From military folks to a former Microsoft contract worker who’s struggling to stay positive…
In August of 2007, I got a contract job at Microsoft, doing minor project management duties and helping my group with software releases. I enjoyed my work, and had a good rapport with lots of the folks with whom I worked. However, my contract ended in August of 2008, and I was off to find another place to work.
I’ll be honest: at first I was pretty relaxed about my job search. My former colleagues had told me stories about how they really enjoyed their time off between contracts, and that I would almost certainly find another gig at the end of my 100-day break. I applied for unemployment benefits, started receiving the checks, applied for about 2 to 3 jobs per day, and spent the rest of my time taking it easy, surfing the web, and generally being lazy. I stayed fairly upbeat, knowing that things could be a lot worse.
Then stuff started blowing up in my face. My Capitol Hill landlord raised my rent in December, from a fairly reasonable $650/month to over $950/month. Explaining my situation to him got me nowhere; he had kept the rent low for as long as he could, he said, and the cost of running the building was very expensive. So, I’m now forced to spend two of my unemployment checks on rent, which makes saving any money for moving out a near impossibility.
On the job hunting front, from August to November I had two phone interviews, one of which was with, of all things, I Can Haz Cheezeburger. As a result, my self-esteem was taking a beating. I was leaving my apartment less and less, which meant I was seeing my girlfriend less and less. She had her own employment issues: during this time, she was working three jobs, one of which was as a building manager. Her “over-employment” added to my unemployment meant that we had very little energy for our relationship, which unsurprisingly started to suffer.
When a well-meaning (and very kind) friend told me that I needed to double up on my resume submissions, something inside me broke. I felt like I didn’t have the energy to do what I was doing, and now I was being told that I still wasn’t doing enough. It didn’t matter that this same well-meaning friend was sending me links to jobs that she felt I would be perfect for. It didn’t matter that I had other friends that would offer to spend time with me so I’d keep from going completely stir-crazy. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t homeless, or had reliable transportation (and any of the other creature comforts that I still had). I didn’t have a job yet. Therefore, I was a failure.
So, naturally, I had a little nervous breakdown.
I spent most of the rest of that afternoon curled up on my futon, shaking, screaming into my pillow, tears streaming down my face. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind, to be reacting to my situation this way, but I didn’t care. Too much of my self-esteem was wrapped up in my need to be employed, and when that was taken away, I was forced to see me in a different light. I suppose I should be happy about that. Sucked at the time, though.
Anyway, after this, I slowly started getting my life back together. My girlfriend and I have recommitted ourselves to our relationship. I’ve been going on quite a few interviews in recent days, and though I haven’t been hired on anywhere yet, I’ve been getting good feedback. I’ve got a line on an apartment in Capitol Hill that would be $200/month less than I’m paying now (and no, I’m telling you with whom). I’m getting out more, spending time with my girlfriend and other friends besides. I’ve started exercising, too. I’m still unemployed, as I said earlier, but things look a lot better. I’m trying to stay positive.
Have an unemployment story to share? Write to jobless@thestranger.com.
I want to ask: Did you work on Vista or Office 2007? If you did, you are getting exactly what you deserve.
Keep the Microsoft schadenfreude coming.
@1 – wow; if you think it’s ok to treat people like that, you’ll soon be unemployed. @job-seeker: exercise is great for staying positive. hang in there.
Indeed hang in there. I have done five contracts with Microsoft and sometimes they pick you up again right away and sometimes they don’t. I found that going to as many temp agencies as possible (ie Kelly, Corestaff, Volt, Excell, etc at the same time) is the fastest way to finding a new MS Contract. Also it never hurts to pretend to have a rabid love for all things MS…. Just a thought. Good Luck!
Yeah it’s not all I-pods and mobile phones any more. Time to let some of those toys go and focus on food and shelter. There are plenty of cheaper places to rent than Cap Hill, they’re just not as trendy nor hip (it’s always something).
We’ll all survive this down turn. A note about “self esteem”. Now is the time to volunteer as you are TIME RICH. Give some of that time to others. It will do wonders for your “self esteem”.
