Official Recession Thread

[kirbanmanaburn]

Share your recession stories here. Things that would only happen in a recession. Funny, sad, etc.

My story is that tonight I filed some job applications. Normally I might do a dozen or so in a good session. But given what my luck has been so far, I totally cracked out and did 50 (yes, FIFTY). I can barely see straight.

 

[Kkthnx]

I was laid off June 2nd. 6 weeks after my first daughter was born. Still dont have a job. JOY!

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

What's your line of work?

 

[Kkthnx]

CCTV / IT

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

Jeez. If you can't find work WTF am I looking at? (I'm an English teacher).

Out of the fifty leads I chased down last night, I got 6 emails back and 1 phonecall.

Of the 6 emails, 2 said they weren't interested and the other 4 passed the buck to someone else. Of those 4, only 1 made a concrete promise to get back to me at a specific time.

The 1 phonecall? I slept through it. Called back and left a message, but I'm kicking myself for sleeping in right now.

 

[Smarty]

kirbanmanaburn, Louisiana is always hiring engrish teachers!

 

[DemonH2]

That sucks man. My wife is about to finish up her student teaching to be a high school math teacher. We have head hunters calling the house at all hours =/

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

That's because everyone in America is math phobic. The fact that between the little bits of physics and EE I use I know more math than most Americans is shameful.

English, on the other hand, is a bloated field for teachers because everyone thinks they can teach it and there's a never a shortage of directionless English majors or failed authors.

Got some more emails, have a few leads that are developing nicely. I think the fact that guy called me within 9 hours of me having emailed him bodes well for that particular job. But as I've learned before, you never can really predict whether you'll end up with a bunch of offers or everything will just sort of evaporate, so I'm gonna chase every lead I get pretty enthusiastically.

 

[Sum1]

You might not be interested in this, but you could make a killing teaching English in foreign countries. I know in Korea they will set you up with an apartment and a decently paying job (in addition to paying for you to get to Korea) teaching English either in what's called a (and this looks horrible not in Korean, but it's how it sounds) Hog Won... basically like an after school learning institution. They are usually subject-based... so you might have one for math, another for English or other foreign languages, another for music... etc, etc.

They do something similar in Japan, but I don't know as much about their system. I do know they'll still put you up and give you a decent job, though.

Might not be the best option, but if I couldn't find anything in the states it would be a great excuse to travel

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

I think the one in Japan is JET, which a couple friends of mine have done and really liked. If I wasn't in the process of completing my graduate degree, I would totally do something like that. Best to do it now before I've got a wife and kids and 1000 other reasons not to go anywhere interesting.

 

[rob]

i don't know about making a killing...if you can live cheaply, then you can do ok for yourself. In China, they pay for room and board, but you pay for food. They pay a salary of around 2000 rmb / month....About $300 USD. It is plenty to live on, but take into consideration a western meal costs about 100rmb (as opposed to 10 or so for a local meal).

 

[Sadge]

I was laid off June 2nd. 6 weeks after my first daughter was born. Still dont have a job. JOY!

I feel for you mate ... almost 3 years ago I was laid off 2 weeks before my daughter was born. I turned into basically a Mexican day laborer and pretty much stood outside my (ex)work's building begging if any department had any money to pay me for the day.

Thankfully, I have since been hired full-time there, but that was a scary few months.

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

 

[BlueBug]

kirbanmanaburn, Louisiana is always hiring engrish teachers!

/NOD /NOD

Shortage of teachers still here. Mispellings and all the local school system is on par with the southern average pay.


BB

 

[PRWraith]

It's bad even in the EMT field paramedics are getting layed off in favor of EMT-b/i's

 

[kirbanmanaburn]

Can you explain the difference?

 

[flapjack34429]

emt's go thru an 8 or 16 week course, maybe more to get certified, paramedics is a 2 year degree if im correct.

As far as recession, ive been a Fl. State LEO over 13 yrs and make the same as i did 5 years ago. Florida's economy is in the stinker like all the rest. Am very glad to still have a job, each year theres always talk of layoffs so been lucky. Wife, got layed off, so one income with 4 teenage boys doesnt go far heh. but best of luck to all of you still looking hope you find something soon ..

 

[RaidNazi]

Having been laid off twice before during so called "good times", I'm somewhat amazed that I've survived the recession this time. It helps thou that the organisation I work for deals with unemployed natives with low skills. During boom times when there is a big demand for unskilled labour we struggle to survive, but times like this we are in full swing.

 

[hawthorne]

Been without work since the end of May 2009. Have tried in DC, Pennsylvania, Denver, Las Vegas, and am now living with some friends in Northern Illinois, contemplating going back to school. The job market is the worst I have ever known it to be, and it's extremely frustrating. I commiserate with everyone who is out of work right now.

I was overseas, working at a place in Australia, but it wasn't stable there either, and they were just starting their first round of layoffs, and I heard that the IT dept was going under the axe to be replaced with an outsourcing company. So, it's not like things are exactly kosher overseas as well.. Research your fields pretty well if you contemplate that.

 

[Alexandra]

There probably should be an anti-recession thread....

They just reinstated bonuses and pay raises at my company. All "deserving" managers will get bonuses.

I hope I'm in that category!!