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As I mentioned previous, I specialize in IT and am inbetween jobs. I was laid off late October (on good terms) due to the economy and major cutbacks to the IT department, and have been unable to find a job within my field since. I am keeping my head above water purely from unemployment wages.
I've attended our local workforce assistance center a few times to help me solidify my resume, interviewing skills, and networking. But none of them have been enough to help me land a job in these times. I'm really getting tired of the same crap every week.
After some research of my own, and discussions with friends and family, I've decided these are my options:
1) Apply for scholarships, grants, and financial aid so I can obtain a bachelors degree in IT. I currently only have an associates in Social Sciences (and a couple computer related certifications). I figure going back to school is better than stressing about this crap every week, and they may be able to help place me through internships.
2) Join my friend Jon in Shanghai who is teaching ESL. Although it's not Korea, I could (hopefully) find time at some point to see a live Starcraft match there and be the "white guy on TV" for my 5 seconds of fame!
3) Join the Airforce for a technical position. They offer great benefits and it would be a beneficial experience I'm sure. However, I would have to serve a 2 or 3 year term, which is quite the commitment.
4) Work at fuckin McDonalds. lol I'd rather be unemployed than work a job I hate.
Any advice on these options, or other options I should explore?
 
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1 or 3 seem the soundest. they both offer something to do in the "short term" and offer a solid foundation for the future. 2 and 4 doesn't get you anywhere. i would choose 1 because i like learning... but pick something that will not only get you past the next year, but also offer a long term solution
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go 1). Bachelors degree is permanent. On the other hand, the fat on your stomach obtained from McDonalds is permanent too. Tough choice
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Education has a reduced opportunity cost right now. 1 is the best by far.
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you should go homeless like that one guy and write about your experiences and share you stories with lost frontier =]
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4 sounds nice. Fucking is always good
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escape plan 10!
just keep lookin and stay positive, things will turn around they ALWAYS do. And you seem to have your head on straight so good luck too.
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Career path should be based on your aptitudes, traits and personality. So try your best not to change it just because of the economy situation or you'll regret it later on.
So, I think #3 is your best choice. Try to survive for 2-3 years until the economy gets better. You'll have more opportunity, especially with the relevant experiences in the army.
Good luck.
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I'd recommend 3 if you can get a good job with the Airforce. It most likely pays really well. If you can't, I'd go with 1.
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4
McDonalds is fucking delicious.
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Thank you for the constructive responses. I didn't mean this to be a poll, and this definitely isn't a joke.
A couple things... Airforce doesn't pay really well to start. However, it's more than just your wages. They also pay for your food, rooms, as well as benefits like paying off the rest of my student loan (less than $10k they'll help pay it off), health insurance (haven't had it in three years), and a whole slew of other stuff. So all in all, it's a good deal. It's just a matter of making that 2-3 year commitment and taking the risk of being deployed in a hostile territory. I keep reading though that most of the people joining the Airforce want to be a pilot - those aren't my intentions at all. I just want to increase my skill set, get back in the workforce, and gain some new experiences and perspectives from the opportunity.
I've worked a job I hated before (tech support for Turbotax software) and I could only handle it for two months. I still did a great job, received a certificate for my technical proficiency and customer service. But I hated my job nonetheless and I would come home feeling miserable knowing I have to go back the next day for the same crap. So I definitely don't want to just take "any job".
I've never applied for scholarships or grants before and was hoping one of you had experience or could point me in the right direction. I'm thinking of asking our local workforce assistance center for advice there given my situation.
For the first couple months I was able to remain positive and optimistic... but it's been so long now that I've lost hope in landing a job here.
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man and i was going around complaining about how high school is boring. good luck bro. don't go with 4 (i have a low-wage job and it sucks knowing that one chipotle burrito cancels out one hour of work). go with 3 and set yourself up for the future even more than you have already.
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haha I'm definitely not taking a crap job like #4
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Hey EscPlan9,
First of all I wanted to say RAWR I WILL DESTROY YOU IN TECMO BOWL!
Second, I am going to be commissioning as an officer in the Air Force in October. I have been going through the ROTC program at Michigan Tech. I don't know if you are familiar with this program, but in a nutshell it combines your options 1 and 3 together. Its a 4 year commitment after college, but you would be an officer (much better pay than enlisted) and there are also scholarship opportunities to pay for college. I think its a really good deal. Anyways, just throwing that out there! If you have any questions about ROTC or the Air Force in general, let me know!
Good luck with everything!!
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by the way, i sort of found your name ironic when juxtaposed with your current situation.
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You could be like a friend of mine and go for your PhD (doesn't pay well, but it does pay) and do consulting to pay the 'real' bills. He's in his 40s and decided he'd rather work on computational biology than business software.
1 is a good place to start.
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i'd go with #1 in a heartbeat
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1 and 3 are definitely your best options. 1 is basically "more knowledge" and 3 is basically "more experience," and both look good on a resume. I'd say go for the bachelor's degree first, then see if you can't get a job. If not, go for the air force. Yeah, it's a 2-3 year commitment, but the benefits really make up for the low salary, and it's overall a pretty good deal.
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If you're going back to school, www.fafsa.gov is where you want to start for financial aid. Aside from that, just contact the school and get an application for financial aid.