@1: Yeah, it’s totally a CONTRACT JR. PROJECT MANAGER’S fault that Vista sucks. Also, those had a release date before this worker’s contract, rendering it near-impossible that he was even on those teams. Moron.
To the job seeker: if you have really good SharePoint skills, there’s hope for you to get back on at MS yet. I wish you the very best!
I’m now forced to spend two of my unemployment checks on rent, which makes saving any money for moving out a near impossibility
This is the part I have trouble with. Apparently your weekly check is about $500. What happens to the other $1000 in a month?
And if you’re getting $500/week from UI, then you were making a decent amount while a contractor at MS. How much did you save away during your one-year contract?
“I Can Haz Cheezburger” has paid staff??!!
Um…. why is a straight guy without a job living on CapHill? When the landlord jumps the rent that much, they have to give you 60 days notice (Seattle Housing Law). That’s plenty of time to find a place in South SnoHo or the East side, where rent will be cheaper and the commute to a tech job easier.
I’ve been in that same dumper, so I’m not bagging on the guy. Just saying there are some obvious choices/changes that can be made that will help improve the outlook.
@stinkbug: Would you like more salt to rub into his wounds? Shit. Hopefully he’s learning to create a responsible budget now, but you are not his mother. Don’t be a dick.
@unemployed guy: I am trying to stay positive too. Good luck.
@8 – Cheezburger has paid staff. They have a CEO. They have VC backing and other private funding. The get an insane amount of web traffic. You wish you could get a job at Cheezburger.
@10: No, I’m not trying to rub salt into his wounds, but I am curious about the financial decisions that people (including me) make. And in a mostly anonymous forum like this one it’s easier to ask such questions.
@7: Taxez.
i have the strange perspective of having lived through all of this in 2003.
“I spent most of the rest of that afternoon curled up on my futon, shaking, screaming into my pillow, tears streaming down my face. I clearly wasn’t in my right mind, to be reacting to my situation this way, but I didn’t care. Too much of my self-esteem was wrapped up in my need to be employed, and when that was taken away, I was forced to see me in a different light.”
That’s the problem with this millennial generation. Their sense of entitlement is ridiculous. If you don’t hand them something they want, they don’t know how to react and they break down. What you do, as someone suggested earlier, sign up at three or four temp agencies, and see if they have a contract position for you. If they don’t have a contract position for you, then take whatever they have to hold you over–even if that means filing at an office or pushing freight at the warehouse. And keep on sending your resumes while your temping. What you don’t do is sit at home crying feeling sorry for yourself. Be a man and hit the bricks.
It seems like I’ve been hearing about a lot of couples in which one person is working too much and one person is not working enough. The person who is working too much feels like he/she needs to keep working too much in order to take up the economic slack of the person not working enough.
46% rent hike? Your landlord doesn’t know how to manage a property…
I’m going to guess he didn’t give you 60 days notice, either.
I fucking hate landlords like this that make all landlords look bad.
@7, groceries, utilities, credit card payments, student loans, taxes, insurance… and possibly cable, WoW subscriptions and/or new skinny jeans?
Next time he gets a job, he’ll be a little more careful to stash some aside for an emergency fund. The first layoff is almost always the hardest.
Keep these coming Eli. Reading the stories of these self-aborbed losers makes me feel so much better about myself and the choices that I’ve made.
@15, Totally. Why hasn’t this lazy young slacker followed your advice and sent his resume to 3-4 temp agencies and taken one of the many jobs available? OH WAIT, he’s applied for 2-3 jobs every day for MONTHS and there are no jobs available! I guess movies are wrong about elderly people being wise.
Hey punk whipper snapper at 20. You can send 300 applications a day for months right now and nothing will happen because 3000 other applicants are doing the same thing. The temp jobs are out there. It’s a matter of pride whether he wants to do menial or manual labor until he can pay the rent and get back on his feet.
Who gives a shit who signs your damn paycheck? Whether it’s Microsoft or I Can Has Cheezburger or whomever. Fuck it. Take the fucking job, take the work, and be grateful.
Quit being a pussy, and do the work. Life is hard sometimes, and you gotta do what you gotta do. Keep going, get through it, work harder, work smarter, learn from it, complain to your friends, but this shit ain’t easy.
