Unemployed for the first time

[Hilmer]

I just had to tell someone. For the first time in my life I will be unemployed tomorrow. The company I've worked for the last five years had to let some people go because of economical problems - I'm one of them. As I understand it, this is not very uncommon in the USA but here in Sweden it's not that common so I don't feel very good at all about it.

I have a fairly good education and good work experience to fall back on and I'm fairly confident I will get a new good job in the near future, but I still get a bit worried since I have a family to care for.

The worst part is probably that, this morning, a Mesa Boogie DC3, was put up for sale on a swedish guitar forum. This amplifier I've been looking for for quite some time now but haven't been able to find - they are not too common here in Sweden.

Right now I feel I can't spent money on an amplifier...darn!!!

Just had to get this out of my system. Feel better already........perhaps I can find the funds for the amp.....

[oldguy]

I sympathize with you, that happened to me 7 yrs. ago. You'll find another job. People who are willing to work and want to work always find jobs.
You may wind up better off than you were. I wouldn't have believed it when I was let go, but it was a good thing. The company let half of us go, then slowly laid of the other half, then re-organized, and now pays about 70% of what they did originally, and very few benefits. I'll keep my fingers crossed and send mojo your way, hoping you find an even better job. It can happen, it often does.
I lost a factory job building and testing aerial lifts.
I now work construction using a GPS system to check grade.
I make about twice the money, and health insurance and retirement are furnished through the union I'm in.

[t_ross33]

I've been there as well. Had to give up a very high profile position with the non-profit organization I lent my time to once the day job came to an abrupt end. As with many layoff situations, I had a feeling it was coming, but with a family to support, it was a blow (to the wallet as well as to the ego). My company was going to support my NPO gig by giving me the time needed to travel worldwide for my "year in office". Sadly I had to pass on a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and concentrate my efforts on the search for a new job.

But, I stuck it out and ended up in a better company, with a better position, with better pay, with more room to grow. I also met someone at work who introduced me to a friend of theirs and THAT's how we got the band started (he's our drummer).

So, in the end, I wouldn't change a thing.

Good luck. :beer:

Trev

[just strum]

Working in manufacturing, I have been through this a couple of times and I will tell you one thing - almost always it turns out for the good and you end up working somewhere that offers a better opportunity. You might realize it immediately or maybe down the road a ways, but good will come of it.

The first good thing - you lost your job before you invested in the amp. It would be worse if the amp was on the way to your house and then you found out you lost your job.

I built a house and two months later lost my job, but everything worked out.

Keep us posted and I think I speak for everyone in wishing you the best of luck and we know it will all work out for the better.

[SuperSwede]

Hilmer, my wife was unemployed for over a year before she got her current job as a chem. engineer at Banverket. Luckily that was before the current goverment lowered the a-kassan.

[Hilmer]

Thanks for you sympathy and encouragement.

Tomorrow (monday) the hard work of getting a new job starts. A problem is that the time I'm allowed to have the children at daycare is lowerd from 40 hrs to 15 hrs per week which decreases the time I have to look for jobs quite much. Since they are 2 and 5 yrs the demand almost constant attention.

Still quite hopeful that I'll find a good job relatively soon though.

[jpfeifer]

Hilmer,

I've been there. I was layed off from my previous employer which was very unexpected after just taking a job 4 months earlier. (that's the semiconductor industry for you) My new boss at that time was also a guitar player and we were starting to play together, so I felt extra bad when I was layed off along with our whole team. The entire design center was shut down and we were all unemployed. But I found another job in a few weeks after the layoff and have been there since.

Being unemployed is scary. Just hang in there, I'm sure that you will find something.

-- Jim

[just strum]

Thanks for you sympathy and encouragement.

Tomorrow (monday) the hard work of getting a new job starts. A problem is that the time I'm allowed to have the children at daycare is lowerd from 40 hrs to 15 hrs per week which decreases the time I have to look for jobs quite much. Since they are 2 and 5 yrs the demand almost constant attention.

Still quite hopeful that I'll find a good job relatively soon though.

Don't think of it as hard work, think of it as an opportunity to find something better. And as for the 15 hrs, use your time wisely, be prepared, and know that they want you just as much or even more than you want them. It's a tough thought to maintain, but if you drift away from it, just bring it back into your head.

A big key is to network, let as many people as you can know that you are looking for a new job. There are a lot of people that know about opportunities and don't pass them on because no one is asking.

If you just want to chat about it or bounce some ideas around, feel free to PM me.

[birv2]

Hillmer, just wanted to send some good thoughts your way. There's not much worse than having a family to support and no job. However, as others have said here, you often can end up better off than before.

Please keep us posted. We're all pulling for ya!

Bob

[SuperSwede]

Since they are 2 and 5 yrs the demand almost constant attention.


No joke! My kids is 2 & 8 so I know what you are talking about!

What kind of jobs are you currently looking for?

Here is a nice page with available jobs at my "company"...

http://www.polisen.se/inter/nodeid=2257&pageversion=1.jsp

[Jimi75]

No joke! My kids is 2 & 8 so I know what you are talking about!

What kind of jobs are you currently looking for?

Here is a nice page with available jobs at my "company"...

http://www.polisen.se/inter/nodeid=2257&pageversion=1.jsp

SS, I find it very cool that you directly offer suggestions as a fellow countryman of Hilmer!

@Hilmer:
I wish you all the best. I was in such a situation once. Things will get better and you won't stay unemployed - I am sure!

[Robert]

Hope you find a job soon, Hilmer/Joakim. Things always work out in the end.