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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Today I am a Whiner
Posted by Jill | 8:11 AM
And damn proud of it, too.

You see, I was supposed to be an a plane this morning, on my way to the Annual Conclave of Le Grand Orange. But fate stood in the way, in the form of an e-mail last Thursday from the head of my department, announcing a full staff meeting for Tuesday the 15th, attendance is mandatory.

Now, I've been pretty much waiting for the other shoe to drop for the last three years, ever since the LAST bloodbath in my department. So I knew immediately that the Titanic had hit the iceberg and that there were nowhere near enough lifeboats for everyone. Through some rather oblique e-mail exchanges with the Powers that Be, trying to ascertain whether anything was going to be said at this meeting that might, say, cause one to think twice about spending $768 plus meals on a blogger conference, I received little enough of an answer that I knew the writing was on the wall. And so, when the meeting actually took place yesterday, I was well-prepared.

Many years ago, when I was still doing secretarial/administrative work, a headhunter told me that you should always update your resume three months into a new job, and every six months thereafter -- just so you're ready, and also because it's easy to forget what you've accomplished over a long period of time.

And 7-1/2 years is a long period of time.

So my resume has been more-or-less ready for the last three years, and my Spidey-sense served me in good stead yesterday, enabling me to deal with the news without falling completely apart.

I'm actually kind of surprised at how relatively calm I am. I think it must be the yoga.

There really isn't anyone at whom to lash out, either. When you work on research grants, and the grants aren't there, there's that much less money to pay people. If I'm angry at anything, it's the relentless cost-of-living increases that we've received almost every year -- two of them this year alone. Each time they announced one, I've been more scared, because every raise makes me more expensive to keep on in a time of limited funds. In a six-person system development group, three of us got the axe, one of whom has been with the place about a decade longer than I have. But aside from that person, the cuts in my group were clearly made on seniority -- and despite the fact that 7-1/2 years is a long time in IT, it's a mere blip in my department.

And so, as of August 30, I will be a middle-aged unemployed person in George W. Bush's America.

And that's where YOU come in, fair readers.

Because I need work.

What kind of work? Well, there's the dilemma. Because I'm not strictly a web programmer, not strictly a designer, not strictly a copywriter, not strictly a technical writer, not strictly a desktop support rep, not strictly a trainer -- and yet I've done all of these and more. What I need to find is a company that needs a nimble IT generalist who can handle just about anything thrown at me. You use a programming language in which I don't have experience? Let me run over to Barnes and Noble and pick up a book -- I'll at least have a passing familiarity between the time I give notice and the time I start with you. I have never had experience in the languages used at any of the IT jobs I've had, including my first one, into which I moved from being the department's administrative assistant.

I'd rather not post my resume for public consumption, but if you are in the New York metropolitan area (or if you have a position in which I could telecommute), and you are looking for a -- dare I say it? -- Jill of all trades; or if you know of such a position, and you want to discuss it further, my e-mail address is shown in the right-hand sidebar.

I'm not one of those people who believes that things happen for a reason. I don't believe in some giant Boris Spassky in the sky, moving chess pieces because he has nothing better to do than to just mess with people's lives. But while I had hoped to stay put where I am till I retire, it's not going to happen. So I have to adapt or be crushed.

And I refuse to do the latter.

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13 Comments:
Blogger btchakir said...
Jill:
Join the club. You sound just like me 2 years ago when the extreme cutbacks force by the Bush economy left me on the streets of Washington DC... jobless and with a resume that had included so many things over 35 years of working that it was hard to pull a focus.

Thankfully, I sold my house before the bottom fell out of the market and, since my wife got a teaching job in Hagerstown, MD, I moved away from the big time.

Now I'm doing part-time lecturing and student advising at my wife's school and we have moved further west to Shepherdstown WV where our costs are low.

Someday I'd like to work full time again... but at least now I'm surviving.

Without my blog I'd go nuts. Yours will keep you sane,too. Good Luck...

Bill T.

Under The LobsterScope
7/16/08, 9:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Set aside at least one day a week on which to enjoy your freedom without guilt. You now have time to do some of those non-work things you never had time for. Make a list of them, and do a couple of the most important before going back to work. Treat this as an important goal.

