I need help. I really have absolutely no "job getting" skills at all.

Yes, I typed that. "Job getting" skills.... I search indeed, craigslist, usajobs etc. I know no one in the field at all.

Background:
I have been out of work 16 months. My first job, i was the lone IT presence on site at a small private school and got 72K. My second job, I was the lone IT presence onsite at a medical billing company and got 67K. My last Job, i was hired and lied to about my salary and got 55K. I was the Net Admin at a doorknob wholesaler. Not a typo. the largest one in the world however. Now I've been out of work 16 months and have no idea where to look or what to look for. Where do you guys get these jobs at companies that have more than 1 person on staff? i have applied online for ~100 jobs and received 2 calls back. Both were for similar positions I have held in the past. Net Admin for 300-500 users, 5-6 sites, in charge of everything from servers, to help desk, to phones, to firewall, email, web site, virtualization etc. First offer was 42K, second place offered 45K. How is it that i have been going backward, while studying 12+ hrs a day and everyone else is moving fwd? I am 45 years old and should be in the prime of my earning life and I dont even know where to look for good jobs. What is out there other that a regular "Net Admin" position? I live 1/2 hr south of Boston, I have 8ish years experience with MS products, have my MCITP:SA, CCNA, vSphere experience, Net+, Sec+, CCNA: Sec on the way. Most of the jobs i see require programming, SQL, Linux/Unix as well as all the things I listed above. I simply cant learn all that. I just cant.

For Degrees, i started out in the science field with a BS in Bio and minors in Chem and Physics.

This is killing me. I am very close to giving up and walking away from my house, life etc.

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phantasm

tdean wrote: »

Yes, I typed that. "Job getting" skills.... I search indeed, craigslist, usajobs etc. I know no one in the field at all.

Background:
I have been out of work 16 months. My first job, i was the lone IT presence on site at a small private school and got 72K. My second job, I was the lone IT presence onsite at a medical billing company and got 67K. My last Job, i was hired and lied to about my salary and got 55K. I was the Net Admin at a doorknob wholesaler. Not a typo. the largest one in the world however. Now I've been out of work 16 months and have no idea where to look or what to look for. Where do you guys get these jobs at companies that have more than 1 person on staff? i have applied online for ~100 jobs and received 2 calls back. Both were for similar positions I have held in the past. Net Admin for 300-500 users, 5-6 sites, in charge of everything from servers, to help desk, to phones, to firewall, email, web site, virtualization etc. First offer was 42K, second place offered 45K. How is it that i have been going backward, while studying 12+ hrs a day and everyone else is moving fwd? I am 45 years old and should be in the prime of my earning life and I dont even know where to look for good jobs. What is out there other that a regular "Net Admin" position? I live 1/2 hr south of Boston, I have 8ish years experience with MS products, have my MCITP:SA, CCNA, vSphere experience, Net+, Sec+, CCNA: Sec on the way. Most of the jobs i see require programming, SQL, Linux/Unix as well as all the things I listed above. I simply cant learn all that. I just cant.

For Degrees, i started out in the science field with a BS in Bio and minors in Chem and Physics.

This is killing me. I am very close to giving up and walking away from my house, life etc.

Are you at least getting phone calls? If not then post up your resume and let us get a look at it.

earweed

phantasm wrote: »

Are you at least getting phone calls? If not then post up your resume and let us get a look at it.

+1 With your skills and experience you should be getting calls left and right.

tdean

Im not getting any calls at all. I had to initiate the 2 i got. i will post my resume and a sample cover letter. Give me a minute to remove some info. Also, i have never been fired or received anything less than stellar reviews from former bosses.

i left the school b/c i felt it wasnt really a place to "flourish" as an IT guy since they were really limited tech-wise. the medical billing co was a contract and i felt i was getting older and should start looking for something more stable. the doorknob place i posted about before. My boss was very unethical and lied about almost everything. ironically, every step i have made, was carefully thought out to prevent a situation like i am currently in from ever happening.

tdean

phobix wrote: »

have you considered relocation?

yeah, if i could find a job. I wouldnt want to sell my house and move somewhere and find out the job i was taking isnt what they told me. Thats already happened once. I know i have to trust people, but its tough in this economy. Hell, if i lived north of Boston, rather than south, i'd probably be rich.

