Like it’s news here, or anywhere else that some among us need jobs.
To my horror, I realized on Friday that I am not included in the recently passed unemployment extension. There would have to be a Tier V for me. Don’t see any indication that that’s happening.
So, to vent, share, and throw myself on the goodness and knowledge of this community, here's my story, and I'm extremely desirous of not having to stick to it for too much longer.
I just got done negotiating payment arrangements on my utilities, the relatively small amounts left after the LIHEAP assistance over the heating months. They will be due in about 3 weeks.
I have one last payment on my 10 year old car, due in 3 weeks or the loan may very well go into default.
I owe half of April’s rent with May right around the corner.
So, as the saying goes, I am well and truly ... well, you know.
It' ain't just me:
The really awful thing is, literally my whole family is in very similar situations. My 63year old bro with a BA degree and 16 years with his last employer got laid off 2.5 years ago, and the business he’s been trying to start, well, you know how things are. SIL hasn’t been able to find a new admin job. Neph’s 2 small businesses are suffering, because they’re in areas which people can say "well, times are tight, I can do that myself for now". He’s about to lose his house. My niece is working as wait staff. No surprise that people aren't beating down the doors of interior designers these days.
All my family members have degrees. I have a Master’s.
My friends? Their situations are similar. One had 20% less income in his business than the year before. They have a kid in college. The wife of the one on disability just had her hours reduced.
Mea maxima culpa:
I made some very odd career choices over the course of the last 20 years. They seemed like pretty good choices at the time. I made those choices, mostly, because single parenting a child with virtually no presence from her father, and no child support for ½ the time, I felt it was really important to spend as much of my working life working from home, or with hours flexible enough to be around as much before and after school as I possibly could. I really believe that the parents role in education is crucial, and in our case the 'parents' was me.
Because of those decisions, on paper, my ‘career trajectory’ doesn’t seem to have one. Stupid me, I thought adaptability, broad experience, education, language abilities and success at raising a truly good and intelligent kid might be interesting to employers. Not so much, as it turns out. Of course, "who could have forseen" that just as I was going to try to reenter a more traditional job market, "The HELL Which George Wrought" would be fore swell upon us.
The good thing. The VERY good thing, is that aforementioned wonderful child, is on a full-ride academic scholarship, so her access to her post-secondary education is assured. I don’t know what I would do if that weren’t the case.
I’ve had appointments with some of the programs aimed to help the long-term unemployed, but they are, understandably, not generally tuned to someone with as many job skills as I have.
I’m of very stoic northern European stock, and if there is one serious downside that comes with all the upsides of being of the white, formerly middle class privilege group, it is the difficulty of appealing to the better angels of others' natures and asking for help.
But, my back is now up against the wall. I either have to swallow my god-forsaken Dutch pride, or face being homeless in a few weeks. If you know of any jobs in the Chicago metro area, I’d like to know. If it's work for an hour, a day, a week, temporary or permanent, I’m interested in knowing. I’ll send my resume to anyone who thinks it would be useful to have a look at it. Do you want to learn Spanish? I’ll tutor you. etc. etc. etc.
My Master's is in International Management, with experience in education (traditional and non-traditional), non profit, start up, and giant multi-national. My ‘field’ is international trade, but that is not really all that informative in understanding what I could do for work. I speak English, Spanish and German and
I’d like to work
Quisiera trabajar
Ich suche Arbeit.
I appreciate any and all suggestions and help.
Gawd, that was excruciatingly painful.
UPDATE
It's my turn to say 'incredible generosity of Dkos. Creative suggestions, and many kind thoughts.
Per the suggestions of some commenters who have requested my paypal account, it is itsgettinghaute@gmail.com.