The holiday lull

The interview I had two weeks ago went well, although they said they wouldn’t have a decision until after the new year. In a way, that was a relief, because I did not have to spend the next few days before Christmas waiting to hear, but now I’m waiting on pins and needles until I hear. We head down to Disney World on the 8th, so if I haven’t heard by then (I hope to and I hope that it is good news), I’ll bring the laptop down to be able to check email, etc. I’ll have my phone, of course, but being able to check email will help, too.

I had a good Christmas and it was nice to spend time with my wife and son. He stayed home from daycare on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas, so he was home for 5 days in a row. He got a little off of his routine, but we’ll get him back into it just in time for the trip. When we get back, we’re going to try some changes with him, so we’ve been warning him for a little while now that some things will be different when he gets home.

I’ve done some work on the project I’m doing and done some job searching, although there’s not that much going on at this time of the year. I have applied to a few things, so the search hasn’t completely been suspended for the holidays, but it is going slower. I will ramp up the search quite a bit when we get back home.

Whatever it takes

I applied for a position with the state community college and university system here that required a certified typing test. I took it at the state workforce center nearest me and I passed on the first try (had to do at least 45 word per minutes and I did 48 wpm). I use a combination of touch typing and looking at the keys, even after almost thirty years of typing, but when I’m on a roll, I feel like I’m typing a blue streak. Apparently not, according to the test, but, then again, I type faster when I’m typing as I think, rather than as I read something that needs to be typed. Also, once I get into a groove, I think I’m quicker too.

My interview tomorrow is starting to nervous me up a little bit, but a part of the tension is because the weather is supposed to be bad here. Not as bad as in the southern part of the state, but still, I have to drive across the Twin Cities to get to the interview and then basically drive back during the beginnings of rush hour. It is definitely worth it and I hope that it is the first of many, many times that I make the drive.

Project work continues

I had a meeting today on the project I’m working on. It was great getting back into the swing of this kind of research and work. I definitely was energized by the meeting and I’m looking forward to working on the project next week.

I also have a third interview for a full-time position next Friday, so I’m hopeful that will come through. I don’t want to get too excited yet, because I feel like that jinxes me and I don’t get the positions I get really excited about. We’ll see how it goes next week.

Slow news weeks

With the holidays coming up, I figured I would keep looking for a job, but not have much success or interest from companies for interviews until after the New Year. Strangely, though, I’ve had several phone and in-person interviews, some of which have not panned out, and others I’m still waiting to hear about. I’m definitely not complaining, but it’s funny that the period I thought would be slow has been pleasantly active. Hopefully, something will come from this flurry of activity.

Strange days indeed

I’ve started the project with the former employer, so it feels good to be doing something again. Right now, I have a set number of hours that I will be paid for, but the hope is that after January 1, more funding will be available to expand the project and the work. I’ve also begun my focus (but not exclusively) on education job opportunities. I have submitted several applications, which I hope result in interviews.

So the strangeness comes from a feeling of being in somewhat of a netherworld, partly working, partly job hunting, partly taking care of family and house, all while training for the marathon.

The weather isn’t helping. I suppose I ought to rake the leaves, but I don’t feel like it. We’ll be getting snow showers this week and I’m not quite ready for that this year. Except for a white Christmas, I’m not a big fan of snow anyway.

Twitter, Facebook, Blogger oh my!

So I'm still searching for a new job. Had some good news about the former employer possibility, but won't start until next week at the earliest. Had a contractor call about a possible position, so hopefully I'll get an interview. I spent yesterday getting back into the swing of searching, did some work around the house, etc. I must say, though that even in the five weeks that I was on the contract position, I have come to see the possibilities of Twitter, Facebook, and blogging. Not as money-making propositions-not even sure how that would work with Twitter-but as easy ways to keep in touch with people. I follow about 20 people on Twitter and I doubt I'll ever meet half of them, but I still like to see what they are doing. There are other sites that are more useful for finding leads and contacts for work such as LinkedIn and even those sites keep me connected to many people. But here's the thing-you can spend all day on these sites if you're not careful and take a break. Someone like me who sees a tweet, a post, a link, or a blog that has interesting information can send me on a search through Google or through Wikipedia and eat away the hours.

Project done, moving on

So, today is the last day of my contract project position. It’s worked out well and it was great to get a paycheck again! I also have the project with my former employer lined up and should be starting that soon, hopefully sometime next week. I’m not sure how long it will take, but I’ll take anything right now, especially with this employer.

During the five weeks I was on this contract, I went through an interview process for a position I can only describe as ideal. I would have loved this work and enjoyed the working environment tremendously. The past tense of the last sentence should indicate that I didn’t get it. I was very disappointed when I found out this past Wednesday, but I’m getting better about it. Everyone I’ve talked with about it says that everything happens for a reason. I don’t disagree, but in matters relating to working, I’m not very patient, so I’d like whatever the reason is to show itself sooner rather than later. I know it will work out in the end and given that I left my old job at the end of May and had several interviews (and now this contract position) I’m not complaining, just impatient.

