Hey, I have a blog?

Uh, yeah, so that whole blogging thing... I guess I'm missing the point about regular posts.

Things here have been... quiet. I've not had a single call about a job. Not ONE SINGLE CALL. My last ego boost was being turned down for a job as a bank teller. BANK TELLER. Obviously, I'm a bit down about the whole 'job' thing.

My plan is still to go back to school using No Worker Left Behind. The only problem, and I'm not saying it really is a problem, is that using NWLB means leaving engineering. This has highlighted something else that is bothering me.

The field of engineering is dying in the US.

A Careerbuilder magazine that was sent to my house stated that engineering careers in the US are flat for the foreseeable future. This is not a surprise when you think that engineering and manufacturing are inseperably linked. Engineers design things to be manufactured. Engineers moniter, maintain, and inprove manufacturing lines that produce thos same things. As manufacturing leaves the US, so too does engineering.

This is really depressing for me, not only because it does not bode well for the future of the US, but also because I really liked the concreteness of mechanical engineering.

Does anyone see this similarly? Does anyone think I'm wrong?

Anyone?

Farewell to thee, Goatee.

I must not be very good at this blogging thing, as I haven't posted in a while. Bad me!

I haven't had much to say lately. I'm still job searching, without even the slightest success, however, now I'm pondering the 'return to the school' option. This initially reared it's ugly head as an interest in 'No Worker Left Behind' which I am still investigating, but now continues in schooling regardless of NWLB. I am waiting to hear back from U of M Dearborn on their Electrical Engineering program. I have a mechanical degree, but lately I've been thinking that's a dead end. I like being an ME, but I like the idea of having both an ME and EE degree.

That, however, is beside the point. Right now I wish to put into word a memorial to my Goatee.

My love affair with my Goatee began where most experimentation happens: college. I flirted shamelessly with my Goatee, going occationally with, occationally without it. As time wore on, and I matured, I grew closer to my Goatee, encouraged, at the time, by my then girlfriend, Rachel. Upon graduation, however, a rift opened between us. I needed to find employment, and unilaterally people said that one must be clean shaven to impress a prospective employer. Thus, saddened, but determined, I severed my relationship with my Goatee. Again, time wore on, and found myself still without work. No matter how much I yearned for my Goatee, I had to remain steadfast.

Eventually, I did find employment, and with it came new hope, and a new chance to rekindle my relationship with my Goatee, and we had been together ever since. My Goatee was with me when I met my wife, and at our wedding. My Goatee consoled me when my wife's cat, Allie, died, and reminded me of how she nuzzled my Goatee when being affectionate. My Goatee was there when I was laid off two month ago, and my wife tucked it in her neck as she, too, consoled me.

Now, however, my Goatee is gone. Again I am without employment, again, clean shaven is how I must be to impress a potential employeer, and again my Goatee is gone. Our long standing relationship is over.

At least until I find a new job, and can grow it back.

Spring is Near

The windows are open, and spring is in the air. It has been a long, hard winter. Between economic woes, uncertainty at work, and random other factors, I am more than happy to see the end of winter.

Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal, and growth. All of these things are a part of, or participate in change. I could really use some change for the better right now, even, perhaps, rebirth. My own personal growth has been rather stunted as of late. Several of my former co-workers started Grad school for MBA's. More and more I've been envying them. My previous position was very stable, to the point of stagnation. Rebirth, renewal, growth. Change.

I am filled with worry about the future, as to whether I can find a job soon, and continue to make my mortgage payment, but if I do find a new job soon, this could be one of the best things that's happened to me in a while. (My marriage being the other.)

Growth.

Change.

Spring is here, and it's about damn time.

Some Simple Updates

I appologize again, to the zero people reading this blog, that I haven't been updating. Really, there hasn't been all that much going on. That is not to say there have not been a few points of interest:

I've attended my first seminar/session/whatever at with Right Management, a transition service that my previous employer contracted to help those that were laid off. The first session was Career Assessment. Prior to attending the class, I had to take the Myers-Briggs, and do a value assessment exercise. The result were rather interesting. I have taken the Myers-Briggs before, and the results changed since the last time I took it. Previously, I came up as a classic Engineer. This time, I tested as a ISFJ, "The Protector", most apt to health care, and LEAST apt for Engineering and Computers. I think it is a reflection of the issues I had with my previous employment, and not an indication that I am not fit for my chosen career path.

