How do you survive without a job?

[ckramer]

I saw many posters here stated that they have been unemployed for X weeks or Y months or even Z years...How do you survive? Could you share your experience for survival under this dark age of Bush Admin? Thanks!

[BlueOhio]

1. Survive?

Selling the house was a good place to start, living in a camper for a good chunk of the last 4 years, said camper being parked on a bare piece of dirt in the mountains...

I managed to strech my savings to last me for 4 years. now... I have no idea. all the resources i gathered in the 90's are gone. I guess i was foolish to believe that americans were smart enough to get rid of * in 04. I really have no idea what im gonna do now, I've been out on dozens of interviews, but nothing... no offers. guess i really shouldnt wear f*ck b*sh shirts to interviews...


edited for spelling.

[rhino47]

9. Come to western Pa rhino will put you up

I got nuff room.
Economy sucks here but I get set you up with a booth in my antiques store thats doing ok.

[nickinSTL]

2. I have a job, 2 actually...

which is how my unemployed fiancee has survived the past 3 years.

I picked up a 2nd job to cover expenses.

Anyone need a COBOL programmer?

[MayJuly4]

11. Cobol Programmer? Welcome to 1989?

Has your unemployed fiancee considered learning a new skill?
No one has used Cobol for the last 15 years.

Get some training in something a little more current and you'll be working again in no time!

[trotsky]

23. "Working again in no time!"

Spoken like the Bushler himself. I have friends who are highly trained in current technology and THEY can't get jobs, even in the tech-friendly area where I live.

Sometimes life is just not as simple as the Me-publicans would have you believe. If you stick around here you might just learn something.

[MayJuly4]

27. Bush vs. Antiquated technology?

I sympathize with those who cannot find jobs but are highly trained in the technologies of today. But you are shooting yourself in the foot if you aren't trained in these technologies.

That was my point.
Sorry if it made me sounded to republican for you.

[trotsky]

How easy do you think it is to just "go get training"?

The poster said they had to get a 2nd job to help cover expenses. Where do you get the A) time and B) money to "get training" when you're already working 2 jobs?

[MayJuly4]

34. re-read post...

They said person A was working two jobs because person B was unable to find work.

[trotsky]

36. Even so, the question still remains.

Person A is working 2 jobs just to pay their living expenses. Where does the additional money for education come from?

[nickinSTL]

39. Well, in addition to the 2 jobs

I'm also in grad school, racking up more debt...student loans.

I should say that she's been writing, and if she could just get her book picked up by a print publisher...(it's been e-published)

But, getting published isn't easy...

[verdalaven]

122. Speaking as a published writer

Can't live off those earnings, either. A fiction writer who earns a living off his/her work is exceedingly rare.

From my experience, for whatever it is worth, I always encourage writers who are just starting out to keep their day jobs and make writing a hobby. If you strike it rich, more power to ya!

[AgadorSparticus]

111. grants and loans. man, i'm STILL paying off my student loans.

it sucks but i had to do what i had to do. i borrowed conservatively and worked as much as i could in school to cover things like gas and extras that came up.

[sangh0]

51. It's hard, but it is doable

As a computer programmer for almost 25 years, I've had to learn lots of new technologies while putting in 60-70 weeks at work. There's a lot of material on-line. Micosoft's website has lots of documentation, and there are many other online resources. PM me if you're interested in finding out more about this.

[m berst]

117. "The Technologies of Today"

Sorry, it just struck me as funny.

Yes, there is a future for even YOU, in the Technologies of Today.... stealing votes, bombing civilians, drilling for oil in the wilderness, testing non-lethal crowd control devices ...

The Technologies of Today, building the Police State of Tomorrow.

need an echo chamber and a 50's era black and white promo film of a tour of a Dow Chemical plant, guys in white lab coats holding beakers...

"Living in a police state got ya down, buddy? There could be a whole new career waiting for you, in the Technologies of Today...."

[ilovenicepeople]

119. Thanks for the black humour(yeah I'm Canadian) theres nothing better

then splitting a gut over the upcoming total enslavement.HE HE I said enslavement,I can't wait."Race Ya to the internment camp." :bounce: :bounce:

[MsTryska]

28. There's gotta be something else going on then.....

interview issues, skillsets?


i'm in IT, and i've been pretty much continuously employed all along.

sure i've had my layoffs, but i've bene able to get new jobs, sure it's taken longer than usual (from a week, up to 3 months at one point in 2002), and i did have to accpet less money (4K less), but i've bene able to find jobs in my field.


there are jobs out there. Not a whole lot, and not necessarily good quality, but they are there.

[nickinSTL]

40. she may have had 2 job interviews

Seriously, she sent out resumes, and...nothing.

She eventually mostly gave up, I think, though I still try to prod her into looking.

As I said above, she's taken up writing...not that I have great hopes (she's a pretty good writer, but...what are the odds of 'making it')

[MsTryska]

43. i dunno, might be 50/50 with the cobol background.

I wasn't speaking specifically of your GF tho, but the other people mentioned as well, with the Tech backgrounds.

i also have to admit, that i may be out of the ordinary. apparently i'm pretty good at interviewing so if i make it int he door, i tend ot get the job.

it's getting to the interview that can be a problem.


either way, if you want a job as a tech, ya gotta have the right skillset for the market. of course it's tough if you've got the skills but not the background too, but there are people willign to work with you if you can prove the skills.

[nickinSTL]

46. Yeah, I'm just frustrated

The other people I know, I don't know all their skills, so couldn't say there.

My fiancee...until this bout of unemployment had also always gotten any job she interviewed for. Now, nothing.

So, I have to hope one of her creative projects takes off.

[MsTryska]

93. Does she use web-based employment boards too?

every job i've held since about 1996 has come from either computerjobs or monster. With the exception of my current one which camke through networking with people i've met through previous jobs.

and for the most part - i get laid of every 1-2 years because it's not very stable (godwilling this one will be different - but i'm also working for a nonprofit, so it most likely will be)

either way, whatever she decides to do, if she wants it bad enouhg, and is willing to do whatever it takes, she WILL be successful. (i truly believe that - the key is busting your ass in an efficient way tho)

[freeplessinseattle]

66. where someone lives makes a big difference too

I have a friend who is moving to OR after being unemployed for nearly two years, first year living off unemployment, the rest in savings. he's a techie, went on many interviews, and finally decided that he'd have to move, Seattle is just too competetive a market for the tech industry, the opposite from a few years ago.

[MsTryska]

92. Yeah, but even then....

if your good at what you do, you can get a job.

I know a former boss of mine, after we had mass layoffs at my company, moved to seattles to be with his partner, and was able to find a job with no problem.

it's just a matter of being competitive too. And of course, what your skillset is as well, because right now it isn't a Junior level market - you have to have some "gravitas", if you will.

[LeftyMom]

110. I don't think so.

LeftyDad has 13 years in his field. It's never taken more than a few weeks to find a job before. When the company he was at closed thier local operation it took 6 months. He has three interviews, the first two told him that he was overqualified and that they weren't authorized to pay what he was asking (which was the bare minimum we need to pay the bills with no money for extras.) The third offered him a more difficult job at the same wage he was getting before, with a lousy shift and a long commute. He took it, since his unemployment was going to run out and the new job discription would look good on his resume when something better became available.

LeftyDad's best friend lost his tech job in '01. He did consulting work for less than half what he made before, went back to school, got a second master's degree. Still nothing. Earlier this year he gave up and sold his house, moved to a much cheaper state and still hasn't found a job. His wife has a masters and is multi-lingual. She can't get a job anywhere, either. She's even looked at entry-level jobs like secratarial and retail and nobody will hire her.

These are young people who have skills and experience and are good at what they do. They can't find jobs. The economy sucks. Sorry to break it to you.

