I mean this diary, my first, as a continuation to Muskegon Critic's recommended diary, as an anecdote to supplement his (her?) own. Since Daily Kos has informed, entertained, outraged, and filled me with joy during my unemployment, and since I've received encouragement (in tip form) from many who read my comment there, I felt it was time to finally try and tell my story.
My unemployment benefits ran out on Monday. I am therefore one of the 1.5 million people that Muskegon Critic has eloquently described as feeling the breeze from the proverbial fan. My quick comment there expressing my situation drew sympathy and encouragement from the readers, and I thought I'd expand that comment a little bit. I don't think that this diary will add any new progressive ideas or values to the table, but if you're interested in a story about a young liberal trying to pull himself out from the recession, perhaps I'll be entertaining to you.
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After graduating with a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2007, I went to work at a small architecture firm that designed homes for subdivisions. As a wide-eyed idealist who spent much of his undergrad education railing against suburban culture, I felt I was doing the devil's work - but hey, it was the job I was offered. Unfortunately, even then, the dominoes were starting to fall on the housing market - and as an architecture firm that designed homes for new subdivisions, my firm was obviously going to contract. And, as the newest addition to that firm, my position was the first to be axed. So, after months of declining work and spending more time following the primary wars than using AutoCAD or SketchUp, I was laid off in June 2008.
I wasn't terribly worried, however. There were many job openings for young, junior-level architects like myself, and I quickly applied for the many available positions. I had an interview a month for each of the following four months, and I was confident that one of these interviews would result in a new offer; but by my last interview of that series in October, the economy was on life-support, and it was clear that people could not afford to spend any money on any buildings at that point. Many of the friends I made in architecture school soon joined me on the dole, and the job listings dried up completely.
I spent a lot of time between October and February in the doldrums. There were no jobs in my field to apply to - I did have an interview at a copy shop, where I hoped some of my skills might translate, but I was ultimately turned down for that position. I sometimes felt that I might have to give up on architecture, but I had committed to being an architect since I was 13, and the dream would not die. So I turned my focus to taking the LEED exam.
LEED is a metric by which buildings are deemed to be environmentally friendly, and I knew that knowing how to help design and determine if new or renovated buildings were LEED certifiable would greatly increase my chances of finding a job - that is, when the jobs come back. So I began to study for the notoriously difficult LEED AP exam, the first exam I'd be taking since my college graduation nearly two years before, and in April I successfully passed it! This distinction may have already helped me, but I'm getting ahead of myself..
As I studied for the LEED exam, I heard of an exhibit showcasing some architectural firms' volunteer efforts to design urban supermarkets and organic food stands for blighted neighborhoods in my area. I was touched by the selflessness of the firms involved, and impressed by the intent of their designs. These firms had been organized by a group that does many pro-bono architectural projects for non-profit organizations, and this group was looking for volunteers. After several months of attending their meetings to show my commitment, I was able to join a volunteer team, and I am slowly getting ready to work on my first design project since getting laid off. It will be great to stretch my brain in an architectural manner once again, and I trust that this will help me do a little of that 'networking' that is so daunting to do, sometimes.
While I've earned LEED accreditation, and thrown my hat into the volunteering ring, the job openings have slowly begun to come back. In June, a friend helped me earn an interview at his firm. The interview went great, but again, I was passed over; the person they hired had a wider range of software knowledge than I do. Two weeks after hearing this, however, I received a more personal email from one of my interviewers saying that they were interesting in hiring me as well, should business pick up. That was five weeks ago, though, and my latest inquiry into how things were shaping up for the firm has gone unanswered for two weeks.
And, on Monday, my unemployment benefits ended. 26 weeks + 20 weeks (thanks to Bush, about the only good thing he ever did) + 13 weeks (thanks Obama and the 'stimulus,' but hopefully you've not finished helping me yet!) = 59 weeks of general idleness. It looks bad on a resume and it hurts the soul. And without unemployment benefits, it's going to really hurt my wallet. Even with this offer hanging over my head, I have to again reconsider my ambitions, swallow my pride and work in retail or a warehouse or waiting tables for awhile. But I'm just two years out of school, so I am young, I am less burdened than many others, and I continue to try hard to find the job I want and to follow my dreams. At this point, I have to stay confident that these efforts will not go unfounded.
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If you've come this far, thanks for hearing me out. I know that, as far as diaries go, this isn't the most useful kind, but I also know that this is a place where people care and support one another. Thanks again for reading.