Mission Critical (Zero Hour)

Like all movie clichés where the end is near or all hope is lost so goes life in general. I'm being melodramatic but the reality of the situation is that I've been out of work since September of 2008 with no prospects of finding employment anytime soon, and it sucks. But this isn't anyone's fault but my own. Like many of the unemployed, I believed in the hype of the 90's where nothing could go wrong with the economy, with the job market, with the gas prices, with the world and it was all a pipe dream.

So here is a list of big mistakes I have made over the years which now result in me being unemployed now and in the foreseeable future.

1) Education

I've had numerous chances over the years to obtain a quality education in a blossoming field and instead chose poorly. That's not to say I'm not educated. I have an associates degree and I'm learned in many skills. Sadly, most of those skills cant be quantified on a resume. Other skills are self taught and don't carry a certificate or degree to back them up. So, I'm educated, but you wouldn't notice it by looking at my resume, which, by the way, my wife tells me looked horrible until she recently overhauled it. Well that explains much of the past year.

2) Poor Choices

By poor choices, I mean things that you did or could of done that hold power over you long after they were done. Here's some that come to mind. One, committing a felony at age 17. No brainer there. Whenever you get yourself in legal trouble you have to look forward to checking that box on all future job applications. Two, I turned down an opportunity to work for General Motors. Years ago I had a chance at getting in and set it aside out of pride and laziness. Now that's not to say that my life would be any different, GM is having a tough time right now, but turning down any job that pays what GM pays is just dumb, even if I felt it was beneath me. As it is now, Cleaning toilets isn't beneath me and if it paid better than unemployment, I'd be scrubbing gas station toilets right now. Three, not dealing with my Mother's death. Mom died when I was 14 years old and it wasn't until a few years ago did I realize the depressive state it put me in for years. I was numb and dumb for a great deal of years. My wife pointed out that I might want to see a counselor about it a few years ago. Now I don't think that it is necessary now, but it probably was at the time. I imagine if I had my head on straight after her death, I may have not of made some of these poor choice.

3) Lack of Follow Through.

Now, I could do a poll right now and chances are that all my friends and family would say unequivocally that I would do anything for them. I would go the extra mile to help out. I'd loan my last dollar if you needed it more than I, then I'd drive you to wherever you needed to spend it. But when it comes to myself, I usually stop mid stream. I'm notorious at starting a project and stopping half way though. This isn't a problem if it's just an idle pleasure like painting or reading a book, but it's a lot more serious when it comes to pestering employers for work or calling back on a resume. Sadly, it's gotten worse. The few times I have called back or talked to someone or received a response, it's all for an unpleasant outcome. Doesn't give you much hope to try harder the next time.

I'd like to think that it's just me, but it isn't. There isn't a week that goes by that I don't talk to someone who has it worse, or just as bad. Everyone is hurting right now, but what scares me is when the job market turns around and everyone is back to work, I'm still gonna be sitting at home washing dishes or doing laundry while looking through the classified ads wondering when it's gonna be my turn.

"Like sand through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives" -- My life as a soap.

Mike

So I'm Looking for a New Job... (Self Therapy)

...and it's not because I wanted to be looking. In all seriousness, I probably should of been marketing my skills a long time ago. I used to joke that I was just one step up from a ditch digger, but in all actuality, I have a series of traits that are crucial to any employer. Not to toot my own horn, but "TOOT TOOT!" I have a Work 1st mentality. Not to say that work is actually first in my life, 'cause it isn't. My Family has that priority spot. But I have always been the guy who comes in early and stays late. I was the guy who you called to fill a spot and the one you knew who can work independently, without any serious amount of supervision. I consider myself intelligent, no genius mind you, but I can hold a conversation about a world of topics and love debating the undebatable. You know, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Ethics, etc. etc. I'm a quick learner. I've done a little bit of everything and have taken a bit from each of them. I've done sales, retail, office, automotive, stock, clerk, child care, computer repair, homemaker and more. My devotion is rarely in question. I'm the definition of a "Good Employee"

My problems reside in my official "Skill Set", the one on paper, the one that is quantifiable and measurable. I only have a two year Associates degree. I am the guy everyone comes to for computer repairs or advice, yet I have no Microsoft Certification or technical training. I'm a self motivator and have learned much of what I know on my own. I have years of experience in an industry that is considered a nitch market and while I used many of the industry standards in computer software, I've used none of it in an advanced fashion, so Intermediate is as far as
I can morally state my education is in their use.

