The Changing Man

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beowuuf
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Re: The Changing Man

Post by beowuuf »

Eh, I had an extended time not doing engineering after my degree, and was basically doing lots of different stuff at a small company. When I finally left, I had no job to go to, I just wanted to give myself time to figure out what direction to go into.

Anyway, the point being I had lost perhaps alot of the credible links to my engineering skill set, but found I could put alot of soft skills and secondary skills up instead. So much so that I ended up as a quality manager in a different company.

So I guess the question is, are you looking to move to a permanant job now, or are you looking to get a temporary job to build up money so you can invest in a different career? If the former, then I guess you need to lay out all your skills you have from your work - everything - and be honest about what you've lost but also regnonise what you have gained. This might point you in the direction of career jobs that you are now suited for, instead of looking for ones you feel you aren't.

If you are looking for a temporary job, then really don't limit yourself to what you can go for. The amount of soft skills and personal strengh you can bring to a role because of working for yourself should be a major draw. Perhaps look to a small company where the ability to work autonimously, with many hats, would be welcomed.

Umm, yea, not sure if I said anything worthwhile there really.... I'm just enjoying having a working keyboard again!
Maven
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Re: The Changing Man

Post by Maven »

Gambit37 wrote:I'm doing a "pros and cons" of both at the moment, but I just wanted to ask if any of you have been in this position yourselves, and if so how you resolved it? Specifically: you've spent time running your own business and realised it's not for you and decided to return to full time employment.

I'd be interested to hear about your experiences -- or indeed, any general advice about how to get back into full time work after nearly three years away! (I am concerned I have become unemployable!)
Done it once. Financially it was a pretty good success. As long as the economy in the country was booming. Then there was a downturn and the work dried up. Luckily I was hired full time by my best client. Which was a good move for me. And them. But only because the two products I wrote for them made them a ton of money. Had they not panned out it would have been a bad situation for all of us. I don't think I could do it again.

Frankly, getting laid off has been very stressful for me, both times that it has happened. But also, both times it ended up being better in the long run. Which has taught me that maybe the security that the full-time job gives, and the steady paycheck and ability to plan (somewhat), is not all I thought it was. I have learned how to compartmentalize the stress and be happy in spite of the ups and downs.

The biggest concern I have is that I have young children. As long as it was just myself, I didn't mind having to live off rice and beans for a few months, but I really would prefer to make sure they are well taken care of. Fortunately, I have found that if we cook from scratch a lot, groceries are a lot less expensive. Plus, if we grow a huge garden and preserve a lot of food for the winter, we can live like kings and have excellent nutrition with very little money. Lots of work, but that's kinda the main idea. My children seem to be much happier when I spend more time at home, even if I make them come out and buck hay with me instead of playing Guitar Hero.

However, if I were single or in a childless relationship, things would be totally different. I think I could do a business if my customers were consumers and not other companies. I have found, like Beowuuf, that I picked up some soft skills that I didn't know I could do, and didn't like before, but it turns out I like after all. I don't like sales, but I could provide a service, and keep my customers happy to get repeat service. I enjoy providing superior service. But if I couldn't find a suitable service, I'd have to have a full-time job.

Advice about being unemployable? I think the technical skills are secondary. You can learn any computer language or development platform easier than you can learn superior character and employee habits. If you already have the work habits, you should be fine. When you apply and get an interview, take the time between now and the interview to learn more about the most important things that particular job will require. Learning new stuff never hurts.
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Jan
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Re: The Changing Man

Post by Jan »

I can hardly give you any intelligent advice, Gambit, because I was never freelance, and moreover, I'm currently also a bit undecided what to do in my life. :wink:

But I think your choice depends strongly on your character. Simply, some people prefer being independent, being managers of their own time / work; whereas others prefer being just a part of a larger machine where their responsibility is limited. I don't know you very well, but I think that you're more the first (independent) type - so working on your own or in a small company (as Beo suggested) on a relatively "autonomous" position would probably be better. But, you're still young, and "the life is the change", as we say, and you seem to be unsatisfied or bored with you current job, so changing it doesn't seem to be the worst idea.

(OK, so this was a pretty vague advice, wasn't it? I should got to the parliament or something. :wink: )
Finally playing and immensely enjoying the awesome Thimbleweed Park-a-reno!
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Gambit37
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Re: The Changing Man

Post by Gambit37 »

beowuuf wrote:So I guess the question is, are you looking to move to a permanant job now, or are you looking to get a temporary job to build up money so you can invest in a different career? If the former, then I guess you need to lay out all your skills you have from your work - everything - and be honest about what you've lost but also regnonise what you have gained. This might point you in the direction of career jobs that you are now suited for, instead of looking for ones you feel you aren't.
It's kinda both ;-) I think I need something permanent-but-temporary in the sense that I need to get my income back on an even keel and that's going to take at least 2-3 years. Kind of starting again, again!

As mentioned elsewhere, I'd like to get more involved in higher-level web design, not just production. But I don't have many demonstrable skills in that area that I can put on my CV. I'd like to try and find a basic web-design job that could give me room to move into that area -- and be completely honest about that with the potential employer. I realise I might have to initially lower my sights to get higher later -- there will be plenty of new learning to do. But I recognise that the most immediate need is to get an income again -- so I am not going to be looking for THE job, but simply A job.

@Jan: Yes, I'm quite independent but I enjoy being part of a team -- that's the thing I miss. The danger of taking on an autonomous role in a small company is that I'll end up just doing project management or people management and that's not really my thing.
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Gambit37
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Re: The Changing Man

Post by Gambit37 »

Today, I read through this thread again. It's amazing to see how my life is different now compared to 8 years ago, but also a little scary how quite a lot of it is still the same!

Anyway, I'm curious to know how everyone else who added their stories here are doing these days? I hope things are working out for everyone :-)
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