Here is my resume and a cover letter i sent to the Museum of Science. They had a check list of the skills they wanted a candidate to have. they wanted 2 of 5 from 3 different groups. I had all from all the groups. Even with my science background i didnt get a call. That was kind of a slap in the face. things really started going downhill mentally for me around that time.

Cover Letter.doc

TDean Resume.doc

superman859

To me, a quick glance at the resume and cover letter doesn't point out any glaring flaws. Granted, I'm just starting to enter the job market for the first time so what do I know? But from what I've heard, I don't see anything too bad (a couple minor errors / double words in the cover letter that should be fixed, but nothing too bad).

So I'm not much help, but definitely curious to see what others have to say.

But as for programming languages / sql / linux, it's actually not as bad as you think. From your resume, it sounds like you have some experience with linux / sql, so maybe just studying a little bit more wouldn't be too bad. Once you knock out your first programming language, the rest will be a cinch. SQL is quite easy in my opinion with only a little extra time needed for database design and more theoretical points. So if a lot of jobs you see really want these, it might be easier than you think once you get started.

SubnettingGoddess

Can you bump up the 2000-present job to the top of the history and flesh it out? That or leave months off and bury dates. Mine looks like this:

Security Analyst BEDROCK CONSULTING (NGO contract) Washington DC 2008 to 2009 - Responsible for security of NGO Windows, UNIX, and Linux servers.

Maybe it does not matter but it also lacks visual appeal to me.

I feel for you - when I start my job next month, it will have been 16 months since I last actually worked (was on STD and FMLA a few months of that). But you surely have great skills!

docrice

Do you see yourself more as a "senior PC technician" or a network administrator? The words "PC tech" gives me the idea of someone just starting their career. The rest of your resume gives me the impression that you're more of a systems / network admin.

The resume overall I think is okay, but it's not "punchy." There's nothing unusual about it, meaning it seems relatively typical of an IT guy. It would be helpful to know, aside from what you generally did day-to-day, what value you added to the company (saved x dollars through roll-out of scripts / systems management product / etc.). The formatting of the resume feels a little "jagged" in terms of tabbing / alignment. I'd probably also leave the oldest position you had out of the resume since it's not relevant to the type of job you're after.

Some nitpicks:

There is no "Server 2000." It's "Windows 2000 Server." The "Server 200x" nomenclature didn't start until 2003 (thanks a lot, Microsoft Marketing).
Instead of saying, "Microsoft XP, Vista, Windows 7," I'd say, " Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7." Yeah, I know, but as someone who used to parse through resumes I look at things like that.
Mention some of the hardware models you used from Cisco, HP, Sonicwall, and Juniper.
Is mentioning "VLAN" important? If you're working with switching hardware, one would figure that's a given part of the skill set.
Which Linux and Unix variation(s) did you work with?
I think "site to site VPN’s" should probably read "site-to-site VPNs."
At the beginning of the second page you mention, "2008 Server." This should probably be "Windows Server 2008," right? If you spell out a product name in full elsewhere in the resume, I think it's best to be consistent about it.
"company wide" should be "company-wide."
Which Veritas backup product? Netbackup? Backup Exec?
In your skills section you mention, "Microsoft Exchange 2010, IIS, Microsoft Office, SharePoint, SQL 2008, SCCM, WSUS..." Since these are all Microsoft products, I don't think you need to mention the Microsoft name again right before "Office."
Might want to detail out some specifics on the "security hardening plan" since that would be an interesting bullet point (at least for me).

I'm not sure if I'd mention that you're unemployed in your cover letter. Beware of using contractions. Don't get too long-winded either. The people who read these want to get the idea of who you are in a manner of seconds.

