a little set back.....
 

On Thursday I was laid off. I had not been there long, but the work and the contracts never produced what they thought. So here I am, looking over availabilities for job openings and expanding my search to Pennsylvania (central near Harrisburg). The relocating thoughts coincide with needing to change my living status. I am not just wanting my own space but needing it. I am applying for a non profit organization that offers benefits, as well as vacation and the pay allows me to have my own!! It is exciting to me!!! The non profit has been around for many many years and is not limited to Penna. Kinda funny how as I get older my thoughts of what I can do and what I can actually do don't always line up!! I am ready and willing for this :) and it may take a month or so of adjustment and such.....its all cool!

I work full time, with benefits. Believe me, for everyone who is looking, I too was in your shoes, don't give up!! :goodluck:

I was laid off 3 years ago after the company I worked for decided to outsource all of their IT staff. It's the second time in my life that has seen me in this position. Both times I decided to make big changes. The first time I switched careers. No regrets at all and I love what I do now. The second time I decided to relocated from the east coast to the west coast. I made it. I'm here. I love it!

During your time off do volunteer work. Employers LOVE this! It shows that you are filling your time constructively and not just sitting around waiting for something to fall in your lap. It also gets you out and networking with like minded folks who may be able to help you in finding a or securing a job. Study something new. Employers love, love, LOVE this too. There are ton of free online courses being offered by some pretty prestigious schools right now. MIT is offering a 600x series of IT classes that can earn you a certificate.

Being fearless is mandatory in times like these as is taking risks. Both times I jumped off that cliff I landed squarely on my feet. I know there are so many of you still unemployed. Hang in there and don't be afraid to set yourselves apart from all others. Go big or go home :)

Good luck!!

worth the wait......
 

Well here it is almost 2 months after my initial post about being laid off and finally landed that job I was pursuing. So many delays due to both holidays and a vacation by the HR department!! I worked part time while waiting to get through the ropes but well worth it. My total independence is connected to this job, the fact that it pays good and has full benefits is a bonus! Accepting this position has me relocated back to Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg but it's all good. A beautiful part of Pa and very rural at times. This I can handle over the fast paced city attitudes. Feels wonderful to finally be settled! My cat agrees! :ballcat:

I am a full time massage student at college. So I have very little time for employment. I work at a clinic for free one day a week to apprentice along with my formal education and college table work. I do freelance massage for donation and I do other freelance in creative body work and sexual education/hostessing.
I also write erotic and fantasy adventure stories for individuals and glamour-fantasy modeling. These are very small bits and pieces. I can't work more than 8 hours a week, so my work has to have a high wage in order for me to survive and graduate. It is very intensive and exhausting work requiring a lot of skill, tolerance, creativity, education and empathy.

I'm currently employed full time working with adults with developmental disabilities. I am a social service worker and never once thought about working in this sector but I love it. It is highly stressful with very few rewards. I've been doing this for 5 years now and could use a change. I would still like to work with the same population just maybe a different setting, but feel very stuck. I was very lucky to get this job straight out of school and scared to leave my security.

You show work at a truck stop. We drivers are always having back pains, legs pains and just need a good rub down after a 70 hr work week..

At this time I'm still on family leave, my father had two strokes last year. So I'm helping my mother take care of him. But when I can I might go back trucking I always come back home with my back hurting after two weeks on the road.

Oh I got a lot of truck drivers in the UK as patients willing to be treated by me as a student. They were great clients. Friendly, chatty, not up their own arse, not shy about their bodies, appreciative and tipped me and even brought me bottles of wine and a couple gave me restaurant gift certificates. Real sweethearts actually. Flirtatious sometimes but always perfect gentleman with me.

I work at a uni library as a library assistant, which is below my qualification. And I'm only 2 subjects off being qualified as a librarian. Keeping an eye out for jobs not because I don't like my current job/workplace, but because I need to be on more money. Life will get more expensive when I stop having a student status. Sigh.

I just got promoted to Supervisor, Financial Services last week. Currently I manage a team of 8 people and we are already in the process of adding more members to the team. Basically what my team does is handle any fraud and billing issues that our users face, as well as enforcing the Terms of Service and handling reports about that as well. I love what I do, and I love the team that I work with, they really make my job so easy and make it fun to come to work every day.

