Laid off

[Keld Denar]

Well crappo. My boss just came into my office and laid me off. Time to join the other 10% of unemployed people in the US...

Woooooooo......

Words can't even describe how ****ty I feel. :(

[Mordokai]

Sorry to hear that man. As somebody who is currently unemployed, I dare say I know how you feel.

[Pyrian]

I'm sorry to hear that. Good luck, Keld!

[Miklus]

I've been fired twice, I know it sucks. The worst part by far is being treated like a second-class citizen. Followed closely by having no money. But sometimes it can lead to a better job!

Don't let your old workplace cheat you out of a recommendation. If you have been employed there for more than say, six months, they owe it to you. A bad recommendation is better than no recommendation. With no recommendation, the next interviewer might asume you stole something.

Going to job interviews is such a pain, though. Some people do not take well to being in a position of power, and being an interviwer can bring some lowlife into such a position. It is sometimes better to just take your coat and leave while you stille have some dignity left. If you have to travel to get to the interview, make sure they pay your expenses and that this is agreed upon in advance. If they do not want to pay your expenses, they are not serious about hireing you.

Meanwhile, enjoy your newfound spare time as best you can. Do all the things you never had time for.

[Dallas-Dakota]

I think I'm pretty close to being fired, I think.
But then again, I am the last male from my original crew.(Apparently women are way better at Stacking/mirroring thingy, since we started out with three guys and three girls and only two guys were fired.)

Then again, I'm doubting if I want to keep this job when I start college.

[RTGoodman]

Hey, I feel your pain, except my problem was finding a first job rather than being let go from one and having to find another. With actual experience and skills, hopefully you should find something soon. (Especially depending on your field, whatever it is.)

[Coidzor]

That's... wow. I mean, from what I recall of what you did that's a bit unusual to be laid off, especially considering that the demand for petroleum is one of those things that's not really going to go down all that much even with the recession.

That sucks. :smallfrown:

I couldn't find a job this summer, but I moved out into the boonies with my dad so it wasn't like I had very many venues to look but I've heard it's been bleck all around, lousy boom and bust economy.

[Keld Denar]

Well, minor update. Yea, I work(ed) in the petrolium industry. I guess its the owner having union/non-union contractor issues. They like the non-union contractors cause they are cheap, but usually end up messin up a bunch of stuff which my company has to go in after and fix. Then they complain that we are too expensive and tell us to lay off a bunch of people. They bring back the same non-union contractors who come in and screw things up. So yea. That leaves me on the downturn. With luck, things'll pick back up and I'll get my job back, but till then I'm livin off savings and sans health insurances. FML...

Anyone know anyone hiring mechanical engineers with 2 years work experience? Willing to relocate to any state or country...

[RTGoodman]

That leaves me on the downturn. With luck, things'll pick back up and I'll get my job back, but till then I'm livin off savings and sans health insurances. FML...

Yeah, lack of health insurance SUCKS. Especially when some of the medicine you take for, say, asthma costs more than, for instance, student loan repayments. :smallannoyed:

I'd suggest you do what I did to get health insurance back, but I don't know if you're young enough to qualify as a dependent, are willing to find a military parent, and want to go back to school full time. That'll certainly do it, though. :smallwink:


Anyone know anyone hiring mechanical engineers with 2 years work experience? Willing to relocate to any state or country...

Well, Monster (http://jobsearch.monster.com/Search.aspx?brd=1&q=Mechanical%20Engineer&cy=us&lid=316&re=130#brd=1&q=Mechanical%20Engineer&cy=us&where=State%3AWA&rad=20&rad_units=miles&lid=645&re=95&pg=1&dv=1) seems to have a bunch of jobs in WA when you search "Mechanical Engineer." Maybe that's a start?

[Tharivol123]

The company I used to work for is hiring a mechanical engineer in Westminster, Ma. You can find the listing here (http://jobsearch.tyco.newjobs.com/getjob.asp?JobID=82909008&AVSDM=2009-08-18+17:06:00&Logo=0&col=dltcj&CY=US&fn=4&sort=rv&vw=b&submit.x=34&submit.y=10).

[OverdrivePrime]

That sucks all kinds of awful things. Sorry to hear it, KD. I got let go from my job of 9 years back in March, and I still haven't found anything full time. Hopefully you have better fortune.

The economy may have started to slowly dig itself out, but the job market still sucks horribly. Luckily, I imagine that there are some engineering jobs opening up with all the civil construction projects being undertaken around the country. Try looking for something through your local government or the federal government. Someone with a background in mechanical engineering with a focus in fluids will probably be in demand in alternative energy projects.

Good luck, and like others said, plan for a long layoff and get out and do some stuff you haven't had the time to do before.

[Keld Denar]

So, I've been looking through my work's parent company, and it looks like I might be able to hop into a Mech Eng position in Sao Paulo, BR, or maybe work in the Russian oilfields. Anyone have any thoughts? I have like, no ties or family or house or pets to leave behind, and the pay looks pretty incredible. It probably wouldn't be permanant, bout a year or 2.

Yea...still lookin though.

[Lupy]

Ouch Keld.

Just keep in mind that getting the paperwork to be able to work overseas is expensive, and that there will be weird things you have to pay for to live in Russia because you'll be getting a Visa of some sort.