[KAZ]

29. That's a bit hyperbolic, no?

Though retraining always helps. It seems to be regional in demand, but one thing about the old languages, you don't have to compete with the young, underpaid college grads. :)

Why Cobol is still going strong
http://www.itweek.co.uk/analysis/1139189

But, we digress.

[Walt Starr]

31. Actually, there was a huge demand for Cobol Programmers about 5 years ago

but after the YU2K issues were worked out, they went back to being a dime a dozen.

Hell, HTML programmers have a better chance these days.

[TahitiNut]

45. "HTML programmers"??

That's NOT programming. One (not me, though) might even argue that COBOL isn't programming, but HTML sure isn't. I'd call it "coding" at the very most ... and even "authoring" is hyperbole.

APL, Ada, C(++), Assembler ... that's programming. HTML? Nope.


Reminds me of long ago when someone used the phrase "JCL programmer" - I got a good laugh out of that one!

[nickinSTL]

47. Ha ADA

Well, my fiancee has worked with ADA, too...

Forgot that one!

[Walt Starr]

48. It was a joke

As in "Will code HTML for food".

[TahitiNut]

49. Oh. (Oops.) I didn't see the emoticon.

I've been arguing elsewhere with an arrogant rock-head, too -- which numbs my funny bone.

[r3verberate]

67. You'd be surprised how many Java and VB Gurus ...

... can't even fathom how to layout a webpage.

[TahitiNut]

89. "Java and VB Gurus"????

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHEHEHEE!!!!

<snort> <cough> Sorry. <ahem> Uh-huh. :eyes: :crazy:

[nickinSTL]

38. COBOL is just one of her skills

I was being...brief, rather than giving her full resume, which I couldn't do if I tried. And yes, I know that COBOL is old, and her experience in an outdated technology is part of the problem.

She also knows C, UNIX, Oracle, SQL...who knows what else...

And can pick up programming languages pretty easily.

I also know a LOT of other IT people either currently or recently out of work who have completely different skill sets, it's not just her COBOL history that's the problem.

[Occulus]

44. Just like all those IT workers whose jobs went overseas

Yeah, right. "Go to college and you'll make a better wage." What a racket that turned out to be, eh?

[0rganism]

72. Actually, COBOL saw quite the resurgence of popularity in 1999

Anyone remember Y2K compliance drills? How the world was gonna go apeshit when the datestamp rolled? How civilization was gonna end and all the survivalists were packing extra canned-goods into their bunkers?

Didn't think so.

[MsTryska]

96. hey now......i'm gonna make an embarrasing statement...

i stocked up on canned goods too. on top of that this tarot-reader i went to see told me her astrologger saw a post/2K catastrophe in a lot of people's charts and said you should stock up on water and canned goods. (i'd already had mine by then so i was feeling comfortable).


turned out a couple weeks into january we had a major icestorm out here that had some places power and water out for almost 2 weeks. turned out the water and canned goods came in handy.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

74. working again in no time? you must be kidding

look, programming is outsourced. there are hardly any jobs and Shrub has dropped the borders and invited everyone to come across at will and take what's left. He has also left the borders open for terrorists. They are roaming the Arizona deserts now, along with the honest illegal refugees. There are not enough jobs left to go around, and nobody is going to be cheerfully "working in no time" just because they have skills. I know highly skilled persons with advanced degrees who have been outsourced. You are very very lucky if you can get re-employed within the year. Who are you kidding?

[MsTryska]

97. i've been out-sourced 3 times since 2000

i still managed to find jobs. i jsut stay away from large companies now. I found the stability is in locally-owned business, government sector, and non-profit. fuck the fortune 500s.

[LizW]

126. Same with my husband, MsT

He's been outsourced twice since 2000 by big national companies. Boy, it happens fast and without warning. At one place he went to a big project meeting and started a huge project in the morning and was let go that afternoon. The second time, it was a large layoff, over a hundred people. He said that was a weird experience, to be in a building where EVERYONE lost their job in one day. Not a happy place. There were people in that layoff who had been working for the company for 20+ years.

He went with a local company too, although it's larger than he would like. And of course, he took a cut in pay both times.

[Peanut Gallery]

84. Isn't it still used for mainframe work though?

Banks and universities, and other institutions (government?), tend to employ mainframe programmers.

It is good to have additional skills but I don't think COBOL is completely outdated yet.

[traco]

118. I have almost 4 years of post secondary schooling

I have 4 certificates, and it has done nothing to get me work for 3 years! I am a single mom! I can't afford to be without work, but I have done everything I can to find work with benefits.

I have spent the last 3 years doing temporary and seasonal positions. I'm sick of it. This is the second year I will be unemployed during the Christmas holiday! :cry:

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

131. Programmers are generally unwanted.

My husband and I graduated with degrees in Computer Engineering three years ago. We couldn't find any better than high school teaching positions.

[jody]

42. COBOL programmers can still find challenging jobs, e.g. this link

http://www.tech-centric.net/cobol-jobs.aspx

also try a COBOL search for government jobs at: http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov/

:hi:

[Fescue4u]

59. Cobol ! ?

I don't think ANYONE needs a Cobol programmer anymore.

Seriously, I don't mean that to be mean, it just the truth.

There comes a point when we cant blame everything on Bush.

I studied myself to be a Cobol programmer but Cobol was in decline about 15 years ago.

I suppose we could blame this on Bush the 1st, but whats the point.

Take some HTML classes, or check out the whole Microsoft certifications area.

best of luck.

[yellowdogintexas]

3. I survive only because my husband currently is earning

what he is worth, instead of just what he could get.

Of course he is in Wyoming and I am in Texas but that won't last forever.

I am hunting for work, and hoping to find something soon, and I still have some unemployment left.

Until this particular layoff I have always found work quickly and without having to take less than what I made at the last job. Not this time. It has been difficult.

On the other hand there has been a lot going on that would have required that I take time off from work so being unemployed has had some advantages. For example I would have missed a wonderful visit with my sisters and mom about 2 months before my mom died ..I am very grateful for that time.

But I do have cabin fever

[Cary]

4. In the long run you cannot survive.

What you must do is be entrepreneurial. All change brings opportunities. Today what you must do is find the fallen crumbs. That doesn't sound so great but the fact is the crumbs can add up and you don't have to operate at the same level of the employer who outsourced your job overseas to do even better than you did as a W2 employee.

For one thing, you might not have the overhead to service, even after they outsource.

Whatever your edge may be you have to figure it out and exploit it.

[MsTryska]

30. Absolutely....

during my longest layoff i started freelancing my computer skills to homeusers.

it actually carried me through a couple of months until i found the next job.

[MrUnderhill]

5. Some of them are eating up their retirement savings.

If you're planning well for retirement throughout your career, you're going to have a significant chunk of change in savings by the time you hit your 50s.

If you lose your job at that point... you COULD go several years with no employment and not end up on the street (or even selling/losing your house). But the effects are still devastating. You might be ten years away from retirement, but four years being out of work will cost you WAY more than four extra years of working in order to retire. You might not actually be able to retire at all.

[bobo4u]

37. Yup. I'm 53. No chance I'll ever work again.

Corporations will not hire anyone over 50. Age discrimination is alive and well in the U.S.

Luckily, I have a pretty healthy 401k after working 25 years with the same company. And a working wife.

I suspect My 401k will evaporate with the falling dollar.--which amounts to thievery by our government. Their irresponsibility with the debt has caused the dollar to be falling like a rock. And those that saved, are paying the price. It proves in my mind, that it doesn't pay to be responsible and follow the rules. Better to do something illegal to survive. The government has set the example for us all to follow. Cheat, lie, and steal. Its the American way.

[Yupster]

56. If you're convinced the dollar will die

then roll your 401 k into an IRA and invest in foreign stocks, bonds or mutual funds.