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3 is your safest option right now. The 2-3 year commitment isn't too long (college is a 2-4 year commitment) and even if you are deployed in hostile territory, the chances of something happening to you isn't too high. Also, the economy might improve in 2-3 years. 1 will probably give you the most utility in the long run but you'll have a really hard time finding the financial support to go through college. It's becoming harder and harder to be successful without a college degree so at some point in the future, you probably will kick yourself for not getting one.
Personally, I really like option 2. I visited Shanghai a few times and it's a great city if you can get used to Chinese culture and customs. It'll really give you the opportunity to experience something now and to "live life," as some might put it. That being said, it's probably your riskiest option and if you end up hating it, you'll be in even more financial trouble.
Good luck! I really hope you find something right for you.
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I've used FAFSA before to help fund myself as I went through college. However, I've never applied for scholarships or grants, and I don't know if there's specific ones when you're unemployed like me.
And to clarify my education history goes like this (after high school)
2 years at community college: obtained Associates Degree in Social Sciences
Transferred to a 4 year college to obtain my Bachelors Degree. However during my senior year I was in a terrible state of mind then and couldn't concentrate on my education anymore. My family let me know it's okay not to finish college then, and I took their advice and dropped out during my senior year. I don't need any lectures on whether it was a good move or not - getting out of there and being back with my family helped me get back into a more stable state of mind, and there was no chance I was going to be able to pass any of my classes that semester.
Then I picked up a few stray jobs here and there before deciding that IT is the field I want to go in (and not Psychology, as I was doing at the time). Finally, through self-study I passed the A+ Certification exams last April.
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On March 24 2009 08:11 Khaymus wrote:
Hey EscPlan9,
First of all I wanted to say RAWR I WILL DESTROY YOU IN TECMO BOWL!
Second, I am going to be commissioning as an officer in the Air Force in October. I have been going through the ROTC program at Michigan Tech. I don't know if you are familiar with this program, but in a nutshell it combines your options 1 and 3 together. Its a 4 year commitment after college, but you would be an officer (much better pay than enlisted) and there are also scholarship opportunities to pay for college. I think its a really good deal. Anyways, just throwing that out there! If you have any questions about ROTC or the Air Force in general, let me know!
Good luck with everything!!
You shall not destroy me in TSB! I predict I go 4-1 reg season and then 2-1 in the finals. Liquibet that mothafucka!
Thanks for letting me know more about the Airforce, I'll PM you for further details.
edit: Check out my league stats yo:
My experience is going to shine through. Good luck next season!
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Too bad your area doesn't offer the same pay level as mine for Trade work. I put up tin buildings for oil / energy companies to encase all of their piping etc, and the entry level salary is $27/hr, with your typical foreman making close to $80/hr (no previous training required)
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do 2, teach some girl w/ a rich daddy, become her boyfriend, go work for her daddy's company
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Go to school...in this bleak economy acquiring knowledge seems the most sensible.And you can have a part-time job for that extra income.So options 1 and 4 are definitely what i'd recommend
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Air Force hands down...ok pay..along with free living food etc. It should be a great learning experience...learn some new skills...stable. 2-3 years isnt long at all. And lets be serious...its the air force...if u get deployed anywhere...your not going to be in much danger. This isnt the marines or army were talking about....If i didnt have so many visible tattoos...i would have joined the air force or navy a long time ago.
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On March 24 2009 11:10 eXigent. wrote:
Too bad your area doesn't offer the same pay level as mine for Trade work. I put up tin buildings for oil / energy companies to encase all of their piping etc, and the entry level salary is $27/hr, with your typical foreman making close to $80/hr (no previous training required)
whoa where is this
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3 seems like the best path. The air force will definitely be more stable than the business atm. It will also count towards experience, and you can ride out the tough times with decent wage.
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RE the "2-3 year commitment isn't long - college is a 4 year commitment":
Joining the AirForce is a far different commitment than going to college. With college, you have a ridiculous amount of freedom in how to spend your time. With the AirForce, you only get the freedom when they specifically allow it (i.e. paid vacations). I also will be living a drastically different life considering the majority of my free time right now is spent playing guitar or gaming.
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On March 24 2009 11:10 eXigent. wrote:
Too bad your area doesn't offer the same pay level as mine for Trade work. I put up tin buildings for oil / energy companies to encase all of their piping etc, and the entry level salary is $27/hr, with your typical foreman making close to $80/hr (no previous training required)
Pretty much the same here too.
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On March 24 2009 09:13 vAltyR wrote:
1 and 3 are definitely your best options. 1 is basically "more knowledge" and 3 is basically "more experience," and both look good on a resume. I'd say go for the bachelor's degree first, then see if you can't get a job. If not, go for the air force. Yeah, it's a 2-3 year commitment, but the benefits really make up for the low salary, and it's overall a pretty good deal.
I should also mention another benefit from the AirForce - they will pay for 100% of your tuition if you decide to take classes while you're enlisted. I DEFINITELY would make use of that!
edit: So AirForce can give me both more knowledge and more experience simultaneously.
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Yeah, EscPlan9, I was about to make a note of that. I'm in the Marine Corps, and I know many, many, many people that have gotten their degrees while in active duty. It's completely free, and the USAF has just about every class you can possibly imagine available on every base, online and free of charge. One should also note that given your associates degree, you would start at a higher rank than normal, possibly as high as E-4, which is a considerably better pay grade than E-1 which you probably assumed was going to be your beginning rank.
Feel free to PM me regarding any questions about the Armed Forces.
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EPT