I work at Sams club in the freezer / cooler. Dont know how long i will be able to keep the pace. my body is taking a beating. lots of heavy lifting and pulling. restacking water pallets near the freezer. pulling /pushing pallets way taller than me and completely loaded down even with a pallet jack its extremely heavy. especially when you have to straighten the cooler because the forklift driver just shoved stuff in there and now you cant get to the milk , eggs or tea to work it. so you have to pull out half the pallets in the cooler...

all i know is my body is falling apart. but hey...i atleast have a steady job i guess.

I help manage a vacation resort/bed and breakfast. I've met so many different folks from all over. I also live on the property, so I must do everything to help maintain the property in and out. It is very interesting work.

I work full-time with a 7 days on, 7 days off schedule. I love it. Yeah, working seven 10-14 hour days in a row can be brutal but those 7 days off are so sweet. It's like having a vacation every other week.

Niiiice! You are lucky.

I have always said that if they would let me, I would work triple shifts for 2 days and have a 5 day weekend. lol, though I can't vouch for the quality of my work after about 63 concurrent hours - but hey; the two triple shifts don't even have to be back to back!

By choice: I resigned my position of 5 1/2 yrs on 12/15/14. Today, I accepted the position at my local hospital to be an Environmental Service Technician.

This will be my 4th career choice since graduating college in 1980. My fear was my past careers and education and age: may have *disqualified* me. I am happy to say none of the above did!

Ks-

Unemployed looking for a job!

This is harder than I expected seeing I usually work for family.

I don't remember if I posted before, so will post anyway...

I am a high school administrator. I never thought that I would choose to be in education or stay in education but somehow I became passionate. I walk the halls of the school and know every student's name, their history, and at least one thing they are interested in. I enjoy the idea that I might make a difference even if I never know it. The possibility is there and that's kinda incredible.

I do have other dreams and one day I may follow them, but for now I continue on this path I'm on. Everything happens for a reason, right?

I changed jobs a month ago. Same field, different title, different organization. I love the organization. Love the flexible schedule. Strongly dislike the mess the last case manager left for me. I cuss him out daily. I'll get it smoothed out eventually.

I am the director of a large and busy sign language interpreting agency! I have no life, I work 24/7, I'm always tired but it's all worth it :)

I am the clinical director of a program for children and families. I supervise 24 clinicians and case managers. I always end up working over 40 hours per week but I love it. I am also in a PhD program that I am enjoying as well. It's very busy but I really enjoy my work and my PhD program.

I'm a mechanical engineer. Well, actually I'm an aerospace engineer working in the capacity of a mechanical engineer. I work for a telecommunications company that manufactures various GPS and antennas. I'm sort of the "fireman" around the office. On any given day, I could be designing a new product, building prototypes, testing, troubleshooting a customer issue, or fixing a problem on the production line. I spend a lot of time drawing and working with various equipment and power tools. Each day is a bit of an adventure because I don't know what the day will bring.

My field of work is in Public Safety and I work along side with engineers, executives and property management owners. I work more than full time. I am usually on site, working complex 12 hour rotations of duty. I love where I work and will stay with this career, until I retire.

Career
 

Hi,

I am an Environmental Scientist. My specialties include aquatic biology and endangered species. I conduct field surveys for endangered species and aquatic systems. The purpose of my work is to identify and catalog existing conditions then determine the impacts on that habitat or aquatic system by an action. In addition, I recommend and manage mitigation projects to improve the habitat or aquatic system.

I love my work and have spent almost 20 years walking across the US to survey the indigenous flora and fauna including the flora and fauna found only in aquatic systems.

Currently I am focused on coastal processes, restoration, and mitigation.

I love reading about everyone's jobs and careers!

I am a behavioral health nurse and as an RN, have done everything from director of nurses to utilization and case management, in management level positions.

Now, I work directly with clients that have dual diagnoses of mental illness and substance abuse.

I feel good about what I do and have never regretted leaving management.

:nurseshot:

I am an artist. I've been working with stained glass for about 15 years. I design and fabricate custom pieces. Doors, windows, etc. i've made signs for a few businesses. I am the go-to repair person for several of the antique shops in town. I was recently contacted by the Unitarian church to do some restoration on a couple of their windows. I really dig restoration work even though it presents some really tough challenges. I get into thinking about the original artisan, wondering if this window I'm touching that they produced 100, 150 years ago was just a job for them, or did they appreciate that they were creating a beautiful piece of art. I also make kaleidoscopes and re-create children's art in glass. Working with kids' art is really fun because it reconnects me to whimsy. My business is called What A Pane Glass Studio.