Senator Edwards outsourced his investments. His biggest holding was the Ero-Pacific Growth Fund run by American Funds. You can do the same thing if you think that's the way to go.

[DebinTx]

90. Even after being unemployed for 1.5 years

my hubby has had to take temp. jobs. The pay is below what he started making 20+ years ago and no benefits at all. Holidays will be without any pay for him. I still have a decent job. Got 2 kids who are suppose to go to college next year but that money is gone mostly. They've agreed to community college. Next is to either sell our house or break open the 401.

[China_cat]

101. 2 years will do it to you

when you lose a job with benefits and have a family member with a serious medical condition.

We went through our savings, took one hell of a hit on cashing in the IRA so we could keep the house and car (needed for even looking for other work) There's nothing left.

My husband's 55, working 2 part-time jobs, no benefits, to make ends meet. My SS benefits disappeared 4 years ago (I've worked since I was 16 but my yearly statement went from having benefits in 2000 to not being eligible for anything in 2001). I'm unable to work.

If anything should happen to my husband, I'm out on the street. If nothing happens to him medically, he'll be working until he dies. We won't survive otherwise.

[JudyM]

135. That is so difficult to be going through. I wish you the best!

[ohioliberal]

6. Buspar!

I've been out of work for two years and it's been a nightmare. Almost lost our house, we had to borrow money from my nephew and last year we had to borrow over $25,000 from my parents. Right now I have $3.59 in checking account, how sad. It's been a bitch so now I'm on meds or I'll be in the looney bin.

[Thtwudbeme]

10. I saw a PBS story on some Ohio burbs that we're foreclosing at the...

...highest rates since the depression.

Also that Cleveland was being wrecked economically.

You have my sympathies.

[HEyHEY]

7. Sell dope

[comsymp]

19. HEyHEY - PM me!

j/k

(... unless you were serious...)

j/k

(kinda)

nah, i don't... uh, got any?

:smoke:

[jdonaldball]

57. Sell dope? Is there a market for Freeper slaves?

Sorry, couldn't resist :-)

[rhino47]

8. selling my organs on ebay

I tried my soul but there were no takers.

[__Inanna__]

12. I sold my house

and moved to a place with a lower cost of living. Plus I inherited some money. I eat ramen noodles and don't buy anything unless it's necessary. However, I do need to get a job as I am a recluse and pretty depressed. Now with the election going to *, I haven't left my house for two weeks unless I need to. I simply MUST snap out of this and pretend everything is ok.

[ninkasi]

53. Hope things get better quickly

for you and all the others trying to survive in the insane chimp's war against the average person. I am constantly amazed that so many people voted for the little shit, since everything in our country that we had to be proud of has been ground into dust under jack-booted heels.

[tandot]

13. I am unemployed since September

I still have a little bit money "left" on my credit card. Bush is my role model: he already created a huge deficit and continues to borrow...so, this must be the correct way to do it.

My parents loaned me some money, which I find highly embarrassing. Well, at least I can pay rent for one more month.

I can't get unemployment benefits since it was my choice to move from Texas to California. My SO got a job in N California and there was no way I would have stayed behind. His parents paid the first month of rent and bought us some stuff to survive for a couple of weeks. His income is better than in Texas but not good enough to feed the both of us.

I am trying not to get too depressed, which is really hard...especially after November 3rd. I've applied to tons of temp agencies and companies here.

We cut down spending dramatically. I clip coupons and look at weekly ads for the best deals before I go grocery shopping. I don't buy expensive items like milk, steaks, or juice unless they are on sale.

We wouldn't be able to survive without the help of our families.

[fob]

25. Where at in N Cali?

[maumcc1]

78. Family Values

In reading these posts, I notice that our families are helping each other through these dark times. Hey, I thought we were the party of broken family moral values! Seems we're not, and I despise the asshole right wing fundies that say we don't have any. I wonder how many of them would work hours of OT and give up contributing to their 401K to help their daughter and sons that have come on bad times? Their message is so screwed up, I have tears running down my face just trying to deal with the frustration. We are truly the party of caring about people and always have been. That's why I've always been a Democrat.

[datasuspect]

85. doesn't texas

have an interstate claimants office?

my brother moved from illinois to texas and was able to claim benefits from illinois.

i think you should contact the TWC in austin and press this issue.

[whistle]

14. I have a job, but I'm making half what I did four years ago when Bush

...took over the country. In fact, I have one and a half jobs, the one that represents my prior type of work and a second part-time self-employed type job which takes about 20 hours of my free time. It pays only marginally better wages but requires additional out-of-pocket expenses that are not reimbursable, so I actually make less per hour. It will do for now till I find something more lucrative in exchange for my time.

For the first two years that Bush was in office I ate up much of my savings and borrowed against some IRAs and my home equity thinking that the policies of the republicans were not going to be economically as suicidal for the nation as it turned out. But then I realized what a mess Bush was creating. So I dug in my heals, bit the bullet and changed everything about my lifestyle hoping that a democratic presidential victory this past election would restore sanity and turn things around. That failed to materialize.

Now, we face four more years of what I have learned truly will be a neo-conservative/religious fundamentalists economic vendetta against all persons who think pre-Bush. I'm prepared to fight as an individual for my own economic survival, because I have nothing more to loose. I am also prepared to do this fight with or without help from my party, the democratic party. Throughout my 40 plus years of working and supporting myself and my family who are now all grown and successful and on their own, I have lived through every attempted republican purge from Richard Nixon, to the Reagan years, then with Bush I and I'll do it again. Bush II is a nothing, insignificant in the grand scheme of world affairs. An American leader for the people will emerge sooner or later. For now I have only one thing to say to this administration and their brown shirt followers, Cheney you!!

[kostya]

15. The ones who didn't wouldn't be posting here I'd guess.

[whistle]

16. Again it happened

An error occurred during processing.

This may or may not have affected the action you were trying to
submit, so if you were trying to make a post or vote in a poll, please
check to see if the action was completed. It is not necessary to report
this as a bug unless it appears this error did prevent your action from completing.


Bug report id number: 210639

[HEyHEY]

17. "Anyone can get a job - it takes a MAN to make it without working"

-Barfly

[crispini]

18. My "jobless" friends...

are working 2 or 3 shit jobs instead of the one good job they used to have. 50, 60, 70 hour weeks, no health care, no retirement plan, just work work work work work.

It sucks.

[Warpy]

20. 15 months and counting

I'm living on savings and I've got about a year to go before I have to throw myself on the mercy of Walmart.

I don't drink or smoke. I buy a lot of food in bulk at the local co-op and I know how to cook it. I heat with a wood stove. My only luxury is cheap DSL that QWest grandfathered me into for about what regular AOHELL used to cost. I was on 10 prescription drugs a year ago (a clue to why I remain unemployed) and now I'm down to 2 I take every day and another 2 I take when I get desperate. They are all generics. My mortgage payment is a little less than renting an apartment in an equivalent neighborhood would be. If something breaks, I check out thrift shops for replacements, make it myself, or I do without.

I've still got my 15 year old pickup truck on the road, but I do most short trips on an electric moped at half a cent a mile. If my health permitted, I'd use a bicycle for those.

That's how I survive. Barely. How about you?

[Vanje]

21. I sell stuff that I own

Last year I sold my house and acerage, which was 100% paid for, and bought a cheaper one (with MORE acerage!).
Having no house payments helps.
I sell used books online.
I do odd jobs.
I grow my own produce, meat, milk and eggs, and sell the excess.
I sell a painting or illustrations occaisionally.
I wear coat and hat in the house to keep my heating bill minimal.
I never buy stuff if I can POSSIBLY do without.
I dumpster dive.
Some local stores and restaurants save boxes of food and scraps for me to feed to my livestock and poultry.(Their chins are all orange from ~800 lbs of left over halloween pumpkins now.

