Ups and Downs

Well life is clearly full of both.  Ups like seeing family, discovering new music, watching new movies, making tasty food.  Downs like forgetting important things places, being screwed over by administrative sluggishness, really shooting yourself in the foot (figuratively, but "really" is being used to mean significantly in that sentence).  One step forward, two steps back.  Well at least I'm still alive and hopefully going to be starting school very soon. 

A Different Approach

To summarise:

My initial goal when creating this blog was to document my escape from Wisconsin.  I've had enough of the too hot summers and too cold winters, and I want a change.  My plan had been to just find employment on an IT help desk, or general IT Consultant work, or something similar, then save up money and move.  In the past, this type of work strategy has worked out for me well, as I was receiving many offers for work while on contract at Aurora Healthcare.  That was all pretty much pre-recession.  Then the recession hit, and I've been out of work looking for a job for about 4 months now.  Clearly this is not working. 

So my new tactic is this:
I will finish up my college degree at UWM, while teaching myself things not specifically required for the course work in order to make myself more marketable when I do finish college.  In the meantime I will be looking for internships etc...

Primary among the things I'd like to learn are things I've seen advertised in job listings, like SQL database, Python, Java, .Net...Cisco...basically a wide variety of things.  Before that I'd like to get my Net+ certification. 

This seems like a logical course of action, since I will be the only one responsible for growing my skill set and knowledge base, and I can earn certifications regardless of whether or not I'm in school. 

Has anyone else had experience with learning these skills?  Any other current job seekers out there?  Current college students?  What do you think of my revised plan?

The Indians have got the market cornered...

The market of working as recruiters for getting other people jobs.  Seriously, 3 Indian recruiters called me in the past day.  How 'bout that.

Hopefully will have some interviews coming up, although the follow-through of these folk seems to be about as poor as their English.  I'm not specifically trying to talk smack, I'm just saying in 2 instances today they've said "I'll email you something in a few minutes" and then I wait hours and don't get it.  And email them back, and they do not respond.

FRUSTRATING.

I am told that people in their first 3 months of searching for a job search really hard, in their second 3 months search much less hard, and in their 3rd 3 months some stop searching completely.  I'm on month 4, and trying to keep it up, but this is not an easy search and the longer you're on it the harder it gets.  Even the interviews get to be downers after a while when you go to so many and get absolutely zero offers.

But I'm still going, enjoying the summer, watching the storms, laughing at the "gustnado" which I'm pretty sure is made up and was actually a lovecraftian being from another dimension which knocked over all the trees around here.

Over and out, back with good news later!

Interviews...

"It's too bad you don't get paid for going to interviews." 

Tell me about it...

I've had more interviews now than I'd like to admit without having any job offers.  I interviewed yesterday at Abbott Labs in Waukegan, and the interview went very quickly, which to me is not a good sign, but the two people interviewing me were strange.  One note-taker, one question-asker, and the question guy was really rapid fire with everything.  Like he had to take a leak or something so he rushed the whole thing.  I dunno, I really hope I get that job but you know, who knows.  Another interview tomorrow at a place called Platinum Systems in Kenosha, which I also have very high hopes for it since it's ridiculously close to my house.  Anyhow, I've had so many interviews now, it seems impossible for one of these to not come through. 

When it rains, it pours.

That saying sure rang true today.  After a very good interview yesterday I was called today about getting in on another project from a prior work associate.  This would be a contract opportunity but would pay excellent. 

The choice is though that the place I interviewed for is a full time position, versus this which is a contract that will undoubtedly end.  So I'm leaning towards the full time position, if it's offered to me.  This will be excellent. 

In addition I've figured out how to install Windows Server 2008, and so far have been installing tons of updates.  Tried to configure Roles, but updates still need to be installed so...yeah. 

Effort finally paying off

After nearly 3 months of unemployment or sort of employment I had an interview today that went extremely well.  I should find out by early next week whether or not I get the position, and if I do indeed get the position that means I'm movin' out of my current residence to a much nicer, cozier 1 bedroom somewhere in Milwaukee.  I look at this as the first step towards my escape, though I will be quite some distance from cheap cigarettes and magic in Illinois, I'll have the money to take a trip down every once in a while and re-up.  Furthermore, it's a full-time gig and if I live very cheaply I can start paying off my car and saving up almost immediately. 

I finally feel like I've taken a step toward my goal. 

Post 2, Day 2

Man this Wisconsin weather is bogus.  45 degrees and windy/rainy today and tomorrow, then thunderstorms, then 70 - 80 degree weather by Sunday. 

Today:  more calls to job recruiters.  I got my plan, it's just taking time to get it rolling. 

Step one:  get job. 
Step two:  Move out of current apartment (it comes to some amazement that I've managed to rent an apartment for like 3 and a half months with no steady income and a minimum of illegal activity). 
Step three:  Live in cheap and nice apartment alone
Step four:  Save money, pay off car, take off for the southwest. 

Something like this perhaps.  And then I want to go...I dunno where.  New Zealand?  The Netherlands?  Who knows.  So that's the general escape plan, hopefully I'll make progress today in terms of securing gainful employment somewhere.