Layoffs

[thebruce44]

A little background:

 

I live and used to work on the northside of Chicago but was let go from my engineering company a little over a month ago. They were vary reliant on the housing market and when things went bad, they went bad very quickly. The company was already down to around 50% of what it was a year ago, and I had survived several large rounds of layoffs already. I was also being told the whole time by my boss that I was safe and was on the short list of young engineers they had big plans for within the company. Problem was, I had only worked there a little over a year, and in the latest round of cuts, it just came down to who had been there longer. They let 12 of us go, basically everyone who had not been there for 5+ years.

 

Now all of us are looking for jobs, and only one girl found one (right away actually as it was identical to what she had been doing and the job opened up the Friday before we left). For the rest of us, we have all had 2 interviews (where we are competing with eachother and no doubt countless other qualified people) but both companies decided they can't afford to bring another person on right now. Some people are moving back home with their parents or finding seasonal work to get them through to the spring when things hopefully pick up. I have a condo here that I refuse to sell and loose all this money on. I am getting quite a bit from unemployment and have saved up a lot in the past, so I should be good through the winter even if I don't find anything.

 

I still haven't given up yet as I have some resumes out yet and am still hoping to hear back. I also have a few connections I am following up that will hopefully pan out.

 

In the mean time, I am quite frankly borded out of my mind. Since graduating college 3+ years ago, I have worked around 50 hrs a week. Now, I have nothing to do, especially since I have slowed down dramatically on sending out resumes as there are not any companies in Chicago left.

 

If you had all the free time in the world, but limited money, what would you do? Any ideas to pass the time would be appreciated.

 

I have been watching TV shows that I missed out on in the past such as Dexter, Entourage, and Heroes. I am also going to get my buddy's Rosetta Stone DVD and try to learn Spanish again, as I spoke it fluently in highschool but have forgotten most of it by now. The language thing seems at least productive, but I feel like a waist of space sitting around watching TV and movies. I would love to go back to school and get a masters to go along with my engineering degree, but I am pretty sure that would mean no unemployment.

 

Any thoughts? Sorry for the long read, but I would imagine there are others in my position these days.

[Baldkin]

Don't know if you do already or not...but, exercise and get yourself eating healthy. If you can set the routine when you aren't overly busy, it makes it easier to keep when you are.

[blatzlight]

When I was laid off about 9mo ago I joined a gym and made it a big part of my routine. I would go for about 1.5-2hrs a day, sometimes broken up into two 1 hr sessions. It is great to get out of the house and do something that is good for you. I also spent a lot more time planning meals and shopping daily or every other day for produce and meat to make sure it was fresh.

[thebruce44]

Ah yes, I forgot to mention that I have been working out more and cooking every meal (mostly eggs since they are so cheap and I will be so poor eventually). Still, there is no excuse not to work out every day now, and it helps that the grocery store is right next to my gym. I will have to start stopping by there more often.

 

Blatz, how long were you unemployed if you don't mind my asking. I just have this feeling that I will loose my mind after another month of this. When I first started working, I hated always being busy and never having time to relax. Now, I don't know what to do with myself.

[tristarscoop]

Volunteer!

 

Especially at this time of year, there are tons of opportunities for volunteering. See if you can find a non-profit that could use any of your skills. Not only does this get you off your butt, but you make contacts and could parlay it into something that pays.

 

I'm going to assume, as an engineer, that you're pretty good with computers. Could you teach something to do with that? Maybe you could teach some sort of computer class at a local library. Contact your local recreation department and see what they offer for classes and see if they'd be willing to take you on.

 

Do you have any business/college contacts in the area? Old professors? Contact them and see if they know of anything in terms of volunteering.

 

Make yourself available and let anyone and everyone know that you've got free time and are willing to do anything to help.

 

Those are all ideas that would be community serving but also possibly help your career. If that doens't work, just get out and volunteer. Think Boys and Girls clubs or schools or food banks or the Blood Center of WI or animal rescue or the Humane Society or any of the zillions of ethnic groups.

[Thurston Fluff]

Volunteer work. It'll keep you busy there are many organizations that are always looking for help especially at this time of year. It also has a tangible benefit to the community. It looks good to future employers who see ambition and charity as positives. It may also help make you feel less poor by comparison.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[GAME05]

I know how you feel. I'm in a similar situation with grad school. i only have two classes, but don't work, so i have nothing but free time lately.

 

i've found getting into some sort of routine works wonders, plotting out the times of the day you'll work out or study Spanish or do job-searching. i go to the coffee shop most every day--it's an expense, but $4 to sit around for three hours is a good value.

 

also, i like to drive downtown and go for a ton of walks.

[PlayerHader]

Go the the library. Even if you have nothing specific to look for. I like to go there and grab a magazine or 3 and some newspapers and read. As I walk around I'll grab some books that catch my eye. Last time I came home with a book on the Cuban Missile Crisis, Cold War America, and a book about personal finance. If I had more time to waste I think I could spend hours at the library.