrote some articles. PA Career Link still seems to be my ‘best bet’ for local jobs that are currently available.
I was disappointed by a local headhunter agency on Brodhead Road in Aliquippa that I met at the career fair. The two gentleman from the recruiting agency (aka headhunters) assured me that they could quickly find me a remote tech job even at my age. I followed up by filling out a lot of information on their website, I connected with the individuals on LinkedIn, talked to them on the phone, and had other contact with them and their company. But when I had not heard from them and could not reach them a week later I left a frustrated voice message on the company phone. A woman who called me back told me they do not currently offer tech jobs and rarely remote ones as their focus is on light industrial jobs! I implied legal action due to the gross misrepresentation by their agents (plus the huge waste of my time). The woman referred me to her boss who promised me she would deal with the situation.
Apr 2024...Emotions: I am not typically an emotional guy but lately am starting to experience some frustration and depression. We are still okay financially, but it has been almost 3 months since I lost my job and all I have received so far are rejection emails from prospective employers. My family is getting frustrated with me as well, but I’m not sure what I can do differently than to keep plugging away. I did start to allocate a couple hours a day to working around the house and yard because things were backing up while I’ve been sorting things out and applying for jobs. This week I disassembled our dishwasher and fixed it–avoiding another expensive repair or replacement. I put my truck up for sale on FB Marketplace–this is our second vehicle and I plan to use the money to buy a small used car that I can drive to a “park and ride” lot for public transportation so I can extend my availability to other locations. I was working local until recently so that is how I was able to use the truck for transportation. (As of right now we only have one reliable vehicle so I can’t drive that back and forth to work).
Apr 2024…Educational and Hands On Experience: I continue to study advanced programming and information security topics. I am currently working with advanced JavaScript and Node.js, Linux administration commands, hardware (rpi 4B+ and iOS). I have been using YouTube tutorials and coding instruction from Metrix learning and other sites. AI modules like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity.ai have been helpful as well when I don’t understand a certain topic or can’t find an answer in Google search.
This week I jailbroke an iPhone and gained root access via ssh, I experimented with Linux rsync (note that the forward slash gives different results!); I installed ip camera software and was able to turn my Android devices into webcams (still working on the iPhone–it is a little more difficult to set up with “DroidCam” software); and I used “fdupes” to find duplicate files on my external SSD drive. I have also installed different Linux OS’s on my rpi–I can use Imager or the “dd” command in Linux. In either case you can boot the rpi 4B+ from a USB so I have a couple of them that I can switch back and forth when I want to change operating systems.
I just downloaded a Windows 10 Pro iso from Microsoft and hope to get a chance to install that on an extra Dell PC that used to have Windows but I inadvertently installed Linux “over top” instead of creating a dual boot machine. I use “wine” on my Linux machine to run some Windows software like “Notepad++” for coding (I also use VS Code from Microsoft), but certain Windows programs only run well on a Windows OS.
February and March 2024…One of the best pieces of advice I was given was to use all my contacts and get in touch with people. (Especially the more than 300 contacts I have on LinkedIn). These people have helped me to find information or learn about jobs that I “may or may not” want to apply for. As I mentioned, a couple of these people are consultants and one of them was closely involved in leadership for the Economic and Career Development areas in Beaver County where I live. Because of this advice I registered with Career Link and also went and visited them in person. If you are politely persistent, you can find out all sorts of information by talking to people directly that you can not find on LinkedIn or through email. In fact, some of the people at the Career Link office just went through a situation similar to my own and the personal information they shared was just as helpful as the “official” help I received. I also found that the person in medical assistance used to be a customer of mine in my previous job and they also are in my age bracket and shared how their family coped with a major job loss and how they got new employment. So people matter, especially if you are a little shy in talking to people directly like I am.
Jan 19th through Apr 2024…Job Applications: So far I have rewritten my resume and cover letters numerous times to tailor them to specific jobs and applied to around 100 jobs on LinkedIn, Indeed, Career Builder, PA Career Link, (etc.) in Cybersecurity, Technical Writing, Programming (JavaScript, Java, C++, Python, Node.js, SQL, HTML/CSS), Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Medical, and Management. I attended a job fair in early April and I have used my LinkedIn contacts to get in touch with many people. A couple of them are consultants and graciously gave me free time to meet with them. I also linked up with a local “headhunter” who is helping me to pursue local and remote jobs in Technology and Computer Science.
January/Februay 2024…God has reassured us for several weeks via different channels including scripture that “the Lord will fight for us: we only need to be still”. We have lots of people praying for us as well. I’m trying not to get in God’s way of His provision but I don’t think I am supposed to “do nothing” either. I immediately applied for Unemployment, Food Assistance, Utility assistance, Cash Assistance, and contacted a real financial planner (provided for free through our Credit Union). I checked on other resources as well like local Food Banks. We have adequate savings but I always like to plan ahead in case “the bottom drops out”. I also took time to locate and download all my financial data including 401K, Pension, Social Security, and other data. I also put together a spreadsheet with our daily/weekly/monthly expenses so I could estimate the lowest annual salary or hourly rate I could accept in a new job. It was worth the effort because it took several days to put this together since some companies I had worked for were bought by others. I also found several legitimate online forums to obtain low cost and sometimes free things that I might need to prepare for a new job (like computers). I am making sure I keep up with our bills and taxes and avoiding late charges. This helps us financially and prevents a sense of becoming overwhelmed by everything that needs done.
The beginning–Jan 2024…After 23 years of excellent service, my position was terminated in January under false pretences and I am still struggling with some anger and bitterness. To make things worse, they did not give me my severance and cut off my health care and then I fell on slippery steps and broke my wrist! But I received so much support from former customers and bosses and coworkers around the world and even the unemployment office made the company pay me because I had not done anything wrong and so I was never given any verbal or written warnings. A few weeks later they let other people go in my same age and salary range. (The company was having financial difficulty and also has an environmental law suit against it). I had several attorneys look at this and they agreed it was age discrimination and moving jobs from the US to a foreign country but unfortunately I live in Pennsylvania which is an “at will” employment state, so there was nothing they could do to help me.
Tips and hints…here are some things I have discovered:
A few things I do are to use Google Docs and keep a running daily list of things that I am doing and need to do–I created a shortcut on my desktop so I can access it easily. I also have links and passwords to sites I use regularly (like for Career Link and the unemployment office) on another sheet. Google Calendar with email notifications helps me remember important dates and meetings.
I use a Google Voice (VOIP) number for my cell phone number that I report to recruiters and employers. This enables you to receive notifications, texts, and voice messages in your email. It is also easier to block scam callers. Not every site will allow a VOIP number but most do.
On the “soft side” of tips, I found that sometimes you have to say “no” because others will try to get you to use your time for what they think you should be doing or they will expect you to apply for the job that they want you to have (and may be offended when you do not take those jobs). You know what type of work you do well and under what conditions you can work well. Even my immediate family does not know the details of what I did for a living. It will benefit them too, once you get a better job, but you can’t help them if you don’t have a job, right? Don’t let others “guilt” you into using all your time for what they expect and don’t let them tell you you aren’t qualified if you know you are. Your job search should be a full time job, at least during the day.