jobless starting today...

jamesleecoleman

Hey,

I'm wondering if anyone could give me some advice on being unemployed and going to school? I've searched through the forums to see what I can find but I thought I would be specific in my situation. If you kinda wanna know what happened then the story is there.

I'm a college student (grcc) in my second year. I'm working on my ccent and network + certs.
Well today (about three hours ago) I got the news that I wouldn't be able to work anymore. I played it off in the discussion like it wasn't a big deal because if I get the chance to come back, I would want them to hire me back. So for the rest of the day it started to bother me kinda like someone took something way important away from me (I guess its worse than going on a date with a girl but having the parents to cancel it). So later on I started to work on the accounts and the GM (the person I had to talk with) told me that basically that I had to leave then and there (wasn't his decision). He let me finish what I had to do and prep whoever was going to finish the account. I really didn't want to leave and every time I did, I just wanted to *cough* cry *cough*.
Anyways, I know I have to adjust to the situation on the fly but I don't exactly know how because this is the first time this has happened to me and this was my first job. I tried to get a job through work study but all the slots were full for the computer tech assistant job. I might have a chance for help desk though work study. I will be looking through mad jobsites. I could only think of worse things so I'm not going to freak about it.

Daniel333

Since you are in school unemployment is out...

But go ahead and check the employment center's at your colleges, not just the one you attend. Remember to not waste the time on Xcrack. if you would have worked 20 hours, job hunt and study for 20 hours.

I had a nice month off where I finished my MCSA not too long ago.

HeroPsycho

Dude, what you're going through is not as uncommon as you think. My first IT job, they axed every contractor at the same time. They literally asked me to transition a case I was in the middle of working to a fulltime employee, and that was that.

You're not in a position right now to be prepared for this, but always remember what this is like, and use it as a motivating factor for the following:

A. Don't ever let any employer be able to put you in a position where you're screwed like this and can't find another job. Keep your skills up and always be in a position to be in demand.
B. When you do land back on your feet, this is why buying that shiny new _________ is not a good idea until you build up a rainy day fund you can rely on while you find work if something like this happens again. This is very very important. Guess what happens when you get laid off when you're not ready for it? You get desperate and take the first job you can get so you can pay the bills, not the right job. That first job you find very often isn't the right job, and it often is someplace more likely to do this to you again.
C. Don't take it personally. IT is first and foremost a business. You should be personally invested enough to care that you do a good job, but not so personally invested that you're not aware of potential better opportunities and not willing to jump ship and take them.
D. Pay attention better to signs that this maybe happening again. In my case, I made excuses as to why contractors on other teams were being let go, but it couldn't happen to my team because of idiotic reasons. Had I opened my eyes more, I would have begun looking and prepping for the inevitable.

jamesleecoleman

Daniel333

I'm thinking I can use this time to work on the certs while I job hunt. I wish it was easy as actually hunting :P


HeroPsycho


I forgot to state that I worked in a warehouse for two years but it was dealing with electronics and I did alittle computer repair.

I tried to move into positions where they would have to keep me (technology part) but I couldn't get in those positions. I have the knowledge but someone else was way intelligent and knew alot of just about everything (i'm not kidding).

I'll try not to get after the first job that is offered. It's just that I couldn't see this happening at all
for reasons that I cant explain (just keep that reason like that). I did learn a lesson to take advantage of training that the company will offer. I was going to recertify on the highlow after I got the news but I couldn't because the guy who was going to do it went to do a pickup for the company and I had to leave.

blargoe

You're still in school, right? Don't worry about waiting around for the "long term job with a big stable company", as long as your education isn't suffering you need to pad you resume with experience first and foremost at this point. The biggest jumps in career (and pay) progression for most of us have been between jobs.

MCPWannabe

Some great advice here... I agree with the above posters. One more thing: don't tell potential jobs that you were layed off. Keep that quiet.

luckybob

I understand what you are going through here. My sophomore year of College I had almost the exact same thing happen to me.

I was off on a Friday, my Birthday, but went into the office to pick up my paycheck. I was asked by my Manager if I could hang around for a little bit. Of course being in good standings I agreed. Once a few more people showed up I was curious as to what was going on. About an hour later we are all called into the conference room, still with no explanation as to what was going on. The department manager comes in and explains we are all getting laid off, and that today would be our last (got fired on my day off, on a Friday...Movie reference anyone?). So on my day off/Birthday I get laid off for no good reason. So a month goes by and I had not gotten my severance package, so I call up HR to find out where it is. I find out it was in the mail, and low and behold I was offered my job back. After negotiating a raise and a position under my previous manager, I accepted (Note* I had a contracted position programming for an engineering company at this time, so I took the job to see how things unfolded). After working on the job for roughly a month, I come in again on my day off to pickup my pay check. Again I was confronted and asked to hang around. Being wiser this time around, I stated I was not hanging around to be laid off, give me my pay check, I am out this b@$%h.

Moral of the story: Call center jobs will always suck, but it makes for good experience to put on your resume, minus the lay off .

Take it as a learning experience, or use the cliched expression my wife likes, "When one door closes, another will open."

liven

MCPWannabe wrote:

Some great advice here... I agree with the above posters. One more thing: don't tell potential jobs that you were layed off. Keep that quiet.

I have never heard about keeping layoffs quiet.

In fact what are you going to tell an employer down the road when they ask why you changed jobs?

You tell them that you were laid off, that doesn't mean you were a bad worker. It means something else caused your employment to end that was out of your control.