Please don't delete. Well....laid off on Tuesday. Not sure of my next move and nervous as hell. I know a lot of you are in the same boat as me. How the hell do you deal with it ? Already going out of my head. Stressed and have not eaten in a few days.... I know this if off topic but I have nowhere else to go to get some advice and support for people in the same boat.
I'm 64 years old and seen a lot of guys get laid off during my time working. Almost to a man, they wound up with better jobs paying better wages and were happier. Sometimes you gotta change adversity into opportunity. Insead of feeling sorry for yourself, sit back and use the time to think of what you'd REALLY like to do for the rest of your life and chart a plan to get you there. Keep the faith, brother, better times are coming!
Leme guess you have never been out of work before, right? Best thing you can do is get off your butt and look for a job. Or if you are like me sit behind your computer and look for a job. Decide what it is you want to do and go after it. There is work out there you just have to be willing and ready when you find it. BTW I have been out of work since May and I have very few options these days. When I was younger I could find work as a welder or a machinist or a mechanic or anything to do with mechanical trades but now I am moderately disabled so all I can do is a desk job. Never the less I'm not going to let it get the best of me. My suggestion to you is that you do what I am doing, live and keep living.
I have already sent in resumes to so many places. I have a couple leads and hopefully something will come out of it. I just hate the game of it all. Stressed because we live paycheck to paycheck.....Nothing as far as a savings to fall back on and just worried about what to do if this lasts awhile.
Look for a job in the natural gas/ oil industry....Great pay, benefits and there are always work projects going on....not to mention they very seldom lay anyone off...at least they dont in my neck of the woods.
Kerry, there was a great thread about a year ago on this topic. many guys, like me were/are looking at it as a great opportunity. i lined up some funding and went back to school for CNC; with the aim of toolroom machinist/prototype maker in mind. best of luck
Use this as an opportunity; figure out what you REALLY want to do, and go for it. Now's a great time to venture out. Or, just grab any job that'll pay the bills while you continue looking for the right job. Just my $0.02.
I was out of work a few years ago, I look back at it as some of the best time I ever spent with my oldest daughter. She was just walking at the time. We'd go to the park everyday, we'd go for walks with either me pulling her in the wagon or she'd set on a little green bicycle she had and I'd push her along. I connected and old mop handle to the bike to push her. We cut back on on some things and I job hunted either while she was napping or after my wife got home from work. Stressful time but still a good thing. I ended up with a MUCH better job, better pay, at a better company. Don't freak, it will all turn out for the better.
Did you like what you were doing?,,,your occupation under your profile says,,Commercial Landscape Estimator / Antique Dealer Get out and beat the bushes and go into competition with your previous employer. Instead of doing estimates do the work yourself,,you are going to have to be a self starter. HRP
I'm going back to school for my aiframe & powerplant license. Even now there are jobs in that field and you can make good money there too.
I've not had a paycheck in over a year. Been selling T-shirts, stickers, and CD's with the band, DJ'ing a few shows here and there, and making a few bucks from craigslist. Got a call from an application I posted about six months ago, just this week. The jobs/money are out there for the taking, you just gotta be a little bit creative and a lot a bit patient. Times are tough and this is when the tough must get going.
Sorry to hear of the layoff,I agree with everyone, get out there and do it. That being said I have NEVER got a job off the computor.The way to get any job is look them in the eye and shake their hand ,and dress nice.I retired 5 years ago and with a 8th grade edumacation I thought I would have a hard time getting even some part time work. Maybe it's my location but I get calls constantly wanting me to work. I left a part time driving job two weeks ago because it turned into a six day a week part time job. The next day I got a call and I'm driving around in a pickup at $18 plus an hr. Anyway If you want to work hard and make some extra money let me know I have an idea that I think is revolutionary in it's concept,but it will require Hard work.
Feeling for you,got kickt out after 17 years,and that realy suck. But after rain its sunshine,got the job of my dream haha,it pays my bills anyway.
