Friday, August 1, 2008

Everything Changes in a Day

Hi Readers - I am sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been involved in a long-term project at work, which zapped all of my writing creativity.

Yesterday, my company laid off at least 20 people. I, luckily, was not one of them, and have accepted a new job (finally!) with a small company that enjoys teaching and providing services involving technical writing. Yea! It's been a long two years since I home-schooled myself in technical writing through the local community college.

Seeing your co-workers laid off is sad. It's something that I've witnessed several times over the years. Some people are happy and joyful to leave, some are crying in the hallways, and the few men I've seen laid off appear almost suicidal. I suppose men focus so much of themselves into work that they never think of other aspects of their lives providing happiness, such as family or hobbies.

As for myself, I am never bored...I juggle being a single mom, dealing with my mother diagnosed with Alzheimers, keeping my house in semi-order, cooking meals for the growing teenager, providing taxi service to all of the teen's friends, and THEN...I work 40+ hours a week. Sometimes the job seems like a respite from the rest of my life.

For those of you looking for jobs, take the time to post a resume on monster.com. Also follow-up on every lead, recruiter, newspaper ad, and finally (or maybe more importantly, make this STEP 2 after posting on monster)...CALL everyone you know, especially professionally, and let them know you are looking for a job. Telling colleagues and friends you've been laid off is your choice.

Good luck in your job search, and if you need advice about living in Houston, please e-mail me. It may look inviting to live here, yet commuting alone and the electricity bill can eat up at least 50% of your paycheck.

Take care,
Terre