I’m an actor and freelance scenic carpenter, and it’s always difficult to find jobs from one to the next. I deal with it. You need to deal with it and not have a nervous breakdown. Things are changing. Change with it, grow stronger.
All these unemployment stories– what these people go through? That’s so very similar to my lifetime employment experience as an actor and scenic carpenter, sometimes temp. office worker.
Now, people everywhere, in so many usually secure jobs, are experiencing what freelancers and artists experience their entire lives. Welcome to our world. Enjoy.
@16: Mmm.
On the other hand, maybe it’s like bicycling. No two (non-tourista) cyclists peddle at quite the same speed.
did he get 60 days written notice on that rent increase?
http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/n…
@21,
I worked as a temp in 2004, or to put it more precisely: I *tried* to work as a temp in 2004. Temp agencies do not guarantee employment even in good economic times.
There’s a lot more to this story than what is posted but then again, most of you probably assume that. I hope you do instead of bashing someone when they are already down on their luck. I think it is really mean-spirited to write hurtful comments to a person who has bravely shared their story. Many of you can probably relate to how it feels to be down, depressed and feel stuck. You don’t know what this man has been through, what bills he has, what his life circumstances are.
@1
Not defending Microsoft fully here, Vista sucks (and believe me, Microsftees know it)
But for the amount of enmity that Microsoft gets, what about Boeing? Yes, they have a more blue-collar workforce, but remember — they are a defense contractor.
Meaning? While Microsoft can make some annoying software, Boeing makes things that kill people.
Either be at peace with America’s embrace of big, evil, corporations, or focus your attention where it really counts.
@19 You’re a douche. Just saying.
Yowza! You people are brutal!
I hope every person here gets as much compassion in the same situation as they have shown.
@22, I’m an artist and like you, I’ve had to cobble jobs together, juggle multiple careers, etc. That doesn’t mean I feel the urge to gloat when other folks suddenly find themselves in my position. This is something I truly don’t understand: why people are happy when other folks have to deal with the hardships they endure, large or small. Just because we have to suck it up doesn’t mean everybody should have to experience it. Why not concentrate on lifting ourselves up instead of wasting our energy snickering when other people fall? We’ve had time to adjust to our situation, develop the proper attitude, and make choices about our priorities. The author hasn’t, but obviously is beginning to take the first steps. Good for him, and I wish him the best.
I love that the Slog comments are just as right-wing and mean-spirited as the Seattle PI comments. Maybe you all moved over here in anticipation of the PI closing down?
The writing and general attitude of The Stranger is one of the rays of hope that most of Seattle is full of smart, funny, compassionate people. The comments in the Slog are the splash of cold water, reminding us that most people is Seattle are gigantic, mean-spirited assholes.
(Ignoring @31). Unemployed MS contract worker: The exercise will help a lot. In our climate, it can be hard to figure out a free routine that works and that you can stick to, though. You may have to experiment, with types of exercise, variation, with motivation. Hell, you may even come up with a saleable product.
@17: Oh, you mean my landlord? Bought the building at the height of the bubble, too.
This guy could be my neighbor except he’s straight.
Wow, some of these comments are pretty harsh. I hope those of you who have been heartless in your comments never find yourself unemployed.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that you find something soon. So glad to hear you are doing better. Wishing you all the very best.
Wow, people. Judgmental, much? (Not those of you who’ve been supportive, mind. Or offered constructive advice. I’m not talking to you.)
The job hunt can be demoralizing, especially when you KNOW you’ve got a lot to offer, and you can’t seem to make potential employers see that, because you don’t have exactly the experience they’re looking for – or you’ve been a contract worker, and they don’t believe you’ll make a good employee. Or you find yourself being turned down for jobs you’re overqualified for, because they assume you’ll bolt as soon as something better comes along. Or, the flip side of that trap, and very common in this economy, you find yourself competing for entry-level jobs with people more qualified even than you are. (Hell, I was so wrecked after my last job search, it took YEARS before I started looking again, because even if the job I had wasn’t really going anywhere, at least I had it, and I didn’t have to beg anyone to give it to me.)
