OT: Economy
 

Hey all, been a while since I've been here to visit. Lost my job this week. Worked for an information technology company in the automotive industry for 12 years. Unfortunately for me automotive dealerships are the companies customer base. All the dealerships closing down has caused my company to cut back, and I got the pink slip.

So you all try to send me positive energy while I hit the bricks and look for a job.

Geoschmo

Re: OT: Economy
 

You have my support, while i never was in your situation since i´m self-employed (lawyer) i do know how hard is to be without a steady source of income... specially if you worked for a long time for the same employer...

As an aside, sometimes i find my own profession a little strange, as i notice that when the economy goes badly the number of my clients and lawsuits proportionally increase, and i do see why everyone does not like lawyers, even if all we are doing is our jobs and someone must do it...

Good luck in finding a new job!

Re: OT: Economy
 

I've been off for quite a while now. :( Still looking, but there just seems to be more layoff then hirings! :sick:
While everyone is taking a beating out here. I have yet to hear one politician talk about any give-backs!!! They do a nice job of avoiding that topic...

Re: OT: Economy
 

I was really hoping to win yesterday's $49M lottery draw, but unfortunately it didn't pan out.

Had I won, it was my intention to buy the rights to Space Empires and to get MM working on SE6 right away. Of course, he'd need a few more employees than usual under the Kwok's Games publishing banner. :P

Of course it didn't work out. I hope your efforts go better Geo!

Re: OT: Economy
 

Sorry to hear you got sacked. Strangely enough though I thought you were like me, a disabled pensioner. Of course unless there's call to think about it, like now, I tend to forget how different it is in the US to Australia.

I 'retired' several years ago when work dried up. I didn't get fired per se I was just informed that my boss had run out of jobs for me to do. I did hear from the people who bought his business a few months ago asking me about the website I used to manage so it seems he did retire himself. The problem with the economy now is that the returns on my varied investments are down. I'm having to look into other areas to invest in.

Here in Australia the socialist government has been giving away all the money the previous government managed to save for 10 years. I got some of that, and the latest budget would give me extra a week, but it's unpopular and it's possible there might be an election over it, in which case I'll get an opportunity to vote them out.

Re: OT: Economy
 

Ah man Geo. :( I know it looks bleak, but take this time to seek out the advantages its provides. Turn this situation to your benefit and plug on. Take classes, milk the system, vote libertarian, and have faith that this will all work out.

It will.

Re: OT: Economy
 

I, too, voice my sympathies here. My suggestion is to get into the vices. Like alcohol. It's practically immune to market woes; you buy booze to celebrate when times are good, and when times are bad you buy it to forget. So, if you can get into the Alcoholic beverage business somewhere, you'd be golden.

Just my overpriced two cents worth.

Re: OT: Economy
 

I know I've started to worry about my position at work as well knowing that not only are layoffs happening across the USA, but many companies have placed on a hiring freeze so finding new work will be more difficult.

Geoschmo... I've heard most major cities have a long waiting list for receiving unemployment so make this a priority. Stay confident and I wish you luck.

Re: OT: Economy
 

woops. You see that stuff I said about not thinking you had a job to lose. Sorry, I thought you were Atrocities. My dementia grows worse :( Funny thing is also that at the same time I had been thinking ''That Geo, I don't hear from him much since PBW closed'' :)

Re: OT: Economy
 

All you need is a job as a great webhost and administer of a multi-player network for a major game company. :)

Re: OT: Economy
 

Ha ha ha ha ROLFMAO!

Re: OT: Economy
 

If the economy keeps going the way its going, good news today though, then we might both be SOL. Cap and Trade has already forced several company's like Gundersons (Train car builder) to decide to close up shop and move to Mexico. How many more employers will get chased out of business or to another country with these proposed higher taxes, cap and trade, and new government oversight, and possible control?

I hope things improve, but fear they won't for a while. At least four to eight more years.

Re: OT: Economy
 

Until I read further downthread that you'd been thinking of Atrocities, I thought you might be confusing Geo with me. I've passed the dubious milestone of having spent more than half of my life living on disability benefits.

Says up top that I haven't looked in here since 5/16, so this is the first I heard of Geo's job loss. (I only found out about the SEV v1.79 patch today, as well.) Hope you've already found another position by now.

I'll be pleasantly surprised if the economy bottoms out before the mid-term elections in 2010 (next year already?!?), and starts to recover shortly before Obama's term ends.

Re: OT: Economy
 

No, haven't found anything yet. I do have a couple interviews lined up so maybe something will turn up before too long.

Re: OT: Economy
 

Here's some advice, don't do at an interview what I did once. Back in 97/98 the state government here had a joint government/free enterprise job schemes to employ people to handle Y2K. I, and quite a few people I studied IT with, went to the interview and we had a test which I'd never encountered before. Questions such as if you are in a meeting with 2 clients and they get into an argument how will you peacefully resolve the problem. I have a tendency to get too comfortable, and the lady asking the questions face to face was being so nice. At the time my antisocial problems had not been addressed and I muttered the unforgettable line

"Oh they're so annoying. You just want to punch them in the face"

Afterwards when surprisingly I did not get the job I was informed that whereas my IT skills were excellent I needed to address my people skills :). That was the story of my job efforts. I never could ace an interview.


PS. It turned out ok (for me) from what I heard later. The scheme collapsed and the people who did get the jobs ended up not getting paid. Last I heard.

Re: OT: Economy
 

You'll know when the economy is recovering WHEN people start going "BACK TO WORK!!!" :shock: And I'm not talking about a job at Micky D's or Walmart! ;)
Until businesses and government realize that only 'the working people' can restore an economy, we'll have to wait for them all to get off their high horses and admit that "people do come first!!!"

Every story I read about cutting back involves the people who need to make money to keep an econmy going. Cutting their pensions and benefits is always the answer to the politicians and businessmen. Where as all the politicians and judges pension plans are fully funded, the employess are always years behind in their funding. Businesses and governments will have to take a second seat in whats needed to pull out of this. We just don't have any leaders that are not driven by GREED... :mad:

Re: OT: Economy
 

Or, in other words, "absolute power corrupts absolutely". or so I've heard.

Re: OT: Economy
 

For me, the worst part of this economy isn't that I can't find a job, my job security is pretty strong.

It's that I can't fire the people costing the company the most money, resources, time. I'm hold a higher rank in the company, I just don't have "authoritah" to do it in my job description and all they do is endless grind the office work down to a halt with their laziness and gossip

Re: OT: Economy
 

Well I found another job. I start on Monday. As painful as it was getting cut loose like that, I think it's going to end up being the best thing in the long run.

Re: OT: Economy
 

congratulations, Geo! Glad to hear that the economy hasn't left you completely destitute. :) So, did you buy a liquor store, as I suggested?

Re: OT: Economy
 

Naw, but I thought about it. :)

I get to keep working as a developer, which is what I wanted, I'm just no longer in the automotive industry. That's not necessarily a bad thing these days. It helps to have a set of skills that can move between different industries. It makes you less susceptible to down turns in one particular segment of the economy I guess.

I'm working for a much smaller company. They are much more laid back about some things. For one, the guys who did the interview were wearing shorts and flip flops. It's been a while since I've worked at a place that didn't get hung up on silly dress codes. :)

Re: OT: Economy
 

Cool.