Post #11,210
10/2/01 8:22:21 AM
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iwethey.employed--
Due to cutbacks, I am no longer employed.
Kind of a shock. Work for 12 years, and in a matter of minutes, out of there.
Not performance related. Nice severance package, everyone appears to have played it straight with me. I have nothing to complain about. I'll be going back later to get my stuff. That was my choice. They will even be giving me a chance to copy all my personal files to a directory that the IS department will burn a CD of for me.
I kept my cool on the way out. I'm not upset with anybody.
I'm getting excellent support from my family.
I'm OK.
----
"You don't have to be right - just use bolded upper case" - annon.
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Post #11,211
10/2/01 8:34:17 AM
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Hang in there, Mike. Best of luck with the next gig.
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Post #11,221
10/2/01 9:19:46 AM
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Sorry to hear it...
... but as you say, it sounds like they played it straight with you.
Best of luck.
Regards,
-scott anderson
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Post #11,229
10/2/01 10:02:08 AM
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Good luck
We have to fight the terrorists as if there were no rules and preserve our open society as if there were no terrorists. -- [link|http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/05/opinion/BIO-FRIEDMAN.html|Thomas Friedman]
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Post #11,230
10/2/01 10:05:59 AM
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let us know what you are looking for and where
why did god give us a talleywhacker and a trigger finger if he didnt want us to use them?
Randy Wayne White
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Post #11,237
10/2/01 10:42:14 AM
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Glad to see they're treating you fairly
People like myself at Dell were NOT given the chance to go back and claim personal possessions, save personal files, or get access to personal email archives. Once you were walked out the door the rest was shipped to you, and if they missed anything that really was yours, too bad - it ended up in the garbage. I had to throw a lawyer's name around and go over the heads of my ex-manager and the HR person who shafted me to reclaim technical books that the vultures picked out of the garbage can. All my emails, email addresses, bookmark lists, paperwork, etc., were lost forever.
What I learned from this is to never have anything personal at my place of employment that I don't want to lose. Whenever I find a neat URL, I write it down and take it home that day. Large files I email to my Yahoo account ASAP.
Yeah, I'm still a bit bitter, but I learned a lesson that I needed to, although much more painfully then I would have preferred.
BConnors
"Prepare for metamorphosis. Ready, Kafka?"
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Post #11,260
10/2/01 12:14:06 PM
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Two worlds
It's an excellent policy.
Always maintain a seperate home/personal account. Don't use this for work purposes as you may find you're being asked to provide personal records to some snoop -- not that this is proof, read Jamie Zawinski's [link|http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/rbarip.html|real bad attitude] sometime.
I keep seperate email, generally slave bookmarks from my personal system(s), and routinely sync up other preferences that I've created across various systems, though my personal systems tend to drive. The legal/pragmatic environment has shifted strongly to the view that your work system is your employer's. My interpretation of same is that my employer then gets little if any benefit of my own personal exploration and expansion of systems. It's that nagging little "chilling effect" people keep talking about.
Natch, at the moment, the problem's rather moot ;-)
--
Karsten M. Self [link|mailto:kmself@ix.netcom.com|kmself@ix.netcom.com]
What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?
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Post #11,337
10/2/01 8:14:20 PM
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Your experience as contrast
Having read how you were treated helped me appreciate my own situation.
Went to a meeting at the outplacement facility today. Ran into quite a few people I used to work with yesterday. Nice deal - they are providing ofice space, computers, typing pool, free long distance, etc. for up to 6 months of job searching. Two days of training on how to look for a job next week.
I've got a few leads that, a few months back, had projects for me but said they couldn't ask me to give up a steady gig to take them on.
----
"You don't have to be right - just use bolded upper case" - annon.
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Post #11,281
10/2/01 2:29:23 PM
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Sorry about that, Mike. Good hunting!
Alex
Whom the gods destroy, they first make mad. -- Euripides
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Post #11,320
10/2/01 5:53:07 PM
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Meep!
Utterly sorry to hear of this turn of events. Things will get better. Hang in there.
