So, what's the worst thing about being unemployed and under-employed for four years? For me it's been the existential feeling of failure. Growing up a baby-boomer, role models were my Dad, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Audie Murphy. "Father Knows Best" and "Leave It To Beaver" made regular appearances on our B&W television.
My Dad's was the first generation of the family that didn't farm. But he grew up on the farm; he had his chores; he never had to be told to "do it now" because if he didn't do it now it didn't get done. In farming it doesn't matter if you feel like milking the cows. Somebody has to milk the cows every twelve hours, every day. No holiday, no vacation. When springtime comes you plant. When autumn comes you harvest. If you put off planting for a week or two you might put off harvesting completely. On a farm in the 30s, if you didn't have a harvest, you didn't survive the winter. Sometimes I regret I didn't spend much time on the family farms, just for the "do it now" mindset. I'm a born procrastinator, and farming would (probably) have taken it out of me.
The movie guys in the 60s were the tough guy type, never showing much emotion, always handling anything that came along, often handling them with fists or guns.
To shorten this a bit, I grew up with the notion that the Dad handles work, car repair, lawn care, whilst the Mom handles the housekeeping, cooking and the babies. The husband is the provider. So being under-employed for four years has been really difficult. Since my wife is the primary provider, I'm not fulfilling my "role" as husband.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Some interesting temporary jobs
Pearson Educational Measurement has short-term jobs grading standardized tests. The pay was more than $10 but less than $20 per hour. Pretty regimented, started exactly at 8:00 AM, 30-minute lunch, two 15-minute breaks, stop at 5:00. It wasn't hard work, especially the math exams. Math is pretty straightforward. The student gets the right answer or does not get the right answer. The English exam was a little less structured. But I eventually figured out how to grade them, too.
Precinct Clerk for the Board of Elections: it's very definitely a seasonal temporary job, but it's not hard physical work, and you get to meet a lot of people. I especially enjoyed when a husband and wife would present their identification to me. Usually the wife went first, so when I looked at the husband's ID I would say something like, "Mr Smith! Funny, I just checked in a very pretty lady named Smith a moment ago. Do you suppose you might be related?" Most of the voters got a laugh out of this. One man replied, "We're related, but only by marriage."
More to come...
Precinct Clerk for the Board of Elections: it's very definitely a seasonal temporary job, but it's not hard physical work, and you get to meet a lot of people. I especially enjoyed when a husband and wife would present their identification to me. Usually the wife went first, so when I looked at the husband's ID I would say something like, "Mr Smith! Funny, I just checked in a very pretty lady named Smith a moment ago. Do you suppose you might be related?" Most of the voters got a laugh out of this. One man replied, "We're related, but only by marriage."
More to come...
Thursday, March 13, 2008
History
Some background - I started working as a life insurance actuary 'way back in 1980, right out of college, with a small company in downstate Illinois. It was a good company, part of INA corporation, which is now Cigna. I hear that the company is private now.
After two years working in IL, sharpening my PC skills (although the Personal Computer hadn't been invented yet) and passing (some) actuarial exams I accepted a job in Texas. The Texas company wanted someone with actuarial knowledge who was also a good APL programmer. (Anyone out there still use APL? Cool language, very powerful, but a resource hog.) I worked there for nearly twenty years, mostly acting as a systems analyst and liaison between the actuarial department and the IT folks. I worked for this company almost twenty years. Three weeks before my twentieth anniversary, the boss took me to a conference room in the HR dept where he explained that the actuarial department was overstaffed, and I had the short straw. The HR rep told me about the very generous severance package, then escorted me to the exit. They didn't even let me pack up my own desk! (Not that I'm bitter or anything!)
I took advantage of the severance pay to spend a couple of months reconnecting with my kids. Then I got serious about find a new position. I posted my resume at Monster, HotJobs, the actuarial discussion board, anywhere I could think of. After a few weeks of phone interviews and such, a recruiter found my resume on monster and asked if he could submit me to a company in the south. Long story short (too late), I accepted with this southern company.
Wouldn't you know, after I'd been there about a year another insurer made a hostile takeover bid!? The company was able to avoid this takeover by looking for someone else to buy it instead. After a few months of negotiation, uncertainty, nail-biting, a suitor was found. They moved almost all operations to their home office in the mountain states. Having just moved less than two years before, we were unwilling to move again. My spouse had found a good job here, my sons were happy in their schools, and in marching band. We just didn't want to relocate.
The first non-insurance job I found was as a poll worker for the 2004 primary elections. Interesting work, meet a lot of people. Earn a little money, not much. Through an odd set of connections I met some people who operate a life settlements firm. They wanted someone with actuarial knowledge, good with Excel. After we spoke for a bit, I settled on my consulting actuary rate, and they agreed it was reasonable. (I guess I sold myself a little short, if they didn't even want to negotiate.) I also got a position with the local community college, teaching math that students should have learned in high school.
Of all the jobs I've ever had, the teaching post was the one where I woke up saying, "I get to go to work today," instead of, "I have to go to work today." I find thirty years after selecting actuarial work that I'm a good teacher.
After the teaching and consulting posts ran out I applied with the IRS as a data entry clerk. I knew it was seasonal work, but I also knew that I could do it well. I took the night shift for the extra pay, and did well. The job ended in July of 2006.
