Post #399,261
2/18/15 7:04:07 PM
|
The joys of being de-installed
Friday the Thirteenth, at 8 AM (I always get in at 7) the Director of IT calls me into his office and says that my position has been eliminated. Worked there 3 1/2 years while the company never made a profit in the last 7, but I took the job so I could be reunited with the family. Before this I put in 10 months on an 18 month contract in San Antonio, where the contract shop screwed me royal (they took 45% of the hourly bill rate, I eventually learned). And from what was left over I had to deduct $400 every paycheck to pay for health insurance for the family. Obviously, their plan was not a bargain.
Considering that the Oil & Gas industry has done some heavy contraction in the past 6 months, with lots of small layoffs occurring under the radar, things are going to really suck. Still no on-the-job experience with C# which is in huge demand in every job ad I see. Have had only 3 recruiters call this week having seen my updated resume on Dice and Careerbuilder. If anybody knows of any other IT job boards please let me know.
Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
|
Post #399,264
2/18/15 7:35:02 PM
|
Sorry to hear that.
Suggestion on the C#: write a Unity3D game or app. One of the supported languages is C#. Put it in the mobile stores and forget about it... it's not strictly on the job, but it definitely counts, and you'll end up with mobile experience to boot. Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
|
Post #399,306
2/20/15 1:58:38 PM
|
Software to write that in?
Generally speaking, in the Windows world if you're going to program you do it in Visual Studio - which I never bought because of its price. So what software can I get to use in creating applications?
Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
|
Post #399,309
2/20/15 3:28:29 PM
|
Re: Software to write that in?
Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
|
Post #399,361
2/22/15 4:57:02 PM
|
thanks for the info
Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
|
Post #399,364
2/22/15 6:23:51 PM
|
It's a good way to learn C#
Plus it's fun to mess around with, especially the physics engine. Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
|
Post #399,407
2/23/15 4:07:22 PM
|
I taught myself C# a long time ago
Already I've heard from lots of recruiters how their client companies want someone who has 1 - 2 years of C# experience at a current or previous employer. I don't want to lie yet, but several months from now, well ...
Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
|
Post #399,329
2/21/15 3:57:09 AM
|
Visual Studio Express
|
Post #399,334
2/21/15 8:09:26 AM
|
He'll need Unity3d regardless
I believe that VS can be integrated, but MonoDevelop works out of the box. Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
|
Post #399,340
2/21/15 12:53:22 PM
|
Ar
VS is good skillz to have, though.
I know we'd look askance at a dev who claimed to know C# but didn't know VS.
|
Post #399,343
2/21/15 1:40:10 PM
|
Truth.
Regards,
-scott
Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
|
Post #399,266
2/18/15 8:23:47 PM
|
:-( Here's hoping you find a good slot quickly. Good luck!
Things are picking up in the economy, though things may be lumpy during this weird winter. BLS jobs report: In January, health care employment increased by 38,000. Job gains occurred in
offices of physicians (+13,000), hospitals (+10,000), and nursing and residential
care facilities (+7,000). Health care added an average of 26,000 jobs per month
in 2014.
Employment in financial activities rose by 26,000 in January, with insurance
carriers and related activities (+14,000) and securities, commodity contracts,
and investments (+5,000) contributing to the gain. Financial activities has added
159,000 jobs over the past 12 months.
Manufacturing employment increased by 22,000 over the month, including job gains
in motor vehicles and parts (+7,000) and wood products (+4,000). Over the past
12 months, manufacturing has added 228,000 jobs.
Professional and technical services added 33,000 jobs in January, including
increases in computer systems design (+8,000) and architectural and engineering
services (+8,000). Good luck! Cheers, Scott.
|
Post #399,267
2/18/15 8:35:47 PM
|
sorry to hear that, get on monster, I get calls a lot from that
publish a detailed resume on linkedin, thats where I get quite a few contracts as well. Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 59 years. meep
|
Post #399,281
2/19/15 6:02:43 PM
|
I'm on LinkedIn, Dice, Careerbuilder & ComputerJobs
Those are the "Big 4" I search through daily.
I've never had good responses while ON Monster, though I will search through it just in case.
Satan (impatiently) to Newcomer: The trouble with you Chicago people is, that you think you are the best people down here; whereas you are merely the most numerous.
- - - Mark Twain, "Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar" 1897
|
Post #399,277
2/19/15 3:54:39 PM
|
Well, damn!
Good luck with the hunt for another gig. Alex
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."
-- Isaac Asimov
|
Post #399,328
2/21/15 3:55:55 AM
|
Sorry to hear that
Heed the words of the Scott. He looks funny but he talks sense.
|
Post #399,333
2/21/15 8:06:44 AM
|
Yup. It's good advice.
One of my first jobs out of school was with a small banking software house. I helped out with the documentation. I got the job in part because I had lots of experience with WordPerfect 5.0 from writing my thesis. They wanted someone with WordPerfect 4.2 experience and mine counted - even if I hadn't been paid for it and even though it was a different version.
Companies look for someone who they think will fit reasonably well. They know that they won't find a perfect fit for the price they're willing to pay. Recognize that sometimes rules like "20+ years experience in C#" (a language that is 15 years old) are more to weed out people that are a bad fit before they apply, rather than hard-and-fast requirements. Yes, it can be hard to get past the first hurdle - that's where networking comes in.
Good luck, lincoln.
Cheers,
Scott.
|
