3 years after the IT job market utterly collapsed, after sending thousands of resumes without even a single interview, it finally became very clear to me that it is not coming back anytime soon, if ever. The few job ads that are there are phony. The employers are incredibly demanding and interview for months, hundreds of people. They want Java and Unix and Cisco routing and database and C++ and everything else too. With a Computer Science degree. With 5+ years of experience. And those who are "current", i.e. working. If you are looking for work for more than a few weeks, that already disqualifies you from many positions. And you know what - they get these people. The days when I used to get 2-3 great job offers are long gone.

I got tired of beating this dead horse and stopped even looking because it was an exercise in futility and frustration. And I wasn't quite ready for McDonalds, because it is not a long-term solution.

So I spent some time contemplating my options. I have years of experience in IT, was making real good rates but now having to start from zero somewhere else was depressing. Considering that the job market is in a recession in all areas, except maybe Walmart. I applied at our local Walmart, foolishly including my resume and of course never heard from them, certainly because I am so overqualified and they knew I would not stay there very long. For truck unloading, they want to hire 9th-grade dropouts with 2-digit IQs and I cannot blame them.

The local and state governments are in deep trouble and laying people off, don't even hire to replace those who retire. Not that I would want a govt. position.

I also contemplated finding something at a quick-lube place, changing oil. I don't know enough about trucks/cars to be a real mechanic (the demands upon them are incredible) but changing this and that filter seemed compatible with what I knew.

Thought about retail jobs...
All of the above is dead-end, going nowhere, low-paying, a notch or two above McDonalds basically.

Problem is, this place is so remote and rural I would have to move to the city, the commute is very long on country roads. 3 hours both ways. Nothing avaiable here, other than farming. And they are barely making ends meet. Small farms are disappearing, it is the huge million-chicken farms which prosper.


Anyway, I finally found a job, it seems. Not what I expected but my options are limited. At a school. Working in a computer lab part time. The pay is about $10 / hour and they may even find more hours for me elsewhere to make it a full time position. $10/hour is exactly $10/hour more than I have now. The rest of the hours may come from working on weekends on field trips, and maybe even subst. teaching!

My anxiety level is rising because I never worked with anything which requred social skills. I am the type who can seat in front of computer writing code for 8 hours per day or more, with no interaction from the world whatsoever. Now, this new gig seems like a barrier to overcome, and just knowing myself, it is scary. I have a real hard time identifying with people, relating to them or understanding their "issues". See, in real world, when you dont deal with computers or truck engines, people dont' want to be told the truth. They prefer tact and deception. Tell the truth - and they will hang you.

 

Well good luck, seriously, I know things seem scary right now, But they will et better. I hope you can deal with the social requirements and that it all goes well, as long as you make enough to keep you truck and internet conection right? Who needs food...oh yeah, and the money for beer.....There is always the military option, if you are not TO old. It is a good, constant paycheck, and you can travel, you would have to give up alot though.

 

Have you tried International Paper - they are at present increasing the responsibilities of IT. My wife has hired a couple of people in the last 6 months from 'outside' one was a car salesman she bought a truck from, the other was working in an insurance office, both with experience but neither managing to find work in the IT field. International Paper is unfortunately located in Memphis, a town that some people actually like, but will often relocate a suitable candidate. They are doing a lot of work that will require good quality geeks, and she will be looking in the next few weeks - she has been moved over into a department that needs reorganizing.

Theo

 

Memphis is not that far from me. 700 miles maybe? I would love to stay in the South.

I also thought about data entry... Manpower seems to be doing a lot of placements with that.

Anyway, I think their made their decision, but I have the interview next week which is probably just a formality.

 

I am only two hours away fomr Memphis guys...anyone want to run by?

 

Carpe - I know how you feel, Man. I spent 32 years in computers, as an engineer, National Field Service Manager, finished up in sales. At age 60, my company was sold and I found myself looking for a job. I was used to 4-5 unsolicited job offers a year and thought my job hunt would be short but I was mistaken. Though I had won many awards and had a great resume, each opportunity would come down to me and one or two others thirty years younger than me. In fustration, I told one VP I would lift weights and run a foot race with any other candidate. I finally decided to retire and fool around with my wife and my truck, - thank God I could afford to do that.
I think the comeback for IT (and the economy in general) will be slow in coming. I have heard that teachers are in demand and you have a lot of good experience to share with students. Social skills are like any other skill and can be learned.
I wish I could offer some sage advise, but I can't. Hang in there and the best of luck to you
.