Also, if you want a position at a larger company (with an IT team of more than just a few people), you might want to incorporate a few corporate buzzwords to let them know you understand the corporate linguist culture (yeah, I hate those words like "synergy" and "action item" as well). Something like, "Developed and implemented security maintenance and verification processes to significantly improve service availability uptime metrics blah blah blah..." I'm not for doctoring resumes, but the way language is presented can make a difference in impression. Also depends on where you're applying, of course.

tdean

Thanks for the pointers guys. I agree about the resume, i never liked it but couldnt put my finger on what it was exactly. i need to square it up and remove some of those entry level jobs. i only added sr pc tech b/c a recruiter told me a while back it was absolutely necessary. i think i'll **** that too. the Lan-Solutions is something i started with another guy, we were trying to go after a bunch of really small businesses.... it didnt really pan out the way we had hoped. our big thing was going to be selling them virtualization services, however, companies that small usually only have a few servers... etc etc.

what do you guys think i should really concentrate on for skills. I sit here every day watching cbt's and labbing stuff out for Cisco, VoIP, Security stuff, MS, wireless...

I panic thinking about things an interviewer might ask me that I might not know. My confidence is so badly fractured, I really need to find something and supplement the things I already have. I was thinking about vSphere, i have over 100 hrs training under my belt.

docrice

If your skill set target is a mile wide, you're probably not going to be very deep in any of them. There's a market for generalists though, but I think there's a diminishing point of usefulness in being a jack-of-all-trades. You can't be good at everything and there are going to be technical interview questions which you won't be able to answer. Just a fact of life, and I think most hiring managers understand this. As long as your fundamentals and logic / reasoning is sound, that's a good start. Coupled with perceived aptitude, I would think a lot of companies would hire based on those merits (assuming you met the minimum at a technical level).

Depending on how the (longer-term) market is, figure out what really interests you most and then emphasize your learning in those areas. Technology is getting more complicated by the day and sometimes implementing a solution hinges on getting the small obscure details right. Enlist the help of recruiters to get a feel for what's out there. I currently have my resume on Dice and I've been getting at least a call or two almost daily, although most of the times what they're offering hasn't interested me enough to warrant a callback. I live in a very tech-oriented area (it's Silicon Valley, after all), so your mileage may drastically differ. But if you haven't used recruiters yet, it's another angle.

Essendon

The other posters have covered all the points, but I wanted to chime in. Your very first few words say Senior PC Technician. To me your a senior Windows Administrator/Systems Administrator/ Systems Engineer or something similar. If I were a dumbass HR prick, I'd just read the first few words and go, O this dude's just a lowly PC technician nothing more. Delete/Next resume. Your underselling yourself that way. You have the experience, flaunt it. Take note of what docrice has said, good points.

tdean

docrice wrote: »

If your skill set target is a mile wide, you're probably not going to be very deep in any of them. There's a market for generalists though, but I think there's a diminishing point of usefulness in being a jack-of-all-trades. You can't be good at everything and there are going to be technical interview questions which you won't be able to answer. Just a fact of life, and I think most hiring managers understand this. As long as your fundamentals and logic / reasoning is sound, that's a good start. Coupled with perceived aptitude, I would think a lot of companies would hire based on those merits (assuming you met the minimum at a technical level).

Depending on how the (longer-term) market is, figure out what really interests you most and then emphasize your learning in those areas. Technology is getting more complicated by the day and sometimes implementing a solution hinges on getting the small obscure details right. Enlist the help of recruiters to get a feel for what's out there. I currently have my resume on Dice and I've been getting at least a call or two almost daily, although most of the times what they're offering hasn't interested me enough to warrant a callback. I live in a very tech-oriented area (it's Silicon Valley, after all), so your mileage may drastically differ. But if you haven't used recruiters yet, it's another angle.

ok, but now we are back to part of my original problem. Every single job i see has 15+ requirements. I have never, ever seen any of the jobs you guys discuss having. Where would i even look for a job that WASNT a jack of all trades? I'd love to concentrate on 4-5 things, i'd probably be a master. However, I have never seen any jobs like that.