Here are some little known facts about my skills. I can paint miniatures, you know the kind that are used in table top war games. Big market for that I'm sure. I can weave Chainmaile. So I'll be a hit at the next Renaissance Festival in your area. I can reformat a computer and get it running again, but I can't tell you how to set up server architecture, how to make it inter-operable in a cross platform environment, set up account logins or extensive use of remote access.

My Point is, I have the drive to be someone special to an employer, but an inspiration is rarely a marketable skill.

Mike

Much To My Surprise...

I got a call last night from a fellow named David about my resume for the tutoring position. It seems that a local music school is branching out into academia and they are looking for a couple quality workers to help with this transition. As it would have it, I have an interview setup for Thursday evening after work and although David said he has many applicants to contact, screen and then possibly interview, I hope that I can make an impression on him that helps me stand out. Wish me luck.

Mike

The Search For a Second Job

I havn't updated this since October. I appologize to those who await with baited breath at the opportunity to hear words of wisdom and encouragement from me and who have been left
unfulfilled up until this moment. Since I'm basically referring to no one, I'll just continue.

I've decided to look for a second job. A little supplimental income could really help out while the wife is finishing school. I thought about going to the mall and getting some assinine retail position, but there was a reason I left retail so many years ago...It sucks.

As friends of mine know, I have always desired to be a teacher. In fact, I've always desired to be that teacher that students will remember fondly upon reading of my death notice in a future years electronic newspaper's obituary section while wondering what the new dictator of America is eating for breakfast so that they also can eat that for breakfast as to not stand out as a meal-time criminal. But I digress.

So I was perusing the job ads in the local Craigslist section and came upon a job for a tutoring position and unlike many job ads on Craigslist, it doesn't look like a scam to take all of my money. Gleefully, I took to writing a new resume, a simple to the point resume highlighting my love for academia and pointing out this blog which may or may not be a mistake. If you are the Hiring manager of said Tutoring employer, and you are reading this, Hi.

In continuing, I'm not setting my hopes too high for this position, but I do believe that it could be an equally fun and frustrating endeavor and I'm hopeful that something will come my way that allows me to share my love for prose.

Mike

White Noise

It's been argued in relationships that you can sometimes, inadvertently, tune out someone who is talking to you. Everyone does it one time or another and some are worse than others. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the person's attention span or what's on his or her mind at the time and mostly it's a forgivable offense. However, I have discovered another phenomenon, which I'm sure isn't exclusive to me, but it certainly pertains to me. I AM WHITE NOISE.

Take this scenario. You are sitting at your desk in the office and a co-worker enters the room. There are several other co-workers in the room, each at their own desks but all within ear shot. You strike up a conversation with the person who just entered the room, about a topic you may have been discussing privately earlier in the day. This sparks a story from the person who then walks away from you to tell the story to the other person or persons in the room, out of earshot to you. You are left sitting their wondering WTF just happened. That person is me.

Now people don't do this on purpose, mostly, and like I said, it's forgivable. There must be something about me that spurs this event because it happens a lot. I mean, It happens all the time. The other day, I was telling my wife something that happened at work. I had her full attention and right smack in the middle of one of my sentences, she turns to her sister and starts talking about something completely different, cutting me off entirely. Now this has a lot to do with being comfortable with a spouse and how things that you say remind them or important things that they forgot, and that's all and good. It just happens a lot. I mean, it happens all the time.

My white noise ability is so powerful that it even effects me. I'll be saying something important, at least I thought it was important. Someones attention will float away as it often does and when they get back to me, I don't even remember what I was saying. This happens a lot. I mean it happens all the time.

While this can be damaging to the ego after the nth time it happens, I take it in stride. Wait, what was I talking about?

Strange How Things Happen

I was perusing Craigslist the other day to find a part time job listing that I may be interested in. We could use the extra cash and If I could find a simple job on a few evenings or weekends, It'd be great. So I see this listing looking for people who know Texas Hold-em. I thought, I know Texas Hold-em. I mean, I probably watch 10 hours of poker on TV a week. There is a poker league in S.E. Michigan called the Pioneer Poker League that plays in local bars and restaurants pretty much every night of the week. The job was to setup and run these free tournaments.

The job was not good for me, but the idea of playing in some free Hold-em tournaments sure tweaked my interest. I guess the deal is, you gain points every time you finish top 10 in a tournament and after 3 months, the top 100 point getters play in a championship tournament where the winner gets sponsored into a real money event like a WPT cruise or WSOP event in Vegas, all expense paid. Needless to say, I have a new hobby and hopefully, if I play my cards right, I'll get a chance to win some real money, retire early, and live the life of Riley.

BTW, still looking for a good part time job.