I'm quite happy and comfortable living like this. (Beauty surrounds me!)

I do worry about incuring serious sickness or injury. If a filling or crown comes loose, or my old car breaks down, I'll have some trouble.

I dont mind the lifestyle at all, but living this close to the edge sometimes makes me nervous.

And oh. Dating. I dont. The subject of "what do you do for a living?", is bound to come up.

[__Inanna__]

63. Nonsense about the teeth

I lost a half a tooth about 5 months ago and am doing quite fine. It's amazing what a person can do to get by once they readjust their thinking. I thought the old proverbial, got to get my tooth fixed, but it's hogwash, IMO. No tooth aches, knock on wood. What the heck did people used to do in the other centuries?

[Vanje]

22. Deleted. Dupe (sorry!)

ooops

[TexasChick]

24. Been unemployed for two years now. I live with my twin sister. She has

to pay our rent, car payments, groceries and utilities. I was able to apply for food stamps, but only for three months. I have to wait another THREE years before I can apply again.

If it weren't for her taking me in, in all honesty, I don't know. I know a preacher who probably would've set me up somewhere to stay temporarily, don't really know.

We have to forfeit a lot of stuff, like movies! When I was working, we went to the movies a lot together. She and I are movie buffs. We don't ever get to go out to dinner, unless my brother takes us out with his family because he always pays. We have to buy real cheap. We never get to go shopping any more either. It is real depressing sometimes. Sometimes she comes in my room and finds me crying, contemplating suicide because I feel so terrible to put her through so much burden, but she tells me that she loves me and would be lost without me and that things will get better. I never tell her though, that I know deep down in my mind, things are only going to get worse with this madman still in the WH.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, it is truly frightening. I am trying to find anything. I have never had retail experience, so I am not even getting any calls back for places to work in retail either. (Sigh) For the first time, I have been looking to Canada for work and am trying to apply for a Skilled Worker Visa. I did pass the test.



Edited for Freeptardian-type spelling.

[paula777]

50. Fabricate retail experience on your resume

A couple of years back I was unemployed and could not find a job in my industry to save my life. I just totally fabricated retail experience and put it on my resume (I said it was a store that had recently gone out of business so they couldn't check references). I then applied at 2 retail jobs and got both. Finally found a better job but those retail jobs saved me when I was penniless. Try it, you have nothing to lose.

[TexasChick]

58. Thanks, paula777! I'll try it! I do have nothing to lose! n/t

[utahgirl]

61. Ummm -- Wouldn't do that

I work in an employment counseling office. I think putting anything on your resume that isn't true is a bad idea.

Most people have terrible resumes. I can't understand it. They type something up in about 20 minutes and think it's done. I suggest seeing if Yana Parker's book Best Damn Resume Guide is available in your local library and studying it carefully.

Here's a number one mistake: an employer doesn't give a damn what you want to do for you, i.e., I want to grow/learn/discover how to be a CEO.

They want to hear: I increased sales by 25% by learning how to create effective window displays, or I work well in groups and my last three projects were on time and 12% under budget.

Take the job description and address the qualifications directly in your cover letter (which, of course, has no spelling or grammar errors).

utahgirl

[TexasChick]

62. Thanks, utahgirl! Nice tips! I'll check to see if the book is available

in my local library!

[__Inanna__]

99. I see nothing wrong with

fabricating a bit on a resume, as long as you really have the skills to do the job. I am not talking about a job where you can hurt anyone else (i.e. that crack DR. in Florida who gave some guy implants). Why must we be so damned honest about everything when our government lies to us and the consequences are horrific?

Nope, I know my abilities and the reasons why I have done what i've done, and it's no one else's business as long as I have the skills to get a given job done well.

[conflictgirl]

105. You can't get a job in retail if your work experience is professional

In some areas, at least. Very large cities might have a large enough number of retail outlets that they aren't so picky. Where I live now (around 200,000 population, declining Rust Belt town) you can't get a job in retail or restaurants - even fast food - if your work experience is too professional. They assume that you'll only work there until you find something better, so they would actually prefer to hire someone with NO work experience at all. I was an assistant manager of a retail store for a while, I know the mindset. And these are minimum-wage jobs around here.

My husband was out of work for about 6 months and he applied at every fast food place and retail establishment that he could. He only got one interview, for a 3rd shift stocker position. I would never falsify professional job experience on a resume, but if I had to do it to get a minimum wage job just to survive, I'd see it as necessary.

[JNelson6563]

123. Oh come on

You show me an actress who doesn't lie on her resume' and I'll show you a waitress.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Julie

[Rjnerd]

26. Some luck...

Well, I have a few advantages. One is that my grandmother's estate is not going to evict me (My SO still pays her share of the rent). She has taken over the utility bills (for the most part), and her company provides my health insurance (they don't care if domestic partners aren't same sex). (since I supported her when she went back to school 12 years ago, its not as once sided as it could be)

I haven't bought anything non-essential in a long time. I have spent my savings, including much of my 401k. I am in hock to the credit card companies. I get an occaisional lecture gig. Sold some of my tool accumulation. Expect to be tapped out in about 3 months...

Of the things that I consider the luckiest, is the rent situation, followed by health insurance. Even with the coverage, medication costs me over 100/month. (some things aren't generic, and I am taking 3 medications for diabetes, two for another chronic condition, plus the testing supplies)

[helnwhls]

32. bruising my lips on corporate

cock as we speak. My stunning good looks only got me so far. I have had to find work. The only thing I have to say to you is, would ya like fries with that.

[C.C.D.]

33. We live in a lower COL area than most of y'all. (m)

I'm a single parent now, was an unmarried homemaker before, so a few years w/o work history going on here. For more than a year we lived on $2,500 (from the EITC!) and, well, you can imagine how that went. $2,500/yr is not much. I just recently found a 10/hr a week service job. So here I am, raising a child on less than $300/mo!! I'm supposed to get child support soon, the $175/mo there would really help.

We live in an older trailer house, paid for with a leased lot. I don't have a car note. I grow a large organic vegetable garden in the backyard. I don't have any expensive vices. My only real "luxury" spending is my Tithe. I will pay it until I can not.

[Tsiyu]

102. Your life sounds kind of awesome

even though I know it's tough. I admire how you've adapted.

I'm in a similar situation but I can't get much to grow in the woods.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

35. After I lost my last teaching job and saw that the available jobs were

not worth having, I went free-lance as an editor and translator. That seemed risky at the time, but in the end, it has worked out well. I'm not subjected to the stresses of the U.S. economy, but rather the Japanese economy, which was already in a trough when I got into the field and hasn't changed much, and is in fact improving a little.

However, I have two friends and a relative who have been unemployed long-term. All three are single (one never married, one divorced, one had a partner who died), and all three are over sixty. They all have long, successful work histories, and no one wants them. They even removed indications of age from their resumes and have managed to get interviews on that basis, but they said that they literally can see the interviewer's face fall when they walk into the room in their gray-haired glory.

Relative turned sixty-two, bit the bullet and went on Social Security, and now works part-time as a receptionist. This is enough to keep her from losing her tiny little condo but doesn't allow for any luxuries.

Friend #1 also turned sixty-two and went on Social Security. After much useless job hunting, he now works as a church secretary.

Friend #2 is in the worst shape, having been unemployed for three years and not being old enough for SS. She has used up her retirement savings, sold her house, and applied for literally hundreds of jobs. No luck beyond temp work. Admittedly, she made some foolish spending decisions early in the game, but she never imagined that she would have trouble finding a job, since she had never had trouble before. She is surviving on handouts from relatives.

[MissB]

41. Someday, those three examples

will look like the glory years to many of us.