I find it interesting that I was not blogging during my time on the contract position, but I was actually busy with home-related things when I’d get done with work (I should point out that the office where I worked is three miles from my house). This included my training for the Walt Disney World Marathon in January. I had to start running in the late afternoons and it was a bit of an adjustment, but I got used to it. I will enjoy going back to running in the mornings on Monday and I hope to be able to keep doing that during this next project. If not, late afternoons aren’t so bad.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to blog more, too, but we’ll have to see, I guess.

Well, it’s something

I accepted a 4-8 week contract position that I start later this week. This is a fill-in position, so I don’t think it will lead to anything permanent. Oddly enough, the work is property management! It’s something, at least, and I can actually describe the work as project work, so it fits in with the goal of moving into project coordination and project management. I’ll definitely be ready for anything that might come up after that. I also have an interview tomorrow for a position that I would really like and I believe I would do well. There is also a possibility that something may be percolating with a former employer. (Sorry for the vagueness, but details don’t seem important-the fact that I’ll be working again, even short-term, and that I’m continuing to interview seems more important)

Still we search

Still searching for a new job. Not getting too discouraged, but at times, as I’ve mentioned previously I wonder how long my search will take. I’ve had interviews that seem to go well (and they may have gone well for all I know), but I just don’t have what that extra thing is that would get me an offer. Eventually, I will have the extra something a hiring manager is looking for and I’ll get a job offer. I know this deep down, but it is frustrating and sometimes disheartening.

Dr. Horrible and The Dark Knight

I posted this on the Galactica Watercooler forums. It seems to fit my mood right now:

So I'm re-watching Dr. Horrible Acts I & II (on iTunes) and I just got home from seeing The Dark Knight (10 am showing).

These two works are so far apart in the spectrum of superhero entertainment that I'm worried that my head might explode! Yet, both Dr. Horrible and TDK are in their own way some of the best entertainment (not just sci-fi) I have seen in many years. I'm 42, so I've seen plenty of good stuff out there.

It seems as though summer 2008 finally gave sci fi fans really good stuff: BSG, Iron Man, TDK, and Dr. Horrible.

As an aside, my wife didn't get it, but my 2-year-old son heard me singing "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do" and insisted that he see Act I. He loved it! We had to play the last song at least five times before Mommy thought that was enough for the night. I now play Act I and/or Act II as background music to whatever I'm doing on the computer. I'm breaking into song at odd moments. I love this!

Something different-Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

So, in the course of my job search and general Internet surfing over the last few weeks, I’d seen several blog posts about Joss Whedon’s sci-fi supervillain musical Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Act I was released yesterday, Act II will be released Thursday 7/17, and Act III will be released Saturday 7/19. The episodes are also available on iTunes. It’s hard to describe, but it is great! Please check it out.

Yesterday, the website’s servers crashed, so it may be tough to get directly to Act II tomorrow, but keep trying. This is definitely worth the effort of continually checking to see if you get through.

Interviewing, at least

Interviewed for a position at my old company on Friday. The interview went well, so we’ll see what happens. I have interviews for another position there next Wednesday. It seems as though the only place I get interviews or interest is for my old company. I’d go back, so I’m glad other departments are calling me in for interviews, but it would be weird at first if I was re-hired there. I keep looking and applying at other companies, too, just haven’t gotten a nibble yet. Hopefully something will come to pass soon.

And we keep on searching

Had a phone interview last Tuesday for a project coordinator position. Haven’t heard back yet, so I’m assuming that I will not likely be called in for a in-person interview. I will keep trying to get into this company. I also found out last Wednesday that there may have been an opportunity for a contract position at my old company. At first, I was hesitant, but I decided that it would not be a bad idea to try for the position. Unfortunately, the position closed, but it had the possibility of re-opening, so I told the recruiter that had initially contacted me that I was still interested. We’ll see what happens.

My last post, I had noted that I was in an interesting place for me and that I was not as worried about my prospects as I thought I would be. I still know that my job search will take time, and that I will eventually be successful, but there are days when I do wonder when and how long it will take for me to get work again. I’m sure everyone has these thoughts during their job searches.

And sometimes, they change all at once...

Within the last twenty-four hours, I've gotten two job interviews set up in the next week and half! I'm still searching and applying for positions that interest me and that I believe I have a shot at getting at least an initial interview. I'm doing online courses to learn more about project management and I'm trying to find the best ways to learn more about project management as a discipline. I'm pretty confident that project management as a career is the direction I want to go, so it is now a matter of learning as much as I can both on the job (when I get one) and through learning more about project management outside of work.

This is definitely an interesting place for me to be in and I am oddly not as worried about my prospects as I thought I would be. I know that my job search may take time, but I also know that I will eventually be successful.

The Other Big Thing in My Life Right Now

I thought I would also post about the other big thing in my life right now. I’ve begun training for the 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon in January. Actually, I’ll be running both the Half-Marathon on Saturday, January 10 and then the Marathon on Sunday, January 11. This is called the Goofy Challenge and means that I’ll be running 39.3 miles over two days (while at Walt Disney World, so I’ll be walking a bit before and after the races, too!).