-YendorMike
"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by the skeptics or the cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy
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Post #11,327
10/2/01 6:50:04 PM
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Bloody hell..
I've seen enough of your writing to extrapolate to 'technical' too, I think.
Hope others here will keep you in mind, just after someone in their company has remarked, "WTF is this manual trying to say?"
I invoke the Force (of Language) on thy behalf - it is more powerful than a fatwah !
Best,
Ashton
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Post #11,338
10/2/01 8:17:49 PM
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Thanks.
One thing I've been considering: a tech column for the weekly newspaper I'm the webmaster of. Too busy before, but maybe I can get a start now. I'm sure it wouldn't pay much, but then, several tens of thousands of people (and that's if I stay local and don't go syndicated) would see me as a semi-famous expert, which can't hurt the job or contract search.
----
"You don't have to be right - just use bolded upper case" - annon.
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Post #11,341
10/2/01 8:40:10 PM
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Trust you'll be dropping in..
Let us know if we can up the hit count :-\ufffd
Assuming they also put it on webpage?
Hmmm - how to morph gently into FREE Star Office on your next to be retired WinMerde; be ready for using the Linux FREE version. Etc ?
There's a lifetime's work in augmenting MAN ___, if someone.. at the remaining places could chip in a bit. Lx drastically needs some English translation.
Warnings about 'registration' and the entire Ballmer Plan for Everyone - Andy's stuff at aax.net?
How to replace Front Page and other buggy magnets? yada yada.
(Wish I could commission a cookbook: "So You Think you want to keep your W2K Server running - without memorizing all the menus..?") Hell, I might have to write That one, for the folks.. :(
Never can tell where an accidental opening leads: trite but umm True!
Cheers,
Ashton
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Post #11,354
10/2/01 10:06:42 PM
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I am sorry to hear that
in my area, many IS workers are getting laid off. One hospital HR person told me that they get 30 IS Resumes sent to them a week. Other HR people from large firms verified that they too get this. So maybe the cream of the crop get hired?
What can I do besides Computer Programming? Get into Sales, Marketing, Management? If I get any sicker, I'll have to try and become a manager because I'll only be using 1/4th my brain power and my empathy will be almost gone as I become so sick that I just stop caring about everyone else for a while? :(
Picking up the pieces of my broken life.
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Post #11,366
10/2/01 11:07:31 PM
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Couldn't guess what's (almost) out there
But you have advantages in most any technical field - the discipline of code logic is at least reminiscent of the sort of attention to detail as appears to be declining with (the usual growth of dumbth).
Possibly something you never imagined - could present an opportunity to say, "let me try that for a week". Besides, admit it - working with M$ software is a drain on the psyche, even for those who do not believ there IS a psyche. This could be your chance to determine once and for all: Billy n Bally ALONE were making you sick. <<
(Hey this isn't just silly; there are case studies re parallel jobs)
Happy inventing,
A.
PS your tip, the PIII-600 with dejunked, speeded-up 98SE hasn't missed a beat - though if I'd been paid for the wasted hours finding, fixing the BS - the machine would have been free. M$ s/ware (user or programmer) Eats Minds. (Linux I note, expands minds - but you have to want to expand in that direction).
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Post #11,651
10/3/01 10:29:02 PM
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Thanks I am looking
for another job, I got a local recruiter that knows his contacts and is helping me re-write my resume.
Yes those Emachines run real good without all that extra crap that gets Pre-Installed for the people who buy them at Consumer Electronic stores. :) I am glad that [link|http://www.computergeeks.com|Computer Geeks] had one available for you. I am sad that I missed out on getting one as I was too slow to order it.
I also buy stuff from:
[link|http://www.newegg.com|NewEgg]
[link|http://www.netseller.com|Netseller]
[link|http://www.krex.com|KREX]
[link|http://www.pcliquidator.com/|PC Liquidator]
[link|http://www.directron.com/|Directron]
Sometimes they have specials, or surplus, or used items at reasonable prices. All have treated me right in the past. Just watch out for the really cheap stuff that can be junk, make sure that if you get a junk part that you contact them within 30 days to get it replaced. My brother got a Computer Geeks $18 ATX Mid-Tower case with a bad power supply, but he says they replaced it. Before I knew about that special I was buying ATX 250 Watt Power supplies for $30 or more and the cases for $59 or more.