[SudieJD]

52. I've Been Out Of Work For 4 Yrs. Now.

I was picking up on some temp jobs, they've all but dried up. I had to travel 50 miles to work with any of the jobs they sent me on. We wouldn't survive if my husband weren't working.

Sudie

[Jackie97]

54. Whatever it takes to survive....

That's what you do.

Work two jobs if you have to.

Settle for Wal-Mart type jobs if you have to (and make sure they don't think you're overqualified).

Move in with a relative if you have to.

Go to Nevada and become a hooker if you have to. :)

[datasuspect]

86. yep . . .

hustle and con until your spirit is broken.

been there

done that

[Cookie wookie]

55. My brother-in-law is losing his job the end of Jan

16 years with MCI aka Worldcom aka MCI as a LAN/WAN engineer. They're giving him 4 months severance. He and my sister are coming back home to Georgia and moving in with me next week and he'll telecommute until the job runs out while he looks for work here. I'm worried about them, but glad I have room and can help out.

They lost all their retirement savings when Worldcom went belly up. Just to think that he survived all the cutbacks and downsizing through all the Worldcom mess and finally they decided to pretty much downsize to nothing in D.C.

This weekend I'd better clean house. I've spent the last I don't know how long (almost 2 years) on politics and the place has gotten a bit trashy.

[serryjw]

60. Fighting the good fight!

For 3 years I worked to fight Bushit & com. I fundraised for the dems for 1 1/2 years. Made about $15K/year. Left to get our message out while doing state petitions and 'get out and vote drives". I made about $250/week. I am single, have very low overhead and can 'survive' on that kinda a money with NOTHING else.
I just took a market research job for $9.50/hour for 32 hours a week. I have about $200 in savings! NO RETIREMENT and NO health care. My health is failing and the county hospital is my salvation. I could never afford health care again.

[Sin]

64. North eastern Pa

Ive been out of work for 4 years in the tech field
all the tech jobs dried up right after i got out of school for networking and continue to vanish.
How we get by is Low cost of living + My gf and I came into money a fair amount of money also we do the odd computer repair job
we wanted to get our own place but my parents let us stay here I think they kind of need it as much as we do I help around the house now we burn wood entirely in the winter to keep warm did it all my life but my parents are getting up there in age to split and stack it all.+ we put up the money to put a new roof on since there health care all started to go copay there paying for that themselves now.
and they have health Issues. I'm pretty much in perfect health
except for a Knee problem pops out allot was born like it.My Gf has type 1 diabetes both I and her don't have health insurance
no jobs offer it around here with out you working full time or a very large co pay now So thats were we are in life my moms a nurse so she is pretty set for work my dad has always been on shaky ground hes a welder there work goes from allot to layoffs basically

So yea its quite a weird situation theres probably thousands of story's like it. So any of you guys have computer work out there for a depressed comp geek :) had to throw that in there.

[NuttyFluffers]

65. government cheese.

slather that bastard on, the more dripping grease the better.

now living off of student loans. gonna get myself re-edumacated, then get me the hell outta here. gonna suck as hard as i can to get as much quality schooling (so that i can be the best, most skilled american i can be -- for any homeland security officials reading this) and then present my marketable self to... markets that want me, wherever that may take me.

if at the end that doesn't work out then i'm stuck on the gov't welfare cheese for at least 5 years 'cuz the bastards screwed me over with this economy. no prob, they pay for me 'cuz they made the prob. if they don't then i go to another country, even if i have to crawl... over the ocean if i have to.

[Blue Wally]

68. Past four years not too bad

The worst years of my life from a financial viewpoint were the Nixon-Ford-Carter years of the seventies. Unemployment was really high as were interest rates and inflation. Only good part of it was that the virulent inflation quickly trivialized your indebtedness.

Late fifties weren't too good either (probably cost Nixon the presidency in 1960). Other than tech, things seem to be recovering now. Tech is probably screwed for quite some time, much like aero-space in the seventies.

[shrike]

125. Maybe not bad for you

Granted, I don't remember the 70s too well, but this is the worst I've ever seen it. And I graduated from college during the height of the Reagan recession.

We are both employed in my household and are doing very well thanks to some family money I inherited. But I've seen the economy hit hard in this area and not just among the poor.

[shesemsmom]

69. When my hubby lost his full time job in October 2002

we had some savings and a 13 year old who wanted everything. We cut back first of all to only the barest of essentials and explained to our daughter the situation.I work a full time job and he still had his part time job, which paid the bills but didn't buy the food or medicine. I asked our doctor for samples and of course we made just a bit to much for food stamps. So the Hubby go another part time job. Still tight but we were doing better. He lost two part time jobs over the two years due to cuts. We were beginning to feel cursed. Finally in September he got a real, good paying job and I pray he keeps that.
We also went deeply in debt to stay afloat. We traded down our car to something more affordable. We didn't qualify for anything like free lunches at school( wouldn't have done that anyway teens are very sensitive) and she got a job that summer for spending money. Looking back I can't believe we lived through it.:wow:

[shesemsmom]

71. my prayers are with her

and all that are struggling in this economy today.

[Tennessee Gal]

70. My daughter's story...............

Probably doesn't have as much to do with the Bush economy, but she is struggling.

She got pregnant at 19, married the father. The baby was born with Downs syndrome. He is now 16 months old and a real joy. Her husband works as a waiter/trainer at a local restaurant. She got a job as a bank teller - a temporary job to fill in for vacations. She likes it a lot and was hoping it would become permanent. In September her husband left her. Shortly after that she found out she is pregnant with their second child. Yesterday the bank informed her that her last day of work will be December 17 - even though they know they will have a full time opening the first week of January. Pretty shabby on their part. So, just before Christmas she will be separated, jobless and pregnant. The husband is giving her only about $50 per week.

I work in real estate and helped them buy a modest home at a great price last February. I intend to help her all I can financially and emotionally. That is all I know to do.

She will begin job hunting next week.

[maumcc1]

73. I'm so sorry

My daughter just got married to an ex-GI in June. He worked a summer job and is not working now. He has filed for unemployment, but it's been 5 weeks and he hasn't heard anything yet. Should be able to file on the US Army. My daughter has a 4 year old son, whose father is in the Marines (she never married him) and it's hell getting them to pay child support, even with the court order. It's almost impossible to find out information on him. She is also pregnant and expecting in January. She is going to graduate with a graphic arts degree, but jobs are slim in that line of work. She's a great artist and probably could work free lance if she had the right contacts. Things just suck as far as the job market. I feel for you, as I too am working 8-10 hours overtime a week to help them. Thank God I can, as I've been a single mother since she was 2 years old. My Dad also throws some money their way as he can.

When Kerry lost, she came down to my house and said, "I guess we won't have much of a future for 4 more years." I didn't know what to say. I hate to see these young people lose their hope for a better life.

Good luck to your daughter and grandson!

[Is It Fascism Yet]

79. isn't that terrible when the vets come home and can't find a job

and i think it's illegal to ask them if they are vets on the employment applications, which it shouldn't be, because we should employ them first.

[Tennessee Gal]

82. Thank you..........

and good luck to your daughter and her hubby!

[Is It Fascism Yet]

76. you're a good mommy

Good luck with your girl. My girl is pregnant too. she is 22 years old, and has a nice husband, but the both of them together only earned $12,000 last year, working McJobs at sunshine wages in Florida. They both just got their degrees in May, and they have tried hard to find any job utilizing their degrees, applied for teaching positions they were qualified for, but, too much competition even for lousy jobs in Florida. My girl is stuck working long days in the sun at a theme park for minimum wage, while her husband books hotel rooms. They live in a cramped, expensive, dumpy apartment, and I don't know how they will afford any prenatal care. Both of these kids have bachelors degrees. Useless, though, if there are hundreds of applicants for every job.