Esendon, you are correct. Too many people have said that for it to not be right. I wonder if thats why i've only had the 2 calls out of 100+ applications?

heres what i changed it to:
PROFILE: Senior network administrator with qualifications that include LAN/WAN administration, virtualization, and Help Desk management. Currently completing CCNA:Security and Microsoft Enterprise certifications.

docrice

tdean wrote: »

ok, but now we are back to part of my original problem. Every single job i see has 15+ requirements. I have never, ever seen any of the jobs you guys discuss having. Where would i even look for a job that WASNT a jack of all trades? I'd love to concentrate on 4-5 things, i'd probably be a master. However, I have never seen any jobs like that.

Employers tend to throw out lengthy wish-lists. I'm under the impression that a lot of times, that's just what it is - a "wish list." Sometimes the wish gets ridiculous / impossible. We've all seen them: "10 years managing Windows Server 2008." Huh?

But it may be that in your general area, you have a lot of small / medium businesses that just want to hire one or two people who have a broad knowledge set. I don't know your geographical area that well, but if that's the case, and other unemployed individuals have the same skill set as you, you need to work on differentiators. That will depend on your technical abilities for sure, but your presentation abilities, etc. can be a major factor. For example, how many tech-types can actually interface well with end-users / management? How many are good mentors / trainers? Not all of them. You seem to have that on your resume. Highlight that somehow.

Essendon

I'd also write more on what you did at each job. IMO, you need to put more meat on the bones. Elaborate/write more, but take care that you dont do it too much. I am a big fan of Trebuchet MS and Verdana fonts for resumes, makes the resume easier to read. Times New Roman gets me cross-eyed trying to read it.

tdean

I hear ya. I do have the soft skills many others ive seen dont. hell, 75% of the faculty at the school were nuns in their 60's. i taught them all sorts of stuff from email to vpn's and they loved me!

Essendon

tdean wrote: »

I am very close to giving up and walking away from my house, life etc.

Never say that dude, that's for losers and you dont appear to be from that category. You can do it!!

tdean

Essendon wrote: »

I'd also write more on what you did at each job. IMO, you need to put more meat on the bones. Elaborate/write more, but take care that you dont do it too much. I am a big fan of Trebuchet MS and Verdana fonts for resumes, makes the resume easier to read. Times New Roman gets me cross-eyed trying to read it.

im redoing the entire thing now. Do you mean change the font on everything or just some of the smaller print.

EDIT: how do you guys like it now? i have to add some more "meat" but i dont think its the visual turn off it was before.

TE Resume.doc

mikej412

tdean wrote: »

I search indeed, craigslist, usajobs etc.

So does everyone else that's unemployed.

tdean wrote: »

i have applied online for ~100 jobs and received 2 calls back.

That's a good start. So how many jobs did you find and apply for the 2nd day you were unemployed?

Before you can get the job you have to find the job. And while you're at home sitting on your couch waiting for a job to find you, there are other people out there beating the bush (and Corporate Technology Centers and Business Parks and phone books and Temp Agencies and Staffing Agencies and Consulting Companies and Business Partners and Value Added Resellers and Company/Corporate Web Sites) and ruthlessly hunting down the jobs before they can even be posted online.

The job market sucks. You're probably going have to face lots of "no" and "we're not hiring" and hopefully an occasional "sorry, you didn't get the job" which at least means you had an interview (and some hope and a reason to get out of bed). Get used to it -- and forget it. It doesn't matter how many of those disheartening responses you get -- all you're looking for is that one "yes" or "congratulations, you got the job."

You can avoid a lot of those disheartening replies by sitting at home an applying for those few posted job scrapes along with a thousand other people -- and not hearing anything back. Or you can join the wolf pack of people out there hunting down the jobs and ignoring the rejections to find those mystical job opening, get those elusive job interview(s), and score the coveted offer letter.

In years gone by -- and perhaps some day in the future when the Baby Boomers start dropping like flies -- job hunters may be the ones with the power to say no and decline reasonable offers and make employers jump through hoops until the perfect job and compensation package appear.... but until that time the only thing that matters is finding that one job offer that gets your yes.

See if you have a local non-profit job center or career center near by. Even if they don't have any useful job postings, the moral support could be priceless. And if they run mock interviews, even better. You want to make sure you bring your A-Game to any interviews that to do get.