Two famous quotes.... "when one door closes another one opens" "there are no atheists in a foxhole" (a little prayer never hurt anyone) I got laid off in December due to my employer feeling that my age and medical conditions were too risky although I have never been off on compensation or sick leave in 36 years of working. ...That's the systems and that's the way people think. All I can say is Keep your spirits up and don't stop looking otherwise you will have let the system crush you, and it will... .
Last October I found out my mom has cancer. Lost my job of over 23 years in March.I said fuck it and haven't looked for a job....my job is to look after my mom the best I can and be there when she needs me.Just spent 5 days in a cancer clinic dressing her,feeding her etc. I look at it as a blessing in disguise.I lost my job to do this for her.I believe things happen for a reason..... I am sure there are better things in your future that you will be doing. Best of luck to you in your search for what it is.
Keep your head up, shoulders back, and chest out. I lost my job working for someone else full time two years ago. I now own my own small business and work my own hours, as well as working for an elderly assisted living company and taking care of my grandmother part time, and I now enjoy being a stay at home dad where I can spend plenty of time with my daughter and wife. Its tough going from check to check but we live cheap and are still happy.
My job disappeared two years ago in October. I honestly wish it had gone away earlier. I was a 1099 independent contractor in sales. That last year I hung on waiting for things to improve actually cost me about 10,000.00 or so. You know what I did! Louvers are no longer a part time thing! scraped a bit, bought some machinery and started doing chassis too... Sounds like it's time for your part time gig to come to the forefront and get a little more serious about it! Is it easy for me right now? Hell no. Am I paying the bills? Yes! The other half of this deal is being a bit more conservative about what you spend too. Judy and I used to eat out at nice places just about every night. We realized very quickly where a large part of our budget was going. We also realized about the same time, that we were able to cook just as well as most the chefs that were preparing our meals. Now, we have one more thing to do together in the evenings, and one more hobby to pursue together. I might add, we're damn good at it too! I think where most people get themselves in trouble with this is just going forward like nothing is wrong, and spending, spending, spending, and hoping the new job happens tomorrow. Don't. Don't crank up debt, don't skip a bill, don't spend what you don't have. Just be careful, and optimistic, and go forward doing anything you can do to make a buck. Avoid selling your toys at all cost! My life would end if the Plymouth rolled out of my driveway without me! I don't know you that well, but well enough to know you'll be okay. Just take it easy, watch you health, and I'm sure something will come up soon. If ya need to talk, you've got my phone number.
Thanks everyone....I have a couple things lined up that will hopefully pan out. I have busted my ass the past 3 days calling and filling out aps. I have an interview Monday at a company that I know nothing about and today I had an interview delivering pizza which I though I was a shoe in since I have done it for a few years prior. But, they said they have more interviews.....We'll see. Hopefully I will at least get that and then with Ebay, Craigslist and maybe teaching some guitar, I'll be alright. I have the Antique business as well but that is just squeaking by paying for itself and not putting much in my pocket. Hopefully that will pick up as well. Thanks Chip.....Yeah, I have a mountain of debt that I aquired when I moved into this house. A LOT. Was doing well on it but now I am nervous as hell. The last thing I want to do is sell my wagon because it really is my favorite thing in the world next to my wife, family & friends.....So I am in agreement with you that I can't sell it. Would I if I had to.....I guess I would have no choice.
I know Sometimes there are bumps in the road, and then sometimes you have to go sideways before you can go forward.. keep your head up and hang in there, can't keep a good man down for long.
Hang in something good will happen, just keep plugging along, BTW sounds like you really love the wife , thats a BIG plus.
Hers some words of wisdom ,DONT BE STRESSED OUT . Keep looking and stay sharp and focused ,Take a meaningless job if you have to .Ive been out of work a few months and work has been finding me.I have to start looking myself soon .But staying sharp and focused will land you a better job ,Employers are taking advantage of people right now.