[Tennessee Gal]

83. Thank you.........

Your story proves the fallacy of Bush's contention that education is the solution to everything.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

107. yes, and yours proves

that the only people who will survive the Shrub are those who stick together.

[datasuspect]

75. i was homeless for awhile

tried doing the day labor thing in chicago, did odd jobs, lived outside, took showers at fieldhouses. ate at the soup kitchens, panhandled. wasn't that bad at first, but it does wear you down after a while, especially watching all the people going about their lives.

had to sell what i could/abandon the rest during the eviction proceedings. fortunately in cook county, that takes awhile.

never really made a lot of money.

finally got tired of it and now live under a family member's roof, but in a rural backwater where there are no jobs and where a private vehicle is mandatory.

still broke.

still unemployed.

[B Calm]

77. A year ago I was making 55 thousand a year, now I make 11 dollars

an hr. I'm working for poverty wages and my new job location in Indiana looks like a border town. Seriously it's hard to find an American face amongst the workers...

[shesemsmom]

88. you must live near me

south central indiana....a lot of Mexicans are coming here

[prolesunited]

91. Where are you at in Indiana?

It's not exactly known for its diversity.

[shesemsmom]

98. Jefferson county

[ebayfool]

80. Cuppa Soup ... (Maruchan instant lunch)

I have a job but cuppa soup - 4 for a buck - I can eat for a month on less than $30.00 & feed my grandson the stuff he needs. Bites!

[supernova]

81. Much sympathy to all of you... I was unemployed for 2 years

I was so at a loss for what to do. From Sept 2002 to Sept 2004 I kept it together by using up my savings. First time in my life I had managed to save a little too. But that's gone now. Luckily, I ran into a little more of an inheritance, but I didn't get to keep it. And I was awfully ashamed to disappoint that relative.

I still have a little nest egg, my inheritance from my parents that I only touch for long-term projects, like education or home improvements. It also serves as a kind of retirement account.

The answer is I'm frugal.
I own my home and car; so I don' thave a house or a car payment.
Don't have cable or a cell phone
I bought only what was necessary.
I shop at thrift stores and warehouses, fleamarkets and junk shops.

For me, it was mostly very lonely. The only luxury I allowed myself was the occasional movie or DVD.

I worked with about 8 different recruiters, sent out a ton of resumes, attended networking groups... but nothing for forever. I really enjoyed the networking groups. I looked forward to it.

Finally found a job just before Labor Day. It pays 11K more than my old job and the people are a lot nicer. It's a different division with the same company; go figure. I hope I can stay there. It seems to be working out on both sides.

I don't know if I'll ever feel safe again. But in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this ride for however long it lasts.

edit: I was a technical writer. Now, I'm a technical editor.

[William Bloode]

87. Big thing that save us.....

Is the house and land being paid for. I also grow most of our food from my garden and greenhouse.

As far as money and jobs go. I traded a nice paying($55,000yr) middle class position in for 2 part time jobs($12,000yr). I deliver the local paper, and do some yard work.

I was always played it smart though. I have been saving for over 15yrs, and always knew how to do without all the fancy stuff. I never splurged and went and bought a new SUV,Boat,Motorbike or whatever when i wanted to. I have 1 credit card and only use it 3-4 times a yr on small purchases to keep it active.

I have never held any debt other than what my house cost, and even then my wife and i worked to pay it off in just about 10yrs.Thats the only thing i have ever bought on credit. We have and always will live by the "If ya cant pay cash for it ya do really need it mantra"

I grew up very poor, so i know how to make it poor, and living poor does not bother me, In fact living poor, while i was middle class allowed me to save a fairly large sum of money. Hell we play poor so well i can still save money making $12,000yr.

[madison2000]

95. My life sucks

my debt is incapacitating, and I anticipate being homeless very soon.

[malmapus]

94. Safeway specials on Tuna

I would look for the specials of like 15 cans of tuna for some remarkably insane low price. Could eat a month for like $50 grocery bill. Really made my unemployment stretch and while living in San Francisco no less!

But yeah made a life of pinching every penny for almost a full year before I found work again.

[Tsiyu]

100. By a thread

Three in household work and I drive them.

No mortgage.

No car payment.

Cheapo phone/internet plan.

Carpool.

No cable.

Frugal shopping.

Plenty of free social activities in community.

Doing without. Image suffers but soul is at peace....

[area51]

103. Relatives.

If my relatives hadn't taken me in, I'd be dead now. And yes, they voted for Bush both times. Somehow they don't think the shitty economy is his fault. They just love Faux News.

[jdj]

104. thanks for starting this thread,

I've read it with part fascination and part fear.

I had a great job that I was miserable at and left in 2000, if I had had prescience about this rape of the economy I would not have left, and I would have saved every dime.

My job history since then has been very sketchy, but I just found out yesterday I got financial aid for school to get a paralegal degree. I've got a six month temp health ins plan which I can renew once ($46/month at http://www.ehealthinsurance.com). I'm renting a cabin from my parents for very low rent. Paralegal is one of the secretarial fields that is not supposed to decrease, all the other sec. field are going down the tube. I hope to finagle this into something so that I can use the next 20 years to get my Ph.d in linguisics. Piss poor, but you can't take my dreams. Not where I wanted to be at 36, but I'm okay. I've devoured the Tightwad Gazette books, and frequent stretcher.com, etc, to learn stuff about saving money. In my estimation, this has to be a DAILY thing, if I lapse in getting myself into a tightwad mindset for too many days in a row, then I lose focus and start making stupid purchases. I've worked part-time now for almost 4 years. and I've had some several month long lapses in there. I am low maintenance, from an environmental philosophy, so it's not a big deal, but I do want a house sometime after I turn 40, or even a trailer with land. Suze Orman has been a HUGE help, I watch her show as much as possible, because I was taught zilch by my parents about money, and one thing I am doing that she suggests is trying to get my FICO score in as good shape as possible. Credit card debt is the biggest mistake I have, with the money I pay/month ($150) I could have a decent health ins policy, even though I used this $ for sick animals in emergencies. Pets (I have four, down from 8, 4 have died in the last 4 years), are probably my biggest expenditure, and I have finally faced the fact that I can't have more than this.


I hope alot more people post here, I can wait to read their secrets. I just got into http://www.freecycle.org , the other day, I got over $100 worth of wallpaper on there to do my cabin living room with.

[sampsonblk]

106. You kick butt

Your post was full of good info.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

108. Yeah, good thread, thanks for starting it, wish it was main page

and wish Kerry and Terry McAuliffe and Gore would read it. I feel so let down by both of my "presidents in exile", and by their incompetent right-hand-man, our homie, Terry. What are these people dreaming of? How could they capitulate and allow us to spiral into a depression, as well as a dictatorship? I am so disappointed the democrats didn't fight for us! Shall we make a new party, the party of the far, far left? The party that believes in first ammendment, second ammendment and protects all civil liberities, including fostering new ones like the right to marry anyone you damn please, the right to privacy and decriminalization of victimless crimes? That sounds like the Libertarians, doesn't it? Maybe after all these years of being a rabid democrat I have to switch parties.

[mhr]

109. 53 Months And Counting - Debt Free - Live Very Frugally

It is no cakewalk.

[bhikkhu]

112. Had a good job, credit, money in the bank...

job got cut two years ago. Unemployment filled in for six months. Using credit, my wife and I opened a retail store of our own, which keeps us busy but does little more than pay its own bills. As savings were gone, a year ago I finally got a part time job w/out benefits. Thats the best I can do now, and finances and credit are slowly going downhill.

[The Straight Story]

113. Where I am now

In the late 90's after a divorce I packed up all I could in my small car and drove to California. I had spent my 20's in manufacturing, security guard work, and a brief stint as a deputy. I was good with computers though and wanted to get into that field (I had owned one since I had been 13).