Hit up your local temp agencies. A lot of the jobs that went away aren't coming back as permanent positions. Yes -- there are a bunch of d-bag recruiters, but if you don't get on the temp agencies radar (and stay there) you're going to miss a lot of the jobs (and the temp-to-permanent jobs). And even if you only score a few short contract jobs, you can than say you're between contracts, rather than unemployed.

Your current full time job is now finding a job. Get on a regular schedule -- and keep it. Applying for the few job postings online shouldn't take that long -- and you should already have several versions of your resume and cover letters tailored to various types of companies/jobs that you can use. Check before you go to bed, and/or when you first get up in the morning -- knock out the applications for the day and move on to Plan B.

Run through your top 100 local company lists most local newspapers (if they still exist) run sometimes in their business sections. Run through the top 100 local companies to work for lists. Send them all your resume -- and consider dropping off your resume in person.

Run through the local Microsoft Business Partners you find listed on the Microsoft Web Site. See if Microsoft has a local office. Put on your suit and physically drop off your resume at the closest locations -- mail resumes to the rest.

Check out the various Cisco Business Partners in your Area. Put on your suit and physically drop off your resume at the closest locations -- mail resumes to the rest.

Find the list of fortune 100, 500, and 1000 companies. Find if they have offices anywhere around you. Put on your suit and physically drop off your resume at the closest locations -- mail resumes to the rest.

Find all the temporary staffing agencies and temp agencies in your area and put on your suit and physically drop off your resume. Consider "being in the neighborhood" at least once a month and dropping by to see if they need an updated copy of your resume.....

Rather than packing on additional certification (unless you're using unemployment retraining funds), spend your evening non-job hunting time reviewing and refreshing your current certification skills so that you can smack down any technical interview related to your current certifications or job skills. If you think there is an inexpensive magic bullet sure fire job magnet certification you can achieve -- then work on that on the weekend (and any free time in the evenings).

Tweek the online resumes you've posted on the job sites at least once a week -- and maybe more. Hopefully you've thought of something new to add. But editing your posted resumes should keep your resume "current" on the job boards.

And if you're not to old and don't have family obligations, you can always check out the IT opportunities in the Military.

tdean

thatks for the advice guys. I have started reviewing my core knowledge, like Mike said, i need to knock that stuff out of the park in an interview. i still havent had any responses to any applications, and i'mm currently trying to find the closest town that would have any type of IT services at all. Just trying to remain positive.

contentpros

mikej412 wrote: »

So does everyone else that's unemployed.

That's a good start. So how many jobs did you find and apply for the 2nd day you were unemployed?

+1

It has been said in other similar threads and I am going to bring it up again... Don't overlook you local non-profit groups!

Most non-profits rely heavily on donations from affluent members of the community and large companies within the community. When the economy tanks so does the level of funding most of these groups receive. For many of these organizations if the choice is spending money to stock the food bank to feed people that are in dire straits or higher a consultant or whatever to come work on their computers in most cases the community outreach gets the $$$.

Go to these groups offer to volunteer your skills for a letter of reference. Many of these groups do some sort of paper or electronic newsletter see if they will give you a thumbs up or quick thank you write-up with your contact information for people that may need help.

Remember, non-profits generally have ties to very affluent people with deep pockets and connections. If you can't get the money to come to you, then go to the money!!! Its all about networking. All you need is somebody that is a director or similar in the non-profit to mention your name or 3 seconds of praise to a large donor (who may be the owner/CEO/COO of Megacompany X) and next thing you know you start getting calls and offers.

