Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler For anyone who trusts the power of prayer...

I know. That is the worst part (moving from friends), but without that job, and not knowing for sure about the job up in Ames, unemployment would most likely mean a move as well. Besides, the Atlanta area needs more active Axiomites!

I can only wish you the best of luck Nick, for you and your family. Keep us posted.

Being in that no-mans land where you are not really sure of anything can really grind you down. Hopefully you will hear something in the next couple of days.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Same here Nick, good luck!

Best of luck Nick.

I know every situation is unique but I do understand some of the pressure you are feeling. Monday is the day that they start handing out the lay off notices here for my level of management. I'll actually be away on Monday at a conference but I know that when I return on Tuesday that I might have to face the music or at least face that some of my friends will have already gone. I'm optimistic about my own chances but both scenarios hit me right in the gut at this point.

Well I got word about 30 minutes ago that they couldn't arrange for the job approval, despite how much they said that they wanted to keep me so as of right now, I am unemployed. I am really disappointed and not sure what I feel, so I am going to leave it at that for now. Thank you for all of the prayers, hopes, crossed fingers, etc for the job in Atlanta. There still is the job 40 miles from here (although less desirable) that may be a possibility, but I would have thought that I would have heard something back about that today if it was good news.

Nick, keep at it brother. I know how you feel, I'm a Toolmaker by trade and work in this field is drying up in Ontario at the same rate as Michigan. Offers I have been getting are about 25-30% less than what I used to make years ago. I'm presently thinking of starting up a new business of my own, as it would seem others feel my 25 years experience in Tool and Die making and $30,000 inv. in tools are worth just a little above 4th year apprentice wages. In real terms, I made about the same kind of $$ or slightly less than your average UAW/CAW worker after machining and building the very machines they are using (that's another issue). Anyway, you know we're here for you...

Adrian

For the record, my comparison of wages above is not entirely accurate...I am self employed with '0' benefits. I feel better now.

Well, I haven't posted anything in a while. In short, I am still unemployed. I've applied for tons of jobs (that I am qualified for, not just anything that comes up), and I've heard "no" a LOT.

I've been focusing a majority of my job search in the following areas (because I have family that I could live with for a while):
Des Moines, IA
Dubuque, IA
Champaign, IL
St Louis, MO
Jacksonville, FL

I've searched government jobs across the country, as well as a few other locations like Madison (WI), Cedar Rapids (IA), Omaha (NE), and a few others that I'm not thinking of right now.

I only have 3 possibilities "in the works" right now.

#1 is a job in Des Moines that would be pretty good, but I was so early on the interview process due to being recommended by someone that it has been about 6 weeks since I interviewed and while I was told a couple of weeks ago that I was still in the running, I am having my doubts.

#2 is a job with IBM in Dubuque where my family (and my wife's) live. I grew up there and it is OK, but I am not sure I like the idea of going to a smaller town again. I am having my first interview with them on April 1.

#3 if you can believe it is for the job in Atlanta that I talked about near the beginning of this thread. 3 weeks after being laid-off because the job wasn't approved, it got approved, but since I was no longer an employee, I had to start over. I was told just last Friday that because of everything, I could skip the HR screening, phone interview, and face-to-face interview and I was being put right to the final step where they have the top 2 candidates talk to a guy that was 3 management levels higher than me. I am not sure when that will happen, but it should be soon. So that is good that I am already one of the top 2 even though they haven't finished meeting all of the other candidates. So we'll see.

Right now I've decided that it would be best to spend time doing low cost, big impact things with the house. We starting some painting today, and I am doing a lot of easy fix things like fixing 3 screen doors that have been torn over the years by my in-laws' dogs, replacing a warped spindle on the deck, fixing some broken tile (we already have the tile and grout from the install 5 years ago), etc... I figure that 1) it gives me things to do, 2) it improves the house whether we have to sell it to move, sell it because we can't afford it, or just to be nicer for if we stay here.

Anyway, that is the long update.