At 30 I was starting over. I had a GF to live with out west when I got there. It took me 3 months but I landed a job at a computer store making $6/hr. I learned all I could there.

They eventually closed up shop (the owner was an idiot) and I moved back to ohio to live with my folks for a few months and my GF moved back to the mountains to be closer to her folks.

I found a temp job here in computers at $12/hr. I saved what I could and looked for a job out west. A company hired me there over the phone, about the same pay I was making now but I made a convincing case as to why they should hire me. I packed up and moved back out there.

I finally broke up with my GF (but we remain good friends) and decided to move back here to Ohio. It was 1999 and I got a job with a newer telco company making 45k a year. It lasted 3 years and they were closing up (again, the ceo/cfo were idiots).

Things looked bad. I had a new wife, a new daughter, and I was hoping to have something stable. 2 weeks before my final day there I found a new job making 52k. I have stayed with that company and make more than that now.

How did I do it all?
1. Luck helped
2. Prayer
3. Constantly learning new things, my off time at home was spent learning for free from online manuals, etc.
4. BS'ing where needed. I was confident I could handle any job in the field, when needed I BS'ed about what I could do - and by the time I started a job I made sure I knew all I had to know and more, even if I had to cram night and day before interviews and start dates.

Reading the stories on here though does give me pause, and I will be more frugal and plan better for what the future could hold.

I was once unemployed, with 3 kids, on welfare, and tried to kill myself. the bad times were there, but I outlasted them with prayer and dedication to bettering myself. I love to work, to be productive, and to be the best employee I can (when in manufacturing I broke production records at several plants). I spend my time away from work learning what I can, including more about the company and market and how I can better position myself to move up (and I have, was promoted a year ago and will move to a better position in January).

Work is a puzzle I like to solve. I want to be the best at anything I do because I believe I can be, and I don't want to disappoint myself.

Now I interview and hire people. And I try hard to help those who have been out of work by giving them a chance (just brought in a guy in his mid 50's, his scope is somewhat limited, but I can teach him what he needs to know to do the job well). While my counterparts who hire use a tech sheet and ask questions few people know the answer to (and don't really relate to the job imho) I ask general questions to try and understand the attitude of the person. I have built the absolute best team this way and am now doing the interviewing for most the midwest group.

I also know full well all jobs are pretty well temporary, so I work in the background and watch things coming up that I can take advantage of. I network and spend a lot of time emailing people I hardly know to make contacts in sly ways. Even little things can build bridges (like emailing someone in a strategic position about some grammatical errors on their web page, then talking to them again later about something generic, getting a feel for them and making sure they know my name).

Be polite, be happy, be energetic, show enthusiasm.

I have fucked up a lot on the way, and have been fucked over too many times by companies. It sucks. So I learned to play their game. I was down and out with nothing to offer, but I changed that.

I remember one company I worked for that made parts for Honda. People warned me about them. I started as a temp and worked 90 days. Then they hired me. After 90 days you were eligble for benefits, and that is when they canned most people. Within 3 days of my 90 they canned me and said I sent out some break lines that were defective. I found out from some friends later it was total BS. When I worked there I broke the record on breaklines and two other parts - both in quality and quantity. But they saw a bottom line and kicked me out. I did not let that affect my next job though - I went into it and worked just as hard. I cannot control how they will act, I can only mould myself around what exists and work within that system and make it work to my advantage.

To answer the question: When I was dirt poor I used Salvation army, loans from family, phone calls to my state senators to get the utilities to give me more time, welfare, worker's comp (which screwed me and put me into a bad situation, but I beat them eventually and settled out of court). I had utilities turned off. Things sucked for awhile. But I got through it. It takes time, hard work, and a dedication - a desire to win against the asshole system and snub your nose at it. I dropped out of high school and have college grads with masters working for me, not because I am better than they are - but because I gave in some and learned to play the game.

Despite it all, I hold myself responsible for where I was, but I also hold myself repsonsible for where I am now (with the help of god and family). I don't want to spend my time blaming a lot of companies and people, they are gone and history, I have my future and today to worry about and what I can do myself to make it better.

It does help to bitch about it sometimes though :)

[shrike]

124. You are a good soul, sir

Thank you for giving help to those who really need a job.

[mhr]

129. The Greatest Wisdom Always Comes From Walking In Others Shoes

eom

[The Straight Story]

134. Have had to do that, but easier because I have in a way

It is something I think that the RW does not often embrace or understand at a core level. What I often find odd is how many christians are right-wing (I am a Christian myself) and practice great acts of kindness on their personal and professional level but not in a political arena.

I look back on my years of really bad times, and I guess include today in that as mom is still in ICU as I type here, and in a way I am thankful I went through such a trying time because it taught me to be more caring in a deeper way. That does not mean I give hand outs all day long to guys on the side of the road (I simply don't trust them to be honest about it) but I do what I can for others as I am able.

It does cause me heartache sometimes, I intereviewed three people for 2 openings recently and had to rank them in order. I wish I could have given them all a job. One guy we had to let go awhile back, I still talk to him and have given him a good reference - he was just going through a bad time in his life at that point. I let him slide a lot too when he was there (he would leave his shift to go home and get something and never come back, more than a few times). His dad was sick, and so was he (he later found out he had some stomach disorder and was in the hospital not long ago). I wouldn't have minded so much if he had just said something, but he just disappeared and didn't call.

I won't let people who have screwed me over in life affect me as a person or how I view others. Sure I don't trust employers in general, but I do give them a chance and hope for the best in people as a whole. I feel the same with people of faith and others I have met, people from iran, pakistan, et al - all of whom I have met and been friends with over the years. Some have been cool, others idiots, but I see them as individuals who represent their own values and not that of a whole group (ie I look at belief systems based on tenets of them and not the people who try to live up to them mostly).

We NEED to walk in the shoes of others, and that to me is one of the reasons I felt Jesus came here, to see what it was like to live as a human (not the main reason, there were deeper theological reasons that necessitated it) but he tried to see people as who they were and not merely how they performed within a set framework - because he illustrated to many that no one, but him, can honestly be perfect and live 100% in that framework. We all screw up, we all fail. How we handle that as people with one another defines, to me, how human we really are and how close to god we hold our values.

I made mistakes, part of the mess in my life was, is, my own stupid fault. It does not make me worse than others, it makes me just like them - I just had different screw ups. The important thing we must do with such screw ups is learn from them, grow ourselves, and try to improve and pass along that knowledge to others to help them in avoiding making the same mistakes we did (much like our parents try to do). Wisdom is listening to it with an open mind, even when we think we are right and those telling us something are wrong. To me perhaps there is hidden in all that the term moderate - someone who is not overly condemning and cold (it's your fault, deal with it) and someone who does not blame others and try to fix everyone's problems, or potential problems, through legislation to protect them from themselves. I may be way off base on that, but to me on a personal level it makes some sense (and others it won't I am sure, but we are all different).

[Greylyn58]

114. Well...

I lost my job with my local newspaper on Oct 6, '03 when they outsourced my job to save money. My area was the 3rd wave of job losses there since Bush assumed his throne. Up till then, things had been okay. But costs had started to go up on the essential items used to put out a daily paper...paper, ink, etc.

I tried looking for work before I was actually out of a job...we were told almost 2 months before we would be let go. They also informed us that a skeleton staff of seven(3 full time and 4 part time with no health insurance)would remain and we would have to apply for those positions and go through an interview.

Anyway, I wasn't chosen and by the time I was let go I had decided to go to school for a career change to become a Medical Transcriptionist.

It's been hard. I had a little money and received a small comp package from the newspaper. My folks gave me some money, so I held off applying for unemployment until 7 weeks ago because my own meager fortunes have expired. I've had to use my credit cards too much for car repairs, a trip to a minor emergency clinic(since I don't have any health insurance) to take my dog to the vets which was expensive. Then there was a fight with my ex-husband over the fact he still hadn't refinanced the house and removed my name from the loan. That finally happened, but not before he messed up my credit due to missed payments. I can't remember being as depressed as I've been this year.