[Andre Fairchilde]

Well, minor update. Yea, I work(ed) in the petrolium industry. I guess its the owner having union/non-union contractor issues. They like the non-union contractors cause they are cheap, but usually end up messin up a bunch of stuff which my company has to go in after and fix. Then they complain that we are too expensive and tell us to lay off a bunch of people. They bring back the same non-union contractors who come in and screw things up. So yea. That leaves me on the downturn. With luck, things'll pick back up and I'll get my job back, but till then I'm livin off savings and sans health insurances. FML...

Anyone know anyone hiring mechanical engineers with 2 years work experience? Willing to relocate to any state or country...

Try General Dynamics - AIS (http://www.gd-ais.com/).

Where are you at?

[Keld Denar]

Lupy, the glorious thing about the work I do...company pays ALL the expenses for getting you there, getting you home relatively regularly, and all of your expenses while there with a Per Diem rate. So yea. Not having to pay rent, not having to pay for food, or gas, or anything outside of personal travel and entertainment makes each dollar you earn worth soooo much more. Same thing with the offshore oil industry in Africa and other places. The trick is finding a place that NEEDS an engineer with only 2 years of experience. Remote locations pay incredibly well though. I was in the Arctic drilling for oil with my last job, and the pay was really good.

And I'm currently living in Seattle, WA, but I only have 5 months left on my lease and nothing I can't leave behind!

[Lupy]

Wow. I wish they needed Insurance Underwriters like that. :smalltongue:

Sounds like the job in Russia is jobs overseas are an insane opportunity.

[RTGoodman]

So, I've been looking through my work's parent company, and it looks like I might be able to hop into a Mech Eng position in Sao Paulo, BR, or maybe work in the Russian oilfields.

Let's see... one is a tourist mecca full of hot women, small bikinis, fun in the sun, great food, and an exciting atmosphere; the other is a punishment that could happen if you piss off a Soviet dictator.

I know which I would certainly pick. :smalltongue:

[Krrth]

If you don't mind working for the government, try usajobs.gov. Putting in Mechanical Engineer returned with 15 pages of jobs. Here (http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/search.aspx?sort=rv&vw=d&brd=3876&ss=0&FedEmp=N&FedPub=Y&q=mechanical+engineer).

[zillion ninjas]

Let's see... one is a tourist mecca full of hot women, small bikinis, fun in the sun, great food, and an exciting atmosphere

You're thinking of Rio. Sao Paulo proper is a bit inland and more urban than touristy, so there's not so much in the way of bikinis. But the food is excellent, and it would be a good place to relocate to overall. And you can always hop over to Rio for the weekend, or just drive down to the coast...

[Elfin]

Sorry about that. Hope everything works out.

[Douglas]

But sometimes it can lead to a better job!
Yeah, really. Being fired from my first post-graduation job was one of the best things to ever happen to me. Sure I was out of work and facing a climbing credit card balance for four months (6 weeks isn't enough to build up much savings), but I ended up getting a job paying $15,000 more than the job I'd been fired from, with better benefits and a boss and coworkers I get along with better. Oh, and there's no "business" in "casual dress code". I routinely wear shorts and a T-shirt to work.:smallbiggrin:

So, yeah, don't give up. As I understand it the job hunt situation is a lot better for highly skilled and educated people than for unskilled labor, though it's still not good, and as an experienced engineer I think you should be able to find something before your savings run out if you've been even half-way intelligent about saving up.

You should look into unemployment benefits. 2 years at your job should be plenty to qualify, and that should stretch your savings substantially.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, you're still young enough to maybe enjoy Brazil, but on the other hand....

[Dallas-Dakota]

Blegh, basically got told to step it up or get fired yesterday.:smallsigh:

[billtodamax]

Ouch DD. Hope that turns out all right for you.

[Lost Demiurge]

Hm, a chance to go to Russia on the company ticket, and earn good money for it?

Go for it!

[Syka]

One of my friends spent a week plus working 15+ hours per day. A week after he stopped having those 15+ hour days, he was laid off. From a job he'd had 9 years. From a company his dad owned or worked at as well (unsure which, I think he may have just also worked there).

He was PISSED. He's got a decent little nest egg built up I think, and a good education (two masters degrees, both in engineering fields), so I'm not sure how hard it's going to be for him to find a job but I'm pretty sure a month later now and he still doesn't have one. I'm not sure whether that's of his own violition or lack of oppurtunity. Our area is pretty lacking right now.

Took me 4 months to find any job after graduation...at Walgreens. There's a reason I'm back in school, haha. And, sadly enough, MY job is also at risk because certain departments are getting hours cut. ><

Good luck! Personally, I'd take Sao Paolo over Russia, but I also prefer warmer climes.

[SMEE]

Let's see... one is a tourist mecca full of hot women, small bikinis, fun in the sun, great food, and an exciting atmosphere; the other is a punishment that could happen if you piss off a Soviet dictator.

I know which I would certainly pick. :smalltongue:

Are we talking about the same Sao Paulo city in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil? :smallconfused:

Now, on topic, Sao Paulo is a good city for people from other countries who have qualifications.
Violence is not so big as Rio, and there are plenty of opportunities around. It's also a very ugly city...

Anyway, should you come, avoid Rio... like the plague.

Good luck.