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Surviving Job Loss After 1 Year!

Submitted by Frogpatch on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 09:13
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As my friends here know I have not been around much! Being out of work leaves little time! I hope what I wrote below will help or encourage someone!

[SIZE=3] It was over one year ago when I got that fearful Friday call from the boss late in the day! “Can I see you for a minute?” When I hung up the phone I already knew that I was about to have my life, once again, knocked on its financial and emotional butt! The economy was the reason for my termination I was told! True that did play a part, but, there were other unknown factors I am sure![/SIZE]
Was this a time to be angry? Sure but only for a day! “Let not the sun set on your anger.” (Ephesians 4:26) Was it a time for fear? Absolutely not! Was it a time for re-evaluation and further education? Definitely!
[SIZE=3] It is amazing what we discover about ourselves when placed in a survival situation! It takes much time and painful adjustment though. More than you would think and more than you would ever want! First, as I said, is anger followed by sadness and resentment! Next, a well deserved and needed, period of rest and soul searching! If anyone tells you to go right out and find a job the day after you have been displaced after years of service, that person either has never been there or is emotionally detached. I resent the people that say take anything you can get! Don’t they realize that there are experienced anything people out of work too? “I would drive a truck if I had too!” Guess what? So would the thousands of out of work truck drivers and they really want too! I am not going down that road! (npi)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] What happened after that is an educational rollercoaster of trial and error! Like Edison said “I did not fail a thousand times I simply found a thousand ways that do not work!” I did not find that many but I sure found a lot.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] Unemployment compensation in Florida is 275.00 per week with an extra 25.00 from the stimulus package! “Hows this hopey, changey thing workin for ya?” With a rent of 1200.00 and a spouse making 150.00 part time from home per week, anyone with basic math skills and a couple utility bills knows that can’t work! The state allows you to make 56.00 per week part time without taking the difference from your weekly benefits. It is now over one year later and, miraculously my bills are still paid! How? First we never stopped giving! Am I saying I gave ten percent of my unemployment check? No, that is not the fruit of my labor! But we gave cheerfully what we could and kept a good, positive attitude of faith and God placed people in our paths that got us by in some strange ways which I will share with you.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] People on this site helped me when my car insurance was going to be cancelled and for that I am eternally grateful![/SIZE]
Posting on this site and winning two of the weekly questions helped us at with perfect timing!
We sold exhibit space for expos for commissions with some success. (PM me if you would like to know more about that. If you are good on the phones you can make very good money at no cost to you)
I sold antiques and collectables on Etsy and Bonanzle with some success.
I tried some internet schemes with no success.
I tried affiliate marketing but found it takes a long time to learn and put into place and there is too much competition for attention out there!
I sold some old gold jewelry with good success! Stay away from the mail in places! They are thieves!
My wife sold advertising to wedding vendors from home with some good results until the company started falling behind.
We sold advertising programs to hotels and restaurants from home! Still doing it!
I took over the Cyber Plant segment of a company and the company would not ship sold orders! Still trying to fix that!
I write ads for a vacation rental business and placed them on Craigslist at .60 per ad. I am doing that at present and it nets me around 100.00 per week! I am getting to be the copy/ paste guru! It takes me 3 minutes to place an ad including pictures downloads.
[SIZE=3]The list should be much longer but you are probably getting bored by now![/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] Finally I decided I was going to change careers at 60 years old and I am returning to school for a short course to get a state license. I have an opportunity to start my own business and, to my blessed good fortune the state just received stimulus money and will fund the process because it is an “in demand” career. (Hopey, changey is working for me!)[/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] In closing let me say that no matter how bad things appear never get totally wrapped up in yourself and your issues and use some time or even a few dollars or just some loose change to plant some seeds to help others that are less fortunate! Yes there are millions of them out there! You do not have to look hard.. Also look into re-education right now as there is funding available and it can change your future! Lets face it if you are a typewriter repair person (bad example) you better become something else or you will go through this again but the next time it may kill you! You need to ask yourself where your skill set will be useful in the future and is your industry growing or drying up. Mine was stagnant and subjected to the fluctuations in the new construction starts regionally! I realized that I could get back in eventually but as they say “Last in first out the next time.” Never again![/SIZE]
[SIZE=3] I will let you know about what path I chose, and why, in a couple months and tell you how it is going![/SIZE]
Good luck to all of you who are going through hard times! Remember you are going though them! The key word is THROUGH which means there is an exit! Go through with a positive spirit and your head up! That will greatly determine what is on the otherside!