I’ve done the Marathon twice before, in 2007 and 2008, and enjoyed the experience so much that I decided to do both races next year. The training shouldn’t be too much harder than in previous years. I read somewhere to treat doing the Goofy Challenge as doing three half-marathons in two days. That way you can handle it better. (I should point out that I’m not fast, not at all, but I finish my races and I finish them running, so I figure I can do the Goofy. My times just won’t be all that quick.)

Because I’m doing the Goofy Challenge, I decided to try doing base training before starting my marathon training. Base training, as the name implies, helps develop a base fitness level for your race training. This article at Runner's World, Build Your Best Training Base, by Scott Douglas, helped me plan my base training program. Even though I started the program this week, I feel like it has helped me already. I’ve gotten out all three days so far this week that I was supposed to run and I’ll go out tomorrow for my long run (only 45 minutes and I’m usually just getting warmed up after 45 minutes). Once I start cross-training or lifting on the off days, I believe I’ll really start seeing and feeling the benefits of base training.

Still at it

Well at least I'm updating within the month!

So I didn't intend to go this long between posts. I have found myself surprisingly busy with my job search, yet also with a variety of other things. One piece of advice I’ve always heard about job searching is that you shouldn’t get distracted by other things, such as projects around the house, etc. This is good advice. I haven’t gotten too bogged down by other things yet, but focusing on the job search all day is tough. I try to spend a good part of the day in the job search, but it can be tough.

I’ve decided to focus a lot of my search and networking efforts with a very large national retailer based here (not the one I used to work for). I think I would fit in very well at this company and I hope to be able to get into it either directly or as a contractor. We’ll see how it goes. I’m also continuing to look at other opportunities and in reality, anything that looks good will be just fine with me.

Strange how things change so quickly

My first post was done in a bit of a funk, not sure what was going to happen with our job searches or what the future would be like. The next day was more of the same, looking for jobs, trying to figure out how to maximize the possibilities. Wondering what would happen and how long it would take. Then on Day 3 of our combined search, my wife gets an offer at the company where she works for a position that she really wanted. So, obviously, she accepted the position. Now comes the strange part of the last two weeks.

My wife had said that if she got an offer soon after I had left my job, we would take a quick trip to Walt Disney World. So rather than try to do job searching, I spend the day working with my wife and her mother (both of my in-laws also came on the trip) to get hotel rooms and reservations on the flight we usually take to Orlando on Sun Country airlines to go down last Wednesday and come back this past Sunday, a nice 5-day trip that would give us a bit of a break before my wife started her new job.

Last Monday and Tuesday, I got ready for the trip and did some searching. Then last Wednesday morning, at far too early an hour, we went to the airport and started our trip, which was fantastic.


Sunday afternoon, we returned tired, but happy. My wife started her new job yesterday and I re-started my job search. So far, it's going all right. I'm a little out of practice and I need to get back into networking mode quickly, but I'm confident that I'll find a job sooner rather than later.

What's this all about?

My second attempt at blogging should be better than the first. Not that the first blog is dead, I just haven't had a chance to blog much on it (see The Mouse and More at themouseandmore.blogspot.com). This attempt, Fumbling through my forties, comes from the situation I find myself in as of yesterday. After five years at the corporate headquarters of a national retailer, I find myself unemployed. Not an uncommon occurrence, I know, but daunting all the same. Let me explain, and please understand that I am not trying to elicit sympathy or pathos, but to explain the circumstances that led to the creation of this blog.

The short version is this: I'm 43 years old and I have a Ph.D. in history. The job I lost yesterday was in property management. This is a bit of a skill set disconnect, to say the least. Five years ago, I did work at a state historical society, doing history no less. However, the project I was working on ended and there was no new funding for my position. So, for the first time in my adult life, I found myself unemployed and not sure what to do. I ended up at this national retailer in the property management group. For five years. With no much hope of moving on from the group easily. About three weeks ago, I reached an endgame with my position and needed to be prepared to leave. The departure would be quick when it came, however, I was able to interview for another position within the organization. I came in second and found out yesterday, my last day of work. So if I had gotten this position, I would have started that job today and wouldn't be blogging now.

To add to this situation, my wife also works at a national retailer and found out three weeks ago that her position would be eliminated July 1. So she has been networking like crazy internally and externally to find a new job.

So we find ourselves in an unfortunately all-too-common situation today. We're a solidly middle-class family with a 2-year-old son and facing potentially difficult situations that we have not faced before.

This blog will be my journal of our job searches, the trials and tribulations of looking for a job with a interesting skill set and work experience, and how we're dealing with the search. I won't be maudlin (not purposely) and I hope to be humorous. We'll see if anyone else thinks I'm funny (I may have to let everyone know when I'm being funny).

Today, my first day out of work and I spent a little time doing job search stuff, but I wanted to relax a bit, too. Surfed the web, listened to podcasts, saw the new Indiana Jones movie, mowed the yard, and started this blog. A full day in my book. We'll see how things go over time.