Finally! I have a job again...

[Mark Heide]

It's been 14 months since I was part of a RIF. I didn't think it would take this long to find something with decent pay, but I guess I'm somewhat lucky and unlucky.

One of my best friends from my previous employment recommended me for the job. After my interview, my friend died of a massive heart attack during the July 4th weekend. He was only 51. When I went to his wake, I still couldn't believe it. /images/graemlins/frown.gif It seems unreal.

Anyway, I'm glad to be working again.

I'd tell you more about the job than what's in my description, but I had to sign agreements not to disclose any information publicly.

Since, I have to do mucho training I will not be posting or reading much here because I will not have the time, but hope I will sometime in the future.

Good Luck

Mark

[MMMMMM]

Could you at least tell us what RIF stands for? ;-) ?

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/ooo.gif /images/graemlins/cool.gifcongrats...gl....wow...after about a month, you'll realize how good ya had it (off work)...just kidding...gl...working for cia huh...lol /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[adios]

Hey Mark,

I know you're an IT professional and I also know that it's been hard for many folks in that discipline. I'm seeing signs of a stronger more stable economy myself. Glad to know you've got a good paying position and hope it works out in the long run.

Tom

[Zeno]

Good Luck in your new job - hope it all works out well for you.

-Zeno

[Rick Nebiolo]

M,

You wrote:[ QUOTE ]
Could you at least tell us what RIF stands for? ;-) ?

[/ QUOTE ]

My thoughts exactly and I get to check out this new quote feature /images/graemlins/smile.gif.

~ Rick

[Mark Heide]

M,

Reduction In Force (RIF). Management likes to say this instead of layoffs. I had worked for Comdisco which went bankrupt due to there capital ventures investments in the dot com boom that went belly up. The networking/disaster recovery division was sold to SunGard Data Systems. SunGard had their own network division, so the RIF was due to consolidation.

Mark

[Mark Heide]

no msg

[Mark Heide]

Tom,

The job opportunities in the IT industry are not as good as they were during the '90s. The wages have actually decreased from 4 to 10%--based on the information I have from doing salary research. The latest trend in the industry is moving to foreign countries for programmers and technical help desks. Olicom is a router company that specialized in high-speed bandwidth ATM routing. If I needed configuration or software support their technical help desk was in India, which was previously in Boston. So, those types of jobs are not coming back. Here's a link to a story about IT jobs moving offshore:

http://money.cnn.com/2003/07/22/news/economy/jobless_offshore/index.htm

Mark

[Mark Heide]

scalf,

Thanks. I actually spend alot of time every day doing the job search with getting only a few interviews. Five years ago head hunters would regularly call me for interviews. Now, they rarely call with any opportunities.

Mark

[Ray Zee]

no one doesnt have enough time to check on their friends. get with the new job and do well. best of luck but dont leave us in the dark.

[scalf]

/images/graemlins/cool.gifmark,
the hardest job is finding a job...tear-em up in cia...lol..gl /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[John Cole]

Mark,

Cram quickly; I'm afraid that in your absence Ray Zee might take on the film reviewing duties. (But I did see Rabbit-Proof Fence after he recommended it.) Good luck,

John

[Mark Heide]

John,

I'll still try to watch a movie a week. But, at least Ray gave us two good recommendations. Clouzot's Picasso movie and Amelie. There is another great film by Clouzot I happened to stumble upon. It's his film of Herbert von Karajan's performance of Verdi's Requiem. It's in Color and in Stereo (actually it sounds better than the newer versions that are available and I highly recommend it to anyone with a good two speaker stereo system), and features Pavoratti singing when he was a much younger man. Karajan claimed that Clouzot was trying to make an actor out of him.

Good Luck

Mark

[Mark Heide]

no message