Likely your next job opportunity will be brought to your attention by someone with whom you have previously worked, someone who knows your abilities and knows how you can fit in.
7/16/08, 1:21 PM  
Blogger truth said...
(((Jill)))

Sorry to hear this news. Economic uncertainty sux and can really do a number on you stress-wise.

Take good care of yourself. My favorite stress-reducer is the long walk: free & good for you, too.
7/16/08, 2:53 PM  
Blogger dguzman said...
That's a tough blow, but you handled it like a professional. Keep that Spidey-sense going; you'll find something. Good luck!
7/16/08, 3:49 PM  
Blogger Bob said...
Good luck. An underlying job anxiety has always been a subtext in this blog. I remember growing up, the older folks would say, "Well, if times get really tough you can always get a job at the GM plant."
7/16/08, 4:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Dang. I'm glad you were prepared. Still it sucks. I wish you a soft landing.
7/16/08, 8:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
So sorry to hear it Jill.
7/16/08, 8:38 PM  
Blogger TinaB said...
ww.usajobs.com

The federal government -- the IRS uses programmers of several stripes, plus general IT folk.

The government isn't going away.
7/16/08, 10:32 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Jill,

Been there. Done that! Or more precisely, since I'm an IT consultant, "Am there. Doing that!"

But 7-1/2 years at the same IT job is almost unheard of today. I've met very, very few. And a colleague and former manager [mucho years ago!] is now having real problems finding something after his recent "downsizing" because his resume shows only ONE company -- 19-years, worked up through the ranks, different titles, but all of them essentially doing [the same!] computer work for the same bunch. Modern IT companies seem to think he's not "nimble" enough or somehow not current on anything else -- or so he contends from the very limited feedback he's gotten.

But practical advice: If you've got one, put together a portfolio of Websites you've built or maintained. Put together a list of the people you know who will speak well of you. Go to your blogger conventions and hand out business cards. You ever been a tech writer? Figure out what you do that can't be offshored, and stress that. Push some of your OTHER pharma knowledge. NJ has quite a few pharma companies. All need IT services.

And be thankful that you're not an IT "manager". That truly is the kiss of death in this market!

PS: How are you at installing networks and troubleshooting? There's always plenty of that around for freelancers.
7/17/08, 8:51 AM  
Blogger Citizen Carrie said...
Sorry to hear the news Jill, but I know you've been waiting for this to happen for quite some time. Thank goodness you prepared for this moment and you're eminently practical.

Your work background reminds me of a quote I read recently from an article someone sent me. It talks about engineering, but could easily apply to IT as well as just about any other career field.

www.eagleforum.org/column/2008/
july08/role-of-engineers.pdf

"...engineers have to be more specialized because engineering and technology are becoming more advanced. At the same time it is a bit risky for engineers to be focused on a very narrow aspect of any specific job. It is much safer for them to have a wider perspective of many things they can do in addition to their specialization."

Huh? So I guess you have to be a specialist and a generalist at the same time.
7/17/08, 9:16 AM  
Blogger Jayhawk said...
Where was the whining? If you want to win any whining contests you are going to have to show a lot less courage and acceptance than that! I want to hear some "why me's?" in there.

One thing you didn't mention is your writing skill. That is a more rare skill than computer stuff, and there is a market for it.

Best of good fortune to you.
7/17/08, 11:08 AM  
Blogger Jennifer Briney said...
Jill,

I'm so sorry to hear that you've lost your job. You seem to be taking it quite well though.

I guess that is one good thing about being 26 years old and still taking odd jobs to pay the rent... when you have nothing, you have nothing to lose.

I hope you find some work that you enjoy real soon... but make sure that you make the most of your involuntary time off too!
7/18/08, 5:25 PM  
Blogger Fran said...
Oh dear- in my haste of blog reading of the past few days I did miss this.

Greetings from someone in not entirely different shoes.

I am actually going to email you to follow up, for various reasons.

It all boils down to one thing - it sucks. Hard.
7/19/08, 8:59 AM  
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