Two years ago the owner of our company approached our IT group and told us he had a friend that was involved with a large non-profit (ie Rich people have rich friends) in Las Vegas that needed some IT help. If any of us wanted to volunteer a weekend to help this organization out our company would fly us out, feed us, and put us up in Vegas and we get a paid "funday" as a thank you. As you could guess many people decided to go. The npo we were working with is well known in the community and has 2 IT people to support 8 locations. THese are like level 1 or 2 tech-support types but sweet people. We went out to do a review on their infrastructure and to help with the planning for a new facility that they were getting ready to occupy. We worked our rear ends off that weekend and were utterly disgusted with the number of vendors that were taking advantage of this organization (to the tune of 200K+). By the time we left they had a new set of vendors and saved them a ton of money in their operational and implementation costs. That weekend we had not just made a few new friends but gained a new family. The npo serves the mentally handicapped and we met some of the nicest and most genuine people (that sure like to give hugs) that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. We spent the next 3 months going out there almost every weekend helping with every thing from packing boxes to infrastructure. We had people that worked for the group that called us their kids and insisted that we stay with them when we were in town... too awesome. We have attended many of their fundraisers met tons of celebs and received many job offers if we ever wanted to move to vegas.

We still make it a point when we go to vegas for a trade show or whatever to spend an extra day helping to keep their systems and network humming or wherever they need a hand. Honestly, It has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in a long time.

So please don't forget your local charities. The one day of your time that you volunteer equals hundreds of dollars they don't have to pay a consultant. The money you just saved them can help feed and provide medical care for a number of families for a week.

You'll meet some neat people, help out more then you will ever know, feel great about yourself and maybe even help your own job search.

*gets off soap box*

Regards,

~CP

tdean

contentpros,

I hate to sound like an idiot, but what exactly is a non profit place? well, one i could run the network for? i did a google search and its quite confusing b/c i see hospitals etc on there and i know they already have people working for them, b/c they already turned me down! lol. i live in Plymouth, Ma and this is what came up.

Nonprofit Organization Lookup

also, am i looking in the right place to find local Microsoft business partners? Again, I hate to sound like an idiot, but i have no idea what that even is. This is part of the problem working alone your entire career.

https://partner.microsoft.com/40009570

ah ha... i think this is it!

http://pinpoint.microsoft.com/en-US/SearchResults.aspx?qs=&fl=02360&catid=&fst=0

Qord

This is probably more of a style thing, but I tend to look at subtle things like dates and the format used. In my opinion, listing a date as Aug 2008-Sep 2009 looks nicer that 08/08-09/09. As a general rule, people are lazy and don't want to have to do the math to figure out the month. The half second it takes to do that is a half second less they will be looking at the content of the resume. Another opinionated style issue would be your education. I'd list it as " Bachelor of Science from Salem State College". You might be scaring away potential employers who see biology and chemistry.

I would also change out "qualifications" with "competencies" in your opening sentence. Although many words reach the same end, some have a different way of getting there, and to me, competencies is a better route. Your certifications listed shortly thereafter speak to your qualifications.

Your resume should not be a static document....don't be afraid to play with it and change it up. Personally, I tailor mine just like I would a cover letter.

Keep in mind these are just my opinions, and others may see very differently.

EDIT: I'd also move the consulting gig up to the top, otherwise you show no current employment. Unfortunately, this would bump your HIPPA experience to the second page as well as messing up the fung shui of your layout.

Plantwiz

tdean wrote: »

Yes, I typed that. "Job getting" skills.... I search indeed, craigslist, usajobs etc. I know no one in the field at all.

Background:
I have been out of work 16 months. My first job, i was the lone IT presence on site at a small private school and got 72K. My second job, I was the lone IT presence onsite at a medical billing company and got 67K. My last Job, i was hired and lied to about my salary and got 55K. I was the Net Admin at a doorknob wholesaler. Not a typo. the largest one in the world however. Now I've been out of work 16 months and have no idea where to look or what to look for. Where do you guys get these jobs at companies that have more than 1 person on staff? i have applied online for ~100 jobs and received 2 calls back. Both were for similar positions I have held in the past. Net Admin for 300-500 users, 5-6 sites, in charge of everything from servers, to help desk, to phones, to firewall, email, web site, virtualization etc. First offer was 42K, second place offered 45K. How is it that i have been going backward, while studying 12+ hrs a day and everyone else is moving fwd? I am 45 years old and should be in the prime of my earning life and I dont even know where to look for good jobs. What is out there other that a regular "Net Admin" position? I live 1/2 hr south of Boston, I have 8ish years experience with MS products, have my MCITP:SA, CCNA, vSphere experience, Net+, Sec+, CCNA: Sec on the way. Most of the jobs i see require programming, SQL, Linux/Unix as well as all the things I listed above. I simply cant learn all that. I just cant.

