Back To Work ASAP

Well, I've been laid off, temporarily I hope. The consulting firm that I've been contracting with hasn't been getting enough work to keep me busy. When work picks up again, I'll get back to work.

In the mean time, I need to work or starve, so I've polished up my resume and started a job search for the third time in the past 10 years. Tough breaks, huh? And, I'm not alone. Maybe you are in the same boat.

I've been working as an engineer now for 26 years. The first 16 years were pretty stable but the last 10 have been rocky all along. I though the grass would be greener on the consulting side of the fence. It was at one time but since manufacturing in general is on the decline in this country, there are fewer and fewer engineering jobs being chased by us engineers. Some have already jumped off the wagon. I might just need to do that, too. So, I have a career change challenge as well as a need to get a job to survive.

One of the first things I've done is to purchase a new copy of the latest edition of "What Color is Your Parachute" by Dick Bolles and I'm trying to digest and apply his advice with more enthusiasm than I did the first time I read it. I've got to work while I try to reinvent my life so I'm also hitting the job boards a couple of times each week. Indeed.com is really good. It collects all kinds of job postings from many sources including Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com and others that they don't pick up. Craigslist.com has some interesting job postings as well. And, since the local market for engineering services is quite limited, I'm forced to look nationwide for oppurtunities. I can't limit my view.