Do I Know Where I'm Going To?

As I continue to recover from my recent outsourcing, I'm faced with possibly the biggest decision of my life so far: continue to look for a job or go back to school.

So far, it looks as if I should go with the former option. If I go with the latter choice, I'd still need to look for a part-time job to sustain myself while I hit the books. I'm the primary breadwinner in my household and I have no one to fall back on if my income dries up. Besides, Lord only knows that this job could be an even bigger insult to my intelligence than my former job ever was, and there is no way that I'm going to willingly put myself through that again. Having said that, some short-term pain (the part-time job) is probably warranted in light of the long-term gain (the dividends from returning to school).

At least my provincial (Ontario) government has a program to help people who are in my situation and willing to go back to school for retraining. It's fittingly called Second Career; the gist is that the government pays for tuition and other expenses if you qualify for this assistance. Mind you, there is a process which every applicant needs to go through - however, the prospect of changing careers on the government's dime sounds worthwhile, especially considering the possible long-term benefits.

Personally, the fields of study relating to the arts sound very appealing to me, especially as a person who thrives on being creative. I used to produce drum 'n bass music as Charlie Van Pelt, and I terribly miss those days...

Thoughts Of A Newly Unemployed Man

I can sleep in tomorrow morning. That's weird.

I can stay up as late as I want to tonight. That's weird, too.

As you know, I lost my job last week. After having been on the workforce for four years (including approximately one as a temp), this is my first week as an unemployed man. I'm not finding it too hard to adjust, but at the same time, I pray that I find my next job sooner rather than later.

At this point, I have yet to hear from the career transition firm which will help me, but I'm not concerned. I don't have the clearest idea of what I want to do next, but as long as I'm not doing my previous job, I'll be very happy.

In the meantime, I'm working out, playing lots of N, and enjoying my "vacation" as much as I can.

I Lost My Job Today

This is how my office looked right before I left it for the last time.



As of this afternoon, I am unemployed.

Take This Job And Shove It (To India)!

I started cleaning out my desk at work this morning. Since this is my last week at my current job, I won't be using it for much longer.

Last October, three weeks before my 29th birthday, my department was informed that all of its jobs would be outsourced to India. These jobs were slated to go in two phases, with the first one ending in December. My job is in the second phase, which ends in May; my last day of employment is May 1st.

I used to wonder what would happen if the day ever came that I suddenly didn't have a job anymore. Not that I was too worried; I use a budget spreadsheet in order to track my income and spending, and I make sure to contribute to my tax-free savings account and RSP with every paycheque I earn. Mind you, I don't deposit so much that my disposable income ends up being on a downward trend.

Having said that, I'm pretty much the breadwinner of my household (absolutely no details on that), so you should understand that a job loss would cause a little concern with me. I'm also at a disadvantage when my inexperience and lack of a strong social network are taken into consideration. As you've probably figured out, I've had a very hard time so far in landing suitable employment. From October to the present, I've only had two (unsuccessful) interviews.

And yes, I am trying, thank you very much.