[midnight-gamer]

More about myself. I am still pretty young and in good physical shape. The job I had involved operating a forklift and stocking shelves. It was not a career path for me, however I felt trapped. My wife is in the u.s. on a green card. Her card holder status has been reviewed several times over the past few years. To keep her here we are expected to have a steady income or else risk deportation. I was by no means happy with the job I had but I thought it best to stay there until her situation becones more stable. We have very recently filed a extension for her card. Hopefully she will get 10 years on it, provided immigration is satisfied with our case. Btw,she is not yet eligable to become a citizen for one more year (if that is even something she wants). I would have liked to have looked for different work years ago but i felt job hopping might have endangered her application if a new job did not work out. We have been working with the government for 4 years now on various paper work nightmares. We have no kids and few bills. Also we have worked hard on building a savings account. I have filed for unemployment, and expect interm insurance info to arrive in the mail soon. I guess we could also move but that will take some thinking first.
Also, a few weeks ago my father was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. My parents could not afford health insurance for him prior to this($500 a week) althought we had no inication he was so ill. He was deep in debt before this and the triple bypass he just had won't help. Funny thing is, I told my wife we should start paying the $500 for him the very day he was diagnosed (I did not even know he was at the doctores that day). Too little too late I guess.

[seahorse2]

First, don't pay for your dad's medical bills, at least not yet. If your dad is old enough, and drawing Social Security Disability, he is also on Medicare and thus his medical bills will be covered by Medicare.

Your post makes me assume your dad is not eligible, age wise, for Social Security/Medicare. So, he needs to apply for Social Security Disability and Medicaid at the same time. If he is successful with his SSD, he will automtically be eligible for Medicaid, but apply for both now anyway. Many lawyers will do this and its all on a contingent fee basis set by Federal statute.

Based on the fact that you are young and don't have any kids, this being laid off is an opportunity to pick a career field now. If you aren't interested in the police/fire/nursing/private security, then consider the military, coast guard, if your main goal is to get immediate steady employment to held you out with your marital situation.

[larrydallas]

First of all I think you should tell your wife to be supportive rather than tear you down. I'm not married but I had a similar experience when I was applying for jobs as a student. I was at the time with someone who was not very supportive of me and it just impacted how I functioned and I had trouble landing even a part time job.

How things are at home determine in a great deal what things will be like away from home. Your family has got to support you no matter what. When you have that you feel like you can do anything and you make positive things occur. Just think about it as if you were the employer and you had 2 equally qualified applicants. One guy is having his wife call him a loser at home and comes in all gloomy with a long face while the other is having a positive energy at home and comes in with a "I am a lion" attitude.

Once she supports you I know you can find the job that you want to have.

I had a very similar thing occur to me in college. I worked for a company for about 3.5 years and I was working about 30 hours a week for $9 per hour. I mainly did it to pay my tuition, bills, and not have to ask my parents for money. I managed to graduate without owing a penny to anyone since I took no loans.

What I really regret is how much I missed out on the college experience of meeting people and going to events, parties, and such. I usually went to work after classes and on the weekends. I kind of look back and think maybe I would have been better off not working so much then. I know for sure that I would never allow any kids I have in the future to work during the semester. Anyway, I was there 3.5 years and did the same job without benefits and without any significant raises in pay. I got laid off and I was crushed at first but it was a blessing for me because in the long term I look back and think I might have stayed stuck there for who knows how long.

If the place you work does not grow and offer you growth potential you should look elsewhere.

Good luck with your search.

[Loki]

Today was my last day at work after five years. Happy fucking holidays, don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out. Several of us long-term employees were axed, many of us (including myself) with zero severance. At least now I have a taste of what the post-peak depression will be like.

I work(ed) at a non-profit that has been undergoing a slow implosion for the last two years. Lost state funding and private funders haven't stepped up. More importantly, the management has royally mismanaged funds in vanity projects that have resulted in nothing but red ink while award-winning public-service projects like the one I worked on get the axe.

Anyone know of someone hiring a historical geographer in the Pacific Northwest? Will work for food.

[seahorse]

Sorry to hear this Loki

[PolestaR]

Saddam was just killed and you think losing your job somehow is important... brav-fucking-o.