What I’m saying, in my long-winded way, is that I don’t hear whining, or self-entitlement, or o’er-weening pride. Admitting to a dark moment of self-pity and despair takes a lot of courage, and climbing back up out of that pit isn’t easy. But that, I think, is the real point of the article – he’s climbing out, into the sunshine where there might be a job waiting for him.
@35 – I love you.
@31 – No kidding. Republicans have discovered the Slog.
@19 – Bugger off and die.
@35 whole second paragraph, you can make excuses all you want but it ain’t gonna help find a job. And unless someone has a job for this guy, other people feeling sympathetic ain’t gonna help either. Hit the bricks, man, and do it.
@25, were you willing to be sent to some shit-hole warehouse in South Seattle to do a job? Were you willing to go to the docks and lift 75lb crates? You’ve got to be open to all jobs when you apply at temp agencies. Who gives a fuck if you have a degree. A paycheck is a paycheck.
Can we keep the pressure on Obama to create a giant new G.I. bill, both for returning soldiers and for the rest of us? Can we keep an eye out for every program he creates that helps college students and colleges, and publish that information online?
What the hell is wrong with some of these commentors?
Jesus people, this is an actual PERSON that you’re leaving these remarks for. What’s the matter with you?
Buck up, Eli. If you’re doing all you think you can to fix the problem, worrying about it won’t tip the scales in your favor. Ride it out.
@39, you gotta be kidding. This is an actual PERSON, waaahhh, who shouldn’t what — hear the truth? Are you so fragile that if someone told you, “you’re doing it wrong”, instead of couching it in a hundred words meant to “encourage”, “support”, and “develop” your ego, you’d break down crying?
Look folks — I realize half of you grew up without a spank or even a stern word from your parents, but that doesn’t mean that everyone else in this world needs to tolerate your bullshit. The people in this thread who have given him hard advice and a hard opinion — quit wasting money on shit you don’t need, essentially, and learn a lesson from spending every penny you earned during the good times — is valuable. So, I’m sure, are your ego-stroking coos of love and support, but as with everything, balance is good.
Look pal, I’m 34, grew up with my family having to eek by sometimes, got my share of cracks on the ass when I needed it, and work my butt off at a blue collar job while going to school.
You don’t realize half of the commentors here did or didn’t do anything because you don’t know anything about them.
Don’t pretend that your old-school- practical persona is what makes you a man
There’s a difference between empathy and coddling. If you never learned that, then your father didn’t do his job.
All you judgers — wait till it happens to you and your self esteem takes a beating. Some of it has got to be chemical, you can’t help having a breakdown sometimes. If it’s never happened to you, then you aren’t strong — just lucky.
@30
Not gloating, not happy for the guy, just sick of hearing from unemployed people who have a sense of entitlement. I’ve been down and out, and I continue to do the work. Giving tough love, like “Quit being a pussy and hit the bricks” is goddamn useful advice. No coddling here. No bullshit. Get up, quit being a pussy, and find a way to live your life and make money.
So, my advice to the guy? Good, sound, challenging advice. Just what more people need to hear.
I think what strikes me most about all of this is that the guy never asked for advice. Seems to me that he was going through a tough time and decided to vent, like a lot of people do, by blogging about it.
In my opinion, telling people the correct way to run their lives, as you see it, is a character flaw. Giving unwanted advice because something irritates you about another person isn’t helping them-It’s stroking your own ego.Belittling someone for the same reason isn’t for their benefit. It’s for yours
I think what strikes me most about all of this is that the guy never asked for advice. Seems to me that he was going through a tough time and decided to vent, like a lot of people do, by blogging about it.
In my opinion, telling people the correct way to run their lives, as you see it, is a character flaw. Giving unwanted advice because something irritates you about another person isn’t helping them-It’s stroking your own ego.Belittling someone for the same reason isn’t for their benefit. It’s for yours
@43, I stand corrected and am glad for it. However, he didn’t convey a sense of entitlement: he expressed self-doubt. People with a sense of entitlement rail against the unfairness of it all, blame the employers who don’t hire them, etc.
It sounds like he’s pulling it together just fine…I don’t think he needs coddling, tough love, or any advice at all. There’s a big difference between enduring a moment of self-doubt and shameless wallowing.