If you want post ads you need to search "work from home" on Craigs List! Then you need to open up several CL accounts or use someone elses! Then put you ads in Word and copy/paste changing them each time slightly as not to get caught duplicating! I get paid .60 cents each and can post one ad every three minutes including photo downloads! Beware of scammers that will not pay you! Craigs list is full of cons!
Thanks! I am glad you read this!


Submitted by Frogpatch on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 08:53

Frogpatch

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Ok, here we are and it has been months! I rolled the dice and at 60 years old I went and took the Health, Life and Annuity course and studied my --- off and Tuesday I passed the test and got my license! Now I have to come up with the cash to have my web site set up and get appointed by the companies as an agent! Please pray that the Senate passes the extension for umemployment as I have the money in my account but because they are stalling it cannot be released! I know global warming is important as is judicial appointment but Americans are going to become homeless soon as the landlords and mortgage companies really do not care about the delays in legislature! The Senate has become an uncaring pocket of heartless bureaucrats! Shame on them!


Submitted by Frogpatch on Thu, 06/17/2010 - 02:43

Frogpatch

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Quote:

Originally Posted by frogpatch
Ok, here we are and it has been months! I rolled the dice and at 60 years old I went and took the Health, Life and Annuity course and studied my --- off and Tuesday I passed the test and got my license! Now I have to come up with the cash to have my web site set up and get appointed by the companies as an agent! Please pray that the Senate passes the extension for umemployment as I have the money in my account but because they are stalling it cannot be released! I know global warming is important as is judicial appointment but Americans are going to become homeless soon as the landlords and mortgage companies really do not care about the delays in legislature! The Senate has become an uncaring pocket of heartless bureaucrats! Shame on them!

I'm right there with ya, congrats on your accomplishment!


Submitted by Shazzers on Thu, 06/17/2010 - 04:29

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Thanks! But please email your reps regarding the milllions who have either exhausted benefits or have them on hold waiting for the powers to be to bicker among each other due to their political egos as multitudes of Americans go without! Between this and the millions that will be out of work due to the Gulf catastrophe, which is being underestimated by both BP and the Feds, this will become an economic disaster of monumental proportions! We stand to see the entire Gulf being off limits to fishing and recreation! We will see Americans immigrating to other countries for a better way of life! That should never happen and I do not want to see it but it could! Reality check! India and Chinas economy is starting to defeat us! Dependency on a product from the first Earth age is destroying us!


Submitted by Frogpatch on Thu, 06/17/2010 - 23:27

Frogpatch

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First, congratulations on getting your license!

I'm late to this thread because, like you, I got that fateful call into the office the first week of December 2009. And like you, I didn't waste one minute being bitter or sad. I immediately turned my attentions to taking well-deserved time off (that was longer than a week for a change) and researching different career paths. I had looked into going into insurance or real estate myself, but since I'm already an independent sales rep for a beauty company, I figured one sales job was enough. My unemployment check is about as "generous" as yours, especially since I have to claim time worked on my beauty biz as a day of work.

I've stumbled onto the wonderful world of content mill writing, where you basically sign on to write content for websites. The pay is anywhere from $8-$25 (or more) per 400-500 article, but if I can crank out 2-3 articles per hour, it's pays more than I would get paid for the B&M part-time gigs where I live and could provide a good full-time income if I devote more time to it. And I do love to write.

People ask me if I've been able to find a job and I pretend I've been looking so hard. Truthfully, I keep my eyes open to see what's out there, but I'm really trying to do my own thing for as long as I can (and find some affordable health coverage too).


Submitted by Icon on Sat, 06/19/2010 - 10:30

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Quote:

Originally Posted by frogpatch
What state do you live in? I write articles on the internet but I could never crank them out that fast! It is great that you found that niche!


I'm in New York. Right now I can only do one article in an hour, but I'm working on getting to at least 2 an hour.


Submitted by Icon on Mon, 06/21/2010 - 19:58

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