Picking up the pieces of my broken life.
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Post #11,663
10/3/01 11:19:02 PM
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They've a PIII-550 now
for 250 - similar specs to mine. See hardware forum.
Hang in there. Maybe note also, as the 'recession' gets relabeled and 2.5% Prime rate isn't enough: you may qualify for some new benefits - but you may have to ask (?)
Thanks links - saved 'em. Dunno if I want to face another punctilious install soon.. gotta find out the bare minimum about W2K Server and .doc a bunch of things for the non-tech owners. Will tag along as a local guy gets ISDN / router installed and try to - note only what is *significant* in the necessary tweaks. [ugh]
Ashton
PS - I got my perfect job only after (thus: because) - I was fired for taking the then present boring, undemanding one .. unseriously. You never Can tell what is a + or - consequence of ANY random situation.. y'know? This is Not just mindless cheer-up chatter.
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Post #11,355
10/2/01 10:07:27 PM
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Such a shame.
Commiseration over the loss of income, but nice to see another company being caring and honourable to their retrenched employees. I, too, was treated well in the three job exits I was forced to take.
Wade.
"All around me are nothing but fakes
Come with me on the biggest fake of all!"
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Post #60,246
10/30/02 1:57:10 PM
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Random reply.
This thing is DANGEROUS.
Peter
[link|http://www.debian.org|Shill For Hire]
[link|http://www.kuro5hin.org|There is no K5 Cabal]
[link|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org|Blog]
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Post #60,252
10/30/02 2:05:00 PM
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WTF? Bad limey, bad
-drl
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Post #11,371
10/2/01 11:34:02 PM
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Sorry to hear!
Mike, where are you and what kinda work you gonna look for?
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Post #11,548
10/3/01 4:14:15 PM
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Where I am, what I'm looking for
I'm in Milwaukee. Relocation is an option, I guess, but we have a lot invested in my wife's costume shop.
I'm looking for an interesting job. In my experience, those tend to not fit predetermined goals. My skills are in web developement, technical writing, and tech support. I enjoy software developement, but it's been a very long time since I did it for a living.
Customer contact is important to me. So is having a noticable impact on the company. Job security is an illusion, and thus not a major factor for me.
----
"You don't have to be right - just use bolded upper case" - annon.
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Post #11,554
10/3/01 4:32:10 PM
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Hmmmmmmmmm....
Well, I'm nearish to Chicago (actually, just a few miles west of O'Hare). We might be convinced to get a tech writer/tech support guy. I'm not sure how much we'd need a web dev guy (unless that includes JSP as well), but the other two of your mentioned skills are in some form of need or another around here. ;-) Maybe, if nothing else, it could be a contract or part-time gig. While that might not be the best of options, it's better than nothing seven days a week, and twice on Sunday! :)
mike at 9ci dot com
-YendorMike
"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by the skeptics or the cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who dream of things that never were." - John F. Kennedy
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Post #11,375
10/3/01 12:09:25 AM
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Scary Ain't It?
I don't know what to do - I decide to take time off work and the world blows up. I know at least one of us is working as a clerk for 1/4 what he did before. What are we going to do? You think we'd be having this problem if we had a union? No. I've got 6.5 months of unemployment at 1k per month and then some savings (thank God I lived frugally this year). All we can do is keep on keeping on. It's totally fucked and we are the fuckees.
Union, the only way.
-ross
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Post #11,457
10/3/01 12:08:34 PM
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Well, that sucks.
Sorry to hear that.
They played it straight, you've probably got some good recommendations, and you've got a severance package.
You're well ahead of most of the Recently Unemployed...
Take a little time, catch up on stuff that you've WANTED to do, then go look for another job. Believe me, I'd actually kill right now to be in your position. ^_^
"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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