 

Yeah, most unfair to you given the experience.
The bottom line is, 30 year olds are cheaper, and what's even more cheaper is people from India. Talkin about 10/hour vs. 100/hour for domestic labor.

I must however say that I don't think foreign labor per se accounts for the serious IT problems. Their budgets got cut and they are looking for the bottom of the barrel people. Much the same reason why we buy Taiwan socket sets from KMart vs. quality domestic stuff from Sears which costs 5 times as much.

 

A little advice from someone with about 25 years experience in sales:

If you feel as though you'll need some "salesperson" skills in this new job, here's what you do: find something in common with the other person. I know salespeople that spend all their spare time on the phone, bugging people by trying to get them to come in and buy a car. Most of them aren't very successful at it. Why? Because they have nothing in common with the customer. I find things to talk about, things we have in common. As a result, I spend my spare time keeping up on current events, reading newspapers and magazines. I start a conversation and let the customer take it from there. The worst salespeople in the world are the ones that dominate the conversation. You aren't selling when YOU are talking; you're selling when the CUSTOMER's talking. You have to like to talk, you have to like to listen to people (most of the time), you have to be able to empathize with people's problems. You have to try your hardest to find the best in people- we all have some positive qualities. If you come across someone with absolutely NO positive qualities, just be grateful the other 99% do. If you can do that, then you'll be successful in your new venture. Good luck. BTW: this is the FIRST time I've ever shared my sales philosophies, so keep them to yourself, or I'll have to hunt you down and kill you!

 

Good points...
<sigh> my people skills are about to undergo a most serious test. Yes, you can empathize but I don't know if you can rebuild someone's personality into Mr. Social Skills. You are either a person who seats in this basement or cublicle all day, year after year writing code or you are an introvert who likes to socialize. I have a real hard time talking about fluff, and the every day nonsense -- I don't even think about it. I am so introverted, to be honest, I don't even notice what people wear, the color of their cars, and the rest of the every day trivia. I only pay attention to substance. Life is too short for fluff. I find it insulting even.

Nevertheless, I've come to yet another barrier, a barrier I am mentally ready to challenge.

Maybe a positive outcome is that I will be a better communicator.

 

56MARKII speaks on my favorite subject, SELLING. He is absolutely right about listening. When I first started I tried to impress the prospects with my knowledge until it finally dawned on me that they didn't CARE abut me. I used to teach selling and I would tell a short story and then I would ask a question that had been answered five times in the story - rarely could the trainees answer the question - because they had not learned how to LISTEN. There is no such thing as a "born salesman" just as there is not a born surgeon - professional salesmanship is LEARNED. When I retired, I destroyed the files I collected over 16 years. I could tell every call I ever made to every prospect, every presentation, every sale, the prospects birthday, his wife and secretaries name, who the decision makers were - in short, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. I had better stop before I write a book here (in fact I have thought about doing that)
Selling is a great profession, the rewards are great and I recommend it to any one willing to pay the price to be a true professional.
Dono

 

Dono-
What's the old saying? They don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. Product knowledge is important- there's nothing worse than some idiot trying to bluff his way through a presentation. But I do consider it secondary to the ability to REALLY communicate and interact with the customer. You touched on something else: a mind for detail. I may not be able to remember where I put my pen 5 minutes ago, but I do remember customers from 20 years past. I bumped into a guy at a local car show recently and we got talking. After a couple of minutes I looked at him and said, "didn't I sell you an Oldsmobile a few years ago?" He looked at me in amazement as I described the brand-new '89 Dark Garnet Red Delta 88 Royale that he bought for his wife, the school-teacher-turned-insurance-agent. I don't know how I remember this stuff, I just do. Anyways, he came in the other day and bought our 2004 F-150 FX4 Supercab. This stuff happens to me all the time. Go figure......

 

The military option is a good one, and if you aren't sure about it the Guard and Reserve have great benefits and time served counts toward retirement.
You could use then education benefits to train into a non-outsourceable skill (mechanics usually don't get rich but they rarely starve), and Basic Training will teach most folks with limited social skills how to get along and work with nearly anyone.
Finally, consider doing things that help you network with people who can be helpful to you, such as volunteering with charities, etc. Rural areas are very people-network-centric.