I'm almost through with my schooling so I hope finding a job won't be too bad. I get 26wks of unemployment, but after that if I'm still unemployed I don't know what I'll do...and I hope I won't have to find out.

[duker63]

115. unemployment compensation

savings and a working wife

[corporatemedia]

116. if you work er.. worked in TECHNOLOGY then you probably lost ........

your job at the beginning of the bush disadministration, collected unemployment comp. for a while, maybe had or have a part time job, maybe deliver pizza, or an under the table job, or maybe your spouse has to work 2 jobs and you are a full time homemaker. in any case you are unemployed in the field that you trained for and were told would provide job security. even some politicians still talk about re-training in TECHNOLOGY. LOL


ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY - THE JOBS OF THE FUTURE*


*the future in malaysia

[grasswire]

120. eBay has been my salvation

I left my job as an editor in Washington D.C. ten years ago because I was working for a well-known conservative evangelical in his non-profit and became radicalized -- had to quit as a matter of conscience. Returned home to the West, did local freelancing but was blackballed because most publishers in the area are religious. So I had some difficult years.

I started selling on EBay seven years ago, and it was a godsend. If you have watched the infomercial about it, I'm here to tell you that everything they say is true. It is possible to make a lot of money if you set up an eBay store for yourself and go whole hog buying wholesale and selling retail. In my niche I don't make a LOT of money because it isn't that easy to find the stock to sell (vintage and antique paper items). But I have had some $3,000 months, while working my own hours at something I just LOVE. If I could find enough stock, I would make a real good living.

Think about it. When you become an eBay seller you step right into a store front with a potential 15 million customers all around the world 24/7. None of the costs of brick and mortar business or even your own web site where people might or might not find you. All you need is a computer, internet access, and something to sell. Nowadays with wholesalers willing to be your provider, you can even sell the item before you have to pay for it, and have the provider drop ship it. The merchandise is never in your hands if you want to go that route.

I buy my merchandise at estate sales and thrift shops and rummage sales. Postcards and sheet music and many other old things. Books if I find something I know can turn a buck. There's a big artisanal craft craze right now in vintage paper arts, so people are looking for interesting stuff for their crafts. I also have a space in an antique mall where I can market what doesn't sell on eBay. I pay $135 per month plus 10 percent of sales, and do nothing but keep it tidy and pick up a monthly check. The retail space doesn't make a lot of money, but anything is something.

Personally, I live very modestly. Gave up my car when my last Volvo died, but there are 4 big supermarkets within walking distance and friendly cab drivers when I need a ride. Also the city bus stops a block away. A four-plex with swim pool, fireplace, huge garden space and patio and greenspace, 1100 sq. ft., all for $540. My rent hasn't been raised in eight years. No credit cards, little debt. But also ..... NO HEALTH COVERAGE. If I get really sick, I'll probably die.

I really recommend eBay for those looking for either a stop-gap measure or as a way to build a business. It's easy. It works. You're not making money for someone else. You wake up in the morning and look to see how much $$ you made while you were sleeping. No lie.

[Dem2theMax]

121. I'm on disability, way in debt and if it weren't for family,

I'd be out on the streets or dead by now.

Why I'm posting on this thread is to say THANK YOU to everyone else who has posted. It helps to know I'm not alone. It's horrible that anyone has to be in a situation where they don't know if they will have food, a home, a job, health care. I wonder, almost on a daily basis, where I will be in one year, five years, will I even be here 10 years from now. But when I read all these posts and see how hard it has been for so many people, people who are hanging on no matter what, it gives me hope. So I wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post, to share your stories and your lives. It takes guts to respond to a thread like this. I am grateful to you DU'ers who have done so. I don't feel so alone. And that helps a great deal.

[Nobody]

127. Temping, but couldn't even get an agency to bite

You can get bennies from agencies. I temp through the company directly. This means no holiday pay, no sick time, no bennies of any kind. I've been a temp for over a year and worked my way to a supervisory position. Still a permatemp. I supervise regulars who make more than I do.

Maybe when my field opens up enough to generate less than 500 resumes per job opening, I might start looking again. Meanwhile, the supervisory XP will at least help my resume.

I'm really getting tired of having to pay my dues every few years.

[Steely_Dan]

128. oddtodd.com

I don't know if this will help...but go to:

www.oddtodd.com

It will lift your spirits.

-Paige

[malmapus]

137. lol Oddtodd!!!

Yeah he helped me out BIG in 2002, god sooo related to his cartoons, espicially about not going about because of no health insurance lol....

[Solitaire]

130. I was out of work for over 3 years, after 9/11

I had a bit of savings and then had to go into my IRA account.

I wrote to my Senators and to the President begging them to look at the penalties for early withdrawal, because I had no other means of survival. I was completely -ignored-.

So, in the end, I had to pay $8,000 on the monies I lived on for one year.

yeah, they care.

:puke:

[2Design]

132. Great Thread - been living marginal life for 12 years - interesting times

Tech had it's first squeeze back in the early 90's - I left corporate life before it IT took off -

I could go through my list of regrets - but won't

some adventures tried - photography sales at craft fairs
that was a wash - but did get one store
still feel there is possibility but need to understand how to market

did lots of odd jobs and short term
did not curb spending because I was sure job was around the corner
went to college to finish bs - did not go to specialized degree - regret
teaching assistant
teaching child care
courses in child care
substitute teaching
moved -
massage school
more marginal income - but now had another source of marginal
although I dislike IT
2000 went back to school for IT because that was where the money was
started back in 2000 - during the decline of IT

see my cycles are off

currently teaching part time
was doing massage - lost that major client

cashed in all IRA
used credit cards for school because couldn't get loans
sold rental condo - never own for myself
paid down credit cards

used credit cards to pay to live in hotel
found apartment in new location used credit card checks to put down deposit
found job teaching massage - way over my head but jumped in anyway
no benefits - really a temp job - lasted 9 months

Realized I was paying 3000 a year in interest on credit cards
Made it a point to change that

Get cards with 0 percent and keep switching balances.
getting harder to do since they keep buying each other out

2002 when to IT grad school because school counselors still say that is the field to be in -
started grad school to get student loans to live on and pay down credit card debt - move debt from one place to another
getting subsidized school loan- no interest to me while I am in school
also no payments on debt while in school

getting remaining debt reduced because less to interest and more to card

started collecting 500 month of corp retirement - bought car because old car had 230,000 miles and died - car payment comes out of retirement funds

getting ready to move - find better living conditions and possibly find better job

_________________________________

It is both sad and joy to see that so many others have lived marginal lives and are still here surviving - several good posts with hope/help is on the way news - so we can do better - hope is what carries us through

thanks everyone - this was nice to read as I plan on moving out - I know where I will stay for a month but after that I have no idea - not sure what state I will land in

[truth2power]

133. Maybe OT, but...

Mods - delete if you want. Not trying to hijack this thread, but...

I gotta ask: I know the job situation stinks. I have a low paying job, but at least it's something. So, how is it that when I drive by my local Walmart people are rolling stuff out of there in shopping carts piled so high they can hardly get to the car?

Where in the world are some people getting their money? Because everyone I know is in a situation similar to what's been posted here. I've asked this of my liberal friends. No one really knows. Credit cards? that whole scheme would have collapsed by now. Just asking..


edit> And BTW, thanks for posting this thread. I have friends who are unemployed, or soon to be. I'm not in good shape, myself. There's some good information here.

[chaska]

136. Couple of links:

http://www.whywork.org/
http://www.anxietyculture.com/

[bobo4u]

138. Thanks Chaska, great links. n/t