This actually happened to me today.. well, let me start at the beginning. A few weeks ago, I purchased a 1931 RPU all apart, but all there. I had a good job (I thought) with my local county School Department as a Custodian I. All of a sudden, due to budget cuts, I got laid off 3 weeks ago. Okay, shit, I guess I have to sell the RPU. I advertised on here and the Fordbarn. I was down in the Bay area, just kinda taking a break from all the BS, and clearing my head, and figuring out what the hell I was gonna do. So, day before yesterday, I get a call on my cell phone. It's the school district. A Custodian II just up and quit,(or retired, I'm not really too sure) right before the school year starts. They ask me if I can come for an interview on Friday (today) at 10:00 AM. I look at my poor wife, and she just kinda rolls her eyes and says "You gotta go. I know it cuts our vacation short, but you have to go, let's get back to the hotel and pack up. So, we leave early yesterday, we get into town, I get a haircut and wash my good trousers and polo shirt, and get a good night's sleep. I check my e-mails this morning. It's from a guy, who says "I know this e-mail address, there can only be one kaferdave" and sure enough, I photographed this guys low 11 second street VW for the VW Magazine when I worked there. Anyway, he is an attorney for a large law firm, and he said "I know you, and I know you know what you're looking at, I'll FedEx you a check today, you'll have it tomorrow or Monday" I know this guy, and I know he's an honest, upright, good, guy. He says for me to wait until the bank clears the check (I KNOW there won't be a problem) and then send him the title. He'll be up in his 32 foot enclosed trailer in October to get it, if I can store it until then, his enclosed trailer is at Famoso right now with his son's injected Big Block FED. So, okay, the truck sold. I gotta head for this interview. I felt good about the interview, after all, I already knew the ropes of the place, and was able to answer everything they threw at me. So, I go home and start putting RPU pieces back in the boxes for transport, thinking to myself "watch- as soon as I sell the RPU, I'll get a phone call offering me the job" It wasn't even an hour later, my cell phone rings again yep, I got the job. SO, I guess what I am trying to say, is that things always work out. Maybe not like you had planned, but they always work out. One door never closes but what another one opens, etc, when you come to the end of a chapter in a book, you turn the page, etc etc. PS this job has better hours, and more money, than they were paying me before. PPS- here is what the guy's 32 foot enclosed trailer usually has in it, I know it's not a HAMB-friendly engine, but it's still bad ass
Excellant 26Tudor.....I am trying to stay postive. But it is really hard. I have been out of work before but it never seemed as bad as now. The way the economy is, every job has 1000 applicants, so I just am at a loss. Plus, I have never been as upset and stressed as right now. Granted it has only been a couple days and I will figure it out with unemployment, ebay, craigslist, etc....just right now it has hit hard.
My wife got laid off two months ago after 13 years in the same place and 16 months away from retirement from that job. She is head back to College on a displaced workers program to finish the degree that she put on hold 41 years ago when we got married. I've been through more lay offs and job and career changes in the past 40 years than one guy is allowed but all in all always come out the better for it.
that freaked out feeling sucks. It happened to me in December. Filed for unemployment, started working on cars in the driveway, and cut back on spending. Scraped by ok, but really enjoyed the time with the wife and kids, so it felt more like a blessing than a hardship. Been back to work six weeks now, at a better paying, less frustrating gig. I guess what I'm saying? Approach it with the right attitude, make chicken salad out of the chicken shit, and hang in there, it WILL turn out.
Find out as much as you can about that company before the interview, and write down the answers to all the generic interview questions. Why do you want to work for that company anyway? Research, check their website if they have one, ask around, etc. It'll give you a competitive advantage over the guy who just rocks up for the interview. Most of all, don't stress about it because it won't change anything for the better. Channel your energy into positive things rather than giving yourself a heart attack. Good luck.
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