Meanwhile, my resume was still at monster and hotjobs, updated every job-change. A temporary agency found it and called to ask if I'd work as a contract programmer in Excel, Access and VBA. I've done all of those, and jumped at the chance. The agency paid me the same rate as my consulting practice, and called me an employee besides. (There are advantages to self-employment. There are advantages to being an employee, too. Pick your poison.) I worked with them for most of a year before the contract was considered complete. Now I'm looking again.
I've updated my resume (again) at monster, hotjobs, icrunchdata.com, dice.com, usajobs.com (government jobs, that's how I got in at IRS). I haunt craigslist.org's help wanted section at least every other day, sometimes daily.
Tomorrow: some of the jobs I've applied for. (A preposition is something you can end a sentence with.)
After two years working in IL, sharpening my PC skills (although the Personal Computer hadn't been invented yet) and passing (some) actuarial exams I accepted a job in Texas. The Texas company wanted someone with actuarial knowledge who was also a good APL programmer. (Anyone out there still use APL? Cool language, very powerful, but a resource hog.) I worked there for nearly twenty years, mostly acting as a systems analyst and liaison between the actuarial department and the IT folks. I worked for this company almost twenty years. Three weeks before my twentieth anniversary, the boss took me to a conference room in the HR dept where he explained that the actuarial department was overstaffed, and I had the short straw. The HR rep told me about the very generous severance package, then escorted me to the exit. They didn't even let me pack up my own desk! (Not that I'm bitter or anything!)
I took advantage of the severance pay to spend a couple of months reconnecting with my kids. Then I got serious about find a new position. I posted my resume at Monster, HotJobs, the actuarial discussion board, anywhere I could think of. After a few weeks of phone interviews and such, a recruiter found my resume on monster and asked if he could submit me to a company in the south. Long story short (too late), I accepted with this southern company.
Wouldn't you know, after I'd been there about a year another insurer made a hostile takeover bid!? The company was able to avoid this takeover by looking for someone else to buy it instead. After a few months of negotiation, uncertainty, nail-biting, a suitor was found. They moved almost all operations to their home office in the mountain states. Having just moved less than two years before, we were unwilling to move again. My spouse had found a good job here, my sons were happy in their schools, and in marching band. We just didn't want to relocate.
The first non-insurance job I found was as a poll worker for the 2004 primary elections. Interesting work, meet a lot of people. Earn a little money, not much. Through an odd set of connections I met some people who operate a life settlements firm. They wanted someone with actuarial knowledge, good with Excel. After we spoke for a bit, I settled on my consulting actuary rate, and they agreed it was reasonable. (I guess I sold myself a little short, if they didn't even want to negotiate.) I also got a position with the local community college, teaching math that students should have learned in high school.
Of all the jobs I've ever had, the teaching post was the one where I woke up saying, "I get to go to work today," instead of, "I have to go to work today." I find thirty years after selecting actuarial work that I'm a good teacher.
After the teaching and consulting posts ran out I applied with the IRS as a data entry clerk. I knew it was seasonal work, but I also knew that I could do it well. I took the night shift for the extra pay, and did well. The job ended in July of 2006.
Meanwhile, my resume was still at monster and hotjobs, updated every job-change. A temporary agency found it and called to ask if I'd work as a contract programmer in Excel, Access and VBA. I've done all of those, and jumped at the chance. The agency paid me the same rate as my consulting practice, and called me an employee besides. (There are advantages to self-employment. There are advantages to being an employee, too. Pick your poison.) I worked with them for most of a year before the contract was considered complete. Now I'm looking again.
I've updated my resume (again) at monster, hotjobs, icrunchdata.com, dice.com, usajobs.com (government jobs, that's how I got in at IRS). I haunt craigslist.org's help wanted section at least every other day, sometimes daily.
Tomorrow: some of the jobs I've applied for. (A preposition is something you can end a sentence with.)
Intro - What and Why
For no good reason at all, I've decided to try blogging with an online diary of my job-search process. Here's the background:
I am trained as a actuary, a mathematician and statistician and (partly) economist who handles the technical parts of insurance in its many forms. My particular background is in life insurance. I've completed my coursework and exams for my professional designation, Associate, Society of Actuaries (ASA). I've been laid off twice in three years, once in a departmental reorg, once in a "friendly" takeover. In this age of consolidations and takeovers, I'm finding life insurance actuary jobs in the Atlanta area scarce. I've been underemployed for the last four years.
What's my goal with this blog? I haven't really put one in place yet. Possibly to inspire others who have been underemployed with my story. Perhaps as catharsis. Maybe I'm just w__king.
I am trained as a actuary, a mathematician and statistician and (partly) economist who handles the technical parts of insurance in its many forms. My particular background is in life insurance. I've completed my coursework and exams for my professional designation, Associate, Society of Actuaries (ASA). I've been laid off twice in three years, once in a departmental reorg, once in a "friendly" takeover. In this age of consolidations and takeovers, I'm finding life insurance actuary jobs in the Atlanta area scarce. I've been underemployed for the last four years.
What's my goal with this blog? I haven't really put one in place yet. Possibly to inspire others who have been underemployed with my story. Perhaps as catharsis. Maybe I'm just w__king.
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