Things have been quiet

with me while the career transition is set to begin. I can't actively look for work until January 31, that's when my term is up.

So, what am I doing? Well, I'm trying to keep my life as normal as possible... going to movies, hanging out with my girlfriend.. stuff like that.

I'm also looking for new websites to peruse. One site that has my interest up is called: MAC APP A DAY http://www.macappaday.com. It's a site that is giving away a mac app a day for free starting December 1 and doing so every day in December.

Since my software purchases might be slight over the next while, I'll watch this site.

I'm off to continue working on my Resume.

One down, a few more to go

I've had this week off, and instead of doing things that would empty my bank account, I resolved to finish a draft of my resumé. After 3 DAYS of agonizing, I think I've come up with a version I can be happy with. It's geared more for broadcast jobs, but now I should be able to work on one for other careers.

I'm happy when I have a productive week, one where I can walk away satisfied.

Happy Labour Day everyone

Thanks for nothing..

I decided to bite the bullet and take up the offer of career counselling the company I work for offerred. This isn't a face to face thing, it's phone conferences with someone almost 2,000 kms away in an entirely different province.

The initial conversation was the counsellor asking what they could do for me, and they decided that my resume should be the top priority. I was given some initial hints, then told that I should work on the resumé, and send it in for comments. The second call went like this:

Me: you got the resumé?
Them: Yes.. I just have a couple of comments.. where to begin.
Me: well, how is it?
Them: It's boring, not focused. With your experience in the industry, you haven't really done much. Who would hire you with this resume? No one. If I got this resume, I would say you aren't worth hiring.

This positive reinforcement went on for another20 minues or so, then when I was asked if I had any questions, I was cut off in the middle of things and heard:

Them: Whoa! our 30 minutes is up. Until you have something I can work with, there's really no sense booking another appointment.  Send me another resume, and when I see something worth talking about, I'll let you know when we can talk again.

It looks like I have a lot of work to do, and have been quite humbled.

Hello, I'm IN The ROOM!

Yesterday at work, I was given a quick project to do, nothing major. I was finishing the project up, and suddenly everyone was clamouring, talking about what I was doing, and telling each other how things were going to be done once I finished it. It's interesting to hear people talk about something, and getting it 100% WRONG.

Since I was 3 feet away from the conversation, you would figure that one of the people would say "So, how will this work?" nope.. I was invisible.

People have begun to act like I'm not there, and they're trying to problem solve for themselves.. that's good. But since they're getting things consistently WRONG, and not asking for guidance.. that's bad.

I can see the last 5 months are going to be hard to sit through in many ways.

I've been busy

Hi. It's been a while since I've posted, because I've been busy with 2 things:

Resume Writing: This is a lot harder than you would think, especially when someone like myself hasn't needed one on over 9 years. A lot has changed in the resumé writing world since I last made one up, and it's been hard to revise mine. What accomplishments have I had? that's hard.
I'm still working on it. Any resume tips anyone has would be appreciated. 1 page or 2?

I've also been trying to work on my networking. the first step in this is starting the Calgary Screening Group .
People come to screenings, and then we discuss movies and such after.

It's a great group of people, and we're having a blast.

Do you see movies, and DON'T live in the Calgary area? Wish you could chat about the movies you see with people from around the globe? Well, now's your chance.

Our group has started an online forum. It's located at http://screenclub.forumup.net . All you have to do is register, and start talking away!

Hope to see you online there!

So, everything is keeping me busy.

What's My Motivation?

There are a few people in my shoes. We were told we would be let go, but have been asked to stay on until January. I've talked to a few of the people, and there has been a common thread in their comments. Essentially, people say it's getting harder to come into work. The motivation just isn't there anymore to come in.

How do you keep motivation? Well, I can't talk for everyone however I find that there's no sense in burning bridges. The business is small, and you never know who you will run into over the course of your life.

I am finding however that little things that didnt bother me before are starting to now.

The Deed is done.

Yesterday I signed all the necessary papers for my severence package. I have mixed feelings about it.

Obviously, on one hand, I'm sorry to see things end. On the other hand, It's a new beginning. Things are exciting I can plan for the fuiture now, whatever that will hold.

"You're Dead Inside"

Is a phrase that gets bounced around sometimes by various people at work. 

It's said in jest, but now I'm looking at my life over the past 9 years, and I wonder - Am I dead inside?

It's coming to mind as I sit here and try to write out my marketable skills.

They sometimes say that a person can get so wrapped up in their jobs that you lose focus at what exactly your skills are. I think I'm at that stage. 

I'm sitting in front of 2 open programs: Microsoft Word, and the program I use to make these commentaries about my life. This entry has FAR more on it that the word document listing my skills. In fact, the word document has NOTHING on it after nearly 45 minutes of thinking.

This isn't going to be as easy as I thought. I'm off to ponder some more.

So, what are your plans?

I started to hear that a couple of hours after getting my notice, and I started telling my friends and family.

Right now, I'm finding that question a bit overwhelming.

I've been in television over 25 years. Now that door is closing and ANYTHING is possible for me. That opens up a lot of options, so you can possibly understand the question is overwhelming right now.

Retraining is obviously important.

Finding a new job that will pay bills While I retrain for a new career is important as well.

Since I haven't been sleeping much since I got the notice, I think that is a priority right now. The rest can fall into place over the next 6 months. The sleep can't.

Didn't dodge the bullet this time.

I've been meaning to start posting on this blog for quite a while. I think what's stopped me is that my life has been running smooth for the longest time. It's been quite boring.

I have a loving family, I'm blessed with some remarkable friends. Plans for the future have been simple, because the job I have doing graphics at a TV station was looking secure.

Until Wednesday.

That's when the broadcasting company I was working for reorganized to prepare for its sale, and I was told that my position was being replaced with automation. I was given a severance package and was told that January 31st was going to be my last day. Myself and 6 other people.

Suddenly my life has gone into turmoil. There are a lot of things that I have been taking for granted that will have to change. I have to find a new place to live that's cheaper. I need to find a job, but the job can't start until February or else I lose my severance package.

Maybe my life has been TOO boring, It's no secret that maybe I've been in a rut. There have been times that I have WISHED that I could be doing more, maybe find something else. What, I never knew. I have 6 months to find out what that it is now.

Still, with being given notice that I am being let go in January, I am still blessed. There were quite a few people Tuesday that didn't make it until the end of the day. To those people my heart goes out to you and your families.

Some of the people let go were in their 20's. This is the first time they've gone through something like this. To them I say: You have your life ahead of you. This was just a taste of what you are able to do. This is also the reality of the job market in the 21st century. Don't let this roadblock stop you. You have talent that can be adapted. Seek the highest in whatever you do.

I have a lot of things to digest, and prepare for change. I'm in for an exciting time. However, I won't lie, it will also be a frustrating time. There will be times when these posts may sound bitter as I try and sort through things I haven't had to worry about for over 9 years. This blog will be part of the process.