For Degrees, i started out in the science field with a BS in Bio and minors in Chem and Physics.

This is killing me. I am very close to giving up and walking away from my house, life etc.

I agree with Mike.
Especially with his comment about your job now is 8-10hours per day looking for a job, period.

And you may want to take any job just to get that 'I don't have a job smell' off yourself. I am not saying that you settle, but there is a difference interviewing candidates who have a job vs. those without a job. If YOU were hiring, how do you think you'd perceive the candidates?

Layoff happened to thousands of people and some areas are much worse than others, but if everyone who is currently unemployed was making their former employer more money than they paid out in wages...they'd all still have jobs.
(and yes, I realize support roles don't make money (...you can be efficient though), support roles cost a company money and the product/service the company provides is a factor in this equation, but generally, if a companies product/service is in demand and their employee payroll isn't a burden...there isn't typically downsizing happening...many companies downsized over the past 3-4 years and we'll see many new small companies blooming after this is all done, so try not to take any of this job market stuff personal, look for ways to make YOU a better choice than the other candidates).

However, the thing that struck me in your initial post is this:

..First offer was 42K, second place offered 45K. How is it that i have been going backward, while studying 12+ hrs a day and everyone else is moving fwd? I am 45 years old and should be in the prime of my earning life and I dont even know where to look for good jobs. ..

42K is more than you are earning right now, correct?

I don't think you are going backward, I think you are seeing the value of the jobs in your market. 30-45K is pretty normal in the mid-west. It depends on the company (what they can risk on an employee rather then hiring out task-by-task) and your competition (as well as the geography) but even the Extreme West Coast and East Coast (NY/NJ) jobs don't pay what they once did. The market it saturated with hungry qualified candidates...so consider a job such as this, maybe in a year or two you'll be closer to the salary range of where you think you 'should' be...or you'll be hired by another company who can afford a better pay scale.

If you are not finding a job, consider enrolling back in school. Not only will you be working toward another skill, but you have a set of resources available that non-students don't have. You can work with advisors and have access to job fairs and such through your university/college that others won't have. Plus, you can attend school and work, so look for 3rd shift jobs, or classes early morning/late evening or weekends so you are available for a typical full-time job.

The other option is go invent a job for yourself!

You already have a skill set, so why not sell yourself directly to businesses?

Hang in there, there are a lot of possibilites for you out there, see what you can do with them!

Bokeh

Try this website:

VolunteerMatch - Where Volunteering Begins

You can see what is available in your area or close to it. I have seen several IT positions come up. I am talking to one right now who is going to open up a lab for their area people to come in and apply for jobs, work on resumes, etc. They will be needing someone to work the lab two hours on Sat and Sun morning. More than willing to provide a letter of reference while there. Funding has been approved, they are just awaiting the $$ to come in so they can order the equipment.

So as others have mentioned, volunteering might get your foot in the door.

protocl

This thread is full of Self-encouragement.

JoJoCal19

protocl wrote: »

This thread is full of Self-encouragement.

I'm kind of glad you necro'd this old thread. Makes me more appreciative of the position I have now. From what I can see, the huge fatal error was the OP leaving that nice paying job at the school. Even if it was a little limiting, from what I have heard and seen from people I know, school district IT jobs have great job security when you get in. At least it's like that in my area.

Turgon

JoJoCal19 wrote: »

I'm kind of glad you necro'd this old thread. Makes me more appreciative of the position I have now. From what I can see, the huge fatal error was the OP leaving that nice paying job at the school. Even if it was a little limiting, from what I have heard and seen from people I know, school district IT jobs have great job security when you get in. At least it's like that in my area.

Busted. Tdean is alive and well in IT and posting here..

http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/71609-still-struggling-set-up-evpl-can-someone-help.html