Just kidding man.

I didn't even know a historical geographer got jobs.. a bit like philosophers. Why did you choose that line of work?

[Loki]

Thanks Seahorse. Some pity is better than none (which is about what I got at work, aside for the security guard, who was more broke up about my layoff than anyone else, including myself).

Polestar, yes, we historians/historical geographers do get work on occasion. But rarely, which is why I'm a bit bummed about losing my gig. I did think about the Saddam thing, though. At least I'm not that asshole .

As for why I chose this line of work, I did the stupid thing and followed my passion, which happens to be history. It's served me OK for the last few years. Knowing what I know now I would have gone into horticulture or engineering or chemistry or carpentry, but oh well, can't turn back the clock. My main skill is historical researching/writing, so that's what I have to work with.

[katkinkate]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', 'A')s for why I chose this line of work, I did the stupid thing and followed my passion, which happens to be history.

[smiley]

Sorry to hear that Loki,

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'F')ollowing your passion isn't stupid. I bet they were very good years. Years to look back on with contentment.

[cynicalheretic]

Okay, I feel bad you lost your job... But seriously what on Earth does a historical geographer actually do?

[dogf]

Well that sucks.

Now it is time to listen to a few say maybe this is a good thing? Time to make that change?
Either way your stomach will be in knots for a while. So maybe take this as the opportunity to start the bug out process?
Kids or wife?
Kids can change schools. Wife can change jobs.

So in other words sorry But maybe this can turn into a good thing?

[cynicalheretic]

The guy is a historical geographer (what ever the hell that is) this guy is fucking screwed and will be lucky if his family doesn't die of starvation before summer. No offense man, but seriously.. you are screwed

[JustinFrankl]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Loki', 'A')s for why I chose this line of work, I did the stupid thing and followed my passion, which happens to be history. It's served me OK for the last few years. Knowing what I know now I would have gone into horticulture or engineering or chemistry or carpentry, but oh well, can't turn back the clock. My main skill is historical researching/writing, so that's what I have to work with.

[Loki]

Thanks for the sentiments folks. I'm sober now, so I feel a little better (aside from the vodka hangover, of course).

Dogf, I think you're right. I see this as my opportunity to finish my dissertation, which has been in limbo for the last few months. My opportunities will open up once I finish my doctorate, which can now be in a few months if I keep my nose to the grindstone. Whether I stay in the field after I finish is still up in the air. I can go into teaching, GIS, contract research, public history, cultural resource mgt, editing, or I can learn a new trade. We'll see what happens. My ideal is to have a bit of land where I can do market gardening (and more importantly, be able to grow my own food) and to do just enough paid work to cover the bills and to save a bit of cash.

Smiley, contract research sort of appeals to me, mostly because I can be my own boss, but I'm a slave-driving asshole, so I'm not so sure I want to work for me. Seriously, though, I have friends who do the contract thing---a lot of it involves hustling for jobs, and the research itself is not that thrilling (company histories and the like). If the pay was really good, I'd do it, but the pay for contract historians is not that great. I think there are easier ways to make better money.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cynicalheretic', 'T')he guy is a historical geographer (what ever the hell that is) this guy is fucking screwed and will be lucky if his family doesn't die of starvation before summer. No offense man, but seriously.. you are screwed

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JustinFrankl', 'H')ave you considered doing historical research and writing on an area like engineering, chemistry, or carpentry? How about research on all three, shelter/home construction?

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cynicalheretic', 'T')he guy is a historical geographer (what ever the hell that is) this guy is fucking screwed and will be lucky if his family doesn't die of starvation before summer. No offense man, but seriously.. you are screwed

[davep]

I was under the impression cynicalheretic wasn't being entirely serious.

[cynicalheretic]

uhm well that would be correct. But I still don't know what the crap a historical watchamacallit does.

[lateStarter]

If you can afford it, don't be in a hurry to get another job. Use this time to think about where you are, what you are doing, and what you would like to be doing. View it as a good opportunity to find out what you really need to get by. Sometimes we find ourselves forced into a situation that is actualy good for us.

[cynicalheretic]

I do need to hire a(n) historian to document my life in a very factitious manner so that I can have a better shot when I run for the presidency in 2016. How much do you charge?