When life demands that I get a real job, I work in marketing.

I'm a cna in a nursing home. I used to really love what I do, but over the years I guess I kind of got burnt out? My spouse becoming disabled pretty much changed our life and now I really wish I could find a new line of work. But at my age and with her sick, the mortgage to pay, etc. that doesn't really seem like an option. I try to stay positive but some days it is so hard. Oh well, at least I HAVE a full time job, right? I know people that wish they did.....

Update
 

I am no longer in the field of Public Safety. :)

Super thankful for that. At one time I felt it would be a life long career, but I am grateful that life has blessed me otherwise.

I am employed full time, though.

However, recently I applied for an interesting field of work, which is based in the science of sustainability for eco-systems: I will be thrilled if this latest vocation becomes a reality.

I'm a student and do side jobs for income. Doing a lot of volunteer working mentoring youth and as a crisis counselor.

but when I post I'm off duty so please don't judge!
 

Department Head of English/high school teacher

Wow, six years later things have changed a bit. I am retired from that career, in graduate school full time and working part-time. The sort of work I do part-time has been traditionally for entry level young people. Not anymore. I cannot tell you how many adults with higher education scramble for these jobs. Well at least here in the SF Bay Area. The economy still has a long way to go.

I went from software contractor to permanent full time employee in 2009. I knew I'd get a healthy pay cut but with raises and promotions since '09, I have exceeded original contractor salary. I did not have as much what I call "play money" there for awhile but manageable. I like the stability I have being a permanent employee, good benefits, generous holiday and annual leave, Blue Cross Blue Shield ... I cannot complain at all ... but I will ... I miss the thrill and fast pace of the contract work even though it was terribly stressful at times and people seemingly were more back-biting. A big plus at my current job is that for someone like me who seems to get into trouble periodically for being "mouthy," you would just about have to snuff someone to get fired. Overall, I like the job I have today just fine.

I have had several jobs since I joined the planet nearly seven years ago. I currently work full time at Starbucks and even though the job doesn't pay well, I really enjoy it. I am becoming very good at latte art and talking to people about coffee. I have a bachelors degree in business information systems from DeVry University. I was never able to find a job in that field but I use my education in computers to help train my coworkers on point of sale computer programs.

Zimmeh

I am employed full time in work that I love and find very fulfilling but in a workplace that I hate. I am a teacher. It brings immense joy to me to know that I make a difference in the lives of the children I teach, but I yearn for a change. I realise just how blessed I am to have a full time job with benefits. After all, I have my own young children that rely on me.
I want to go back to school. Of course 40 isn't too old to go back to school right?
:goodluck:

Right now I run my own petsitter and housesitting company. But will be looking to get back into the workforce in the next month or so.

Other: I am a student

I work part time under the table in my area of study.

When I pass my boards I will be self employed. I'll have to pay rent for my biz, business licence, LTD license, malpractice insurance, college council fees, plus insure my hands, and pay my own holidays and sick days. If I am off more than a week I have to hire a Locum. I also have to hire an accountant familiar with this kind of practice, and pay a laywer for consultations over insurance companies issues and court requests.

And pay off my student loans of course.

But! I get to do a job I absolutely bloody love and I don't have a boss. I'm my boss. That's a big deal to me. After decades of shit management folk who micromanage and having to do things the way other people want it done (aside from when I did sex work, that was a brilliant aspect of that job, being the boss and telling people I didn't want to deal with to fuck off), I don't have to have someone breathing down my neck anymore. People thank me. People talk to me like I am a human person. Like I have a brain in my skull. They don't constantly interrupt me, talk over me, or ignore me. I feel valued and I LOVE my patients.

Nope! I was 43 when I started my full time program. I'm 46 now.

In class there was a 50 year old woman who had moved recently from China doing the program. Imagine that - being in a foreign continent, their language is a second language and now you have to learn medical terms and everyone is half your age. She had my deepest respect.

It's hard. But well worth it to go back if it's what you want :)

I've worked virtually for over a decade now. It's the best. I'm operations manager for an entrepreneur. I do a bit of everything - management mostly, website creation, verification and maintenance including copywriting, cs for the customers no one else can handle, marketing campaigns, social media, chargebacks/bbb complaints, newsletter development, article writing, packaging development, and on and on and on. I just help where I'm needed if someone is out. Otherwise I'm pretty much just checking on employees. I'm very very lucky. I work relatively little and have total freedom to, say, post on BFP on my down times...lmao...