Also interesting, is that my wife, who was four credits short of a Master's in Clinical Psychology, had never heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. There were other tests that she specialized in, which I understand. Certain schools will prefer different tests over others. What I find confusing is that she had never had the test discussed in class. Even if you didn't want your students to use a particular test, wouldn't you at least cover the test to discuss its weaknesses, and explain why you don't want them to use it? Odd.

I am finally playing along with the Game Club at Eat-Sleep-Game, previously 1UP FM's backlog. I've been meaning to play for some time, but this time I actually ran across a copy of the game for a bargain before they started discussing it. The game, which is Rockstar's Bully, is pretty much, from what I can tell, classic GTA formula in a different setting. I'm not big fan of GTA. I haven't played a GTA since the first one, where I had fun torching Hari Karishnas with a flame thrower, and watching my roommate going on a cop-killing spree till here were none left in the city. (Don't think I don't know how bad that sounds, but the first GTA was pretty abstract.) I've seen people play others, but they never really appealled to me.

Some thoughts on the game:
1) I'm not sure how I feel about the mission-based structure yet. I've not been a big fan of it in the past, with other games. Jak 2 was partly the reason for this. Jak and Daxter was a competent platformer, and 2 had such an artificial grafting of mission based structure and dark, angsty story that I stopped playing really early. We'll see what happens here.
2) Save Algie. Dear God, why an escort mission? I hated them in X-Wing, I hated them in Tie Fighter, and an escort mission was the OTHER reason I stopped playing Jak 2.
3) Why is every person in the school a psychopath? I'm walking along, minding my own bi'ness, and some jerk hits me from behind, out of the blue. What did I ever do to you? Why do people try to beat me up for no apearant reason, even in the middle of the school, with prefects standing right there?

More later, as the game progresses.

And Time Marches On

So, it has been two and a half weeks since the Great Job Massacre, and I haven't exactly been idle in that time. I've re-activated my Monster account, opened a Career Builder account, filed for unemployment, and registered with Michigan Works. I've applied for about eight jobs so far, and no calls. I suppose I'm being a bit impatient. It's silly to think that in this economy, in this area, another job is going to pop up immediately after what loosing the last one meant. Still, it's discouraging.

I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. When I graduated from college in '99, it took me almost six months to find a job. At the time, I chalked it up to the time of year I graduated (December). I figured that everyone was looking for new hires around normal graduation time in May. Sure enough, I didn't land a job till May.

Now, as then, however, that little voice in the back of my head keeps saying, 'Maybe it's YOU. Maybe you're just a bad engineer!'

Regardless, I have to keep going, and tell that voice to go fark itself. Still, the doubts are there.

In Between

I've been in an odd place since I lost my job. I guess this is not surprising. I'm in an in between place where I'm having trouble moving forward, even though I know it's REALLY important to get moving right now. I've looked into some options, and there are some interesting opportunities available to me.

Michigan Works will train me in a presumed growing field. I was happy being an engineer, but perhaps I do need a change.

In the meantime, my previous employer has paid for two months for me at a company called Right Management, which will help me write my resume, give me practice interviewing, and look at my different options if I want to switch careers.

Between the two, I'm seriously thinking of giving up this whole engineering thing. It's an odd thought. For almost 8.75 yrs of working, and 4.5 yrs of schooling, I defined myself by the title of engineer. It wasn't just what I did, it was who I was. Now that may not be the case anymore.

I know this may be silly to you. Why would someone define themselves so closely with what they do? I don't think it's unusual for engineers, though.

For now I'm an engineer. Tomorrow? Who knows.

Here's to the Fallen

I finished the last post, and realized that I overlooked one of the things I really wanted to do, and that is recognize those people who I knew who lost their jobs on Wed.

So, to Greg, Rayyan, Brian, Joel, Kendra, and especially David, those special few I knew out of the approximately 300 who, like me, lost their jobs, and to Will, Sara, Helene, and Jeremy, those smart few who took the damn buyout and walked away with more money, here's to you all. Good luck in all your endeavors.

Cheers.