I guess I'll chime in... again.
by Erik Bates on September 23, 2009

Jackie Mason | September 24, 2009
[hidden by author request]

Amy Austin | September 24, 2009
Hi, Erik. Sucks to be unemployed... I know. But... I cannot *Believe* that you voluntarily quit your job in a time like this, thinking that you would have another lined up. Either you are possessed of an incredibly healthy ego, confidence and optimism... or you just aren't paying attention!

Like yourself, I am back in a college town and with hopes of securing a university job, of course. I am also sort of beginning to wonder what the hell *I* was thinking, and -- if you have not already read it elsewhere -- I have even applied for custodial jobs!

Steve West | September 24, 2009
I, too, quit my former job with no other job lined up. Albeit that was a dozen years ago. The classified section of the paper seemed soooo thick that it led me to believe there had to be at least one job in there for me. I feel kinda fortunate the way things worked out. Anyway, look forward to hearing more from you Erik and you'll always be a college puke to me.

Erik Bates | September 24, 2009
[hidden by author request]

Aaron Shurtleff | September 24, 2009
As a person in a university job, yeah it's bleak. And from what I hear, it's not just UFL, but good universities, too. :) Sorry, required to make occasional digs, or they'll pull my UGA alumni card.

And also as a person who has had to leave a job under...unique circumstances, I can understand that, too! Sometimes, you just have to get the heck out, consequences be damned. I hope you didn't have that horrible of a situation (and I'm not asking you to elaborate), but I can relate.

Good to have you back around, and hope to see you around.

Amy Austin | September 24, 2009
Oh... well, I've certainly been there, too... and far be it for me to seem like a hypocrite when I say that you should just suck it up and press on (I really suck at sucking it up, ha) -- but man... I think I'd have given some serious and deep thought to leaving my job now (if I had one). Not that you didn't, I'm sure... but I guess I've just spent enough time on this end of things now to know that it ain't easy, and "bleak" is definitely the job search word of the day! (I recently made it into the top 40ish of 430 applicants... yes, for *one* job -- and didn't get an interview -- after a weeks-long hiring process!!! And every other person I chatted with during the testing already had a fucking job that they just didn't like. Tell me that doesn't smart.)

Ah, well... I guess it doesn't really matter to me as long as you aren't in my pool of competition -- then I'd really have to bawl you out! ;-) I'll save it up for a certain big-mouthed alumnus of a school who can't even spell the elementary school level name of their mascot. ;-p

Tony Peters | September 24, 2009
Well I'm a Lumber chucker at Home Depot, the pay's marginal and the hours are long but for the most part the people are good and you get to do cool things like drive fork lifts, which does a lot for 3D visualization....Back in school now. Writing essays, speeches and commentary on Poetry has my mind in a frazzle

Scott Hardie | December 10, 2009
Erik, it's been three months since you wrote this, and I'm glad to see your participation around the site pick up since then. TC has cooled off and needs people talking. I want to start more discussions, but my schedule is too erratic to give it the consistent involvement that it needs. I have plans to boost TC's activity level, but so far I don't have time to enact them. :-|