I am SO freakin pissed.........[Rant ON]!!!

[Codewiz]

I am a recent grad with a degree in CS with a minor in math. Anyways, I am in the Raleigh area. I have been looking since May for a job. I can't even land a damn interview. I posted last week about things looking better because I met a person in the mall that "owned" his own business. He said he would give me a call in a week or two. Well yesterday he called. We setup a meeting. I dropped everything I was doing yesterday because I don't care what I am doing as long as it is a real job. I don't want to work at grocery stores or anything of that nature.

Well his "business" is nothing more than a fvcking pyramid scheme. He is part of Quixtar. I am so pissed for falling for this crap and wasting my time listening to his BS. I am SO pissed. I had my hopes up so much about getting a job. I wasted a whole afternoon that I could have used towards applying to newly posted jobs. I should have asked more questions when I was approached at the mall but I am getting pretty desparate.

If you ever hear the name Quixtar just turn and walk away. It is just a pyramid scheme.

Does anyone in the Raleigh area want to give a highly motivated programmer a job? I have worked in tech support and sales. I want to program but I just need a job. Help a fellow member out

[/Rant OFF]

 

[pulse8]

You didn't ask what his business was when you first met him?

 

[BigJohnKC]

Why limit yourself to Raleigh? Apply elsewhere, go where life takes you.

 

[Codewiz]

He told me that he was looking for business people that have a technology background. That is all I needed to hear. After 5 months of searching and getting no call backs gets you discouraged. He showed interest in me and all I cared was that he had a company that might be a fit for me. It was like a 10 minute conversation where he more or less interviewed me about my background. I got his business card but couldn't find out any info on it on the web. He said it was a new company about 2 years old.

Not much else I could do.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: BigJohnKC
Why limit yourself to Raleigh? Apply elsewhere, go where life takes you.

Umm yeah with what money??? I already moved to Raleigh from an area that has no technology. I have applied to all sorts of companies everywhere. I just have NO money to pick up and move unless a company paid for it.

 

[pulse8]

Originally posted by: Codewiz
He told me that he was looking for business people that have a technology background. That is all I needed to hear. After 5 months of searching and getting no call backs gets you discouraged. He showed interest in me and all I cared was that he had a company that might be a fit for me. It was like a 10 minute conversation where he more or less interviewed me about my background. I got his business card but couldn't find out any info on it on the web. He said it was a new company about 2 years old.

Not much else I could do.

There was plenty more you could do! It's not just about whether or not you're qualified for his company, but you should also inquire about what the company does. I always ask questions about their company and how they function when I interview at places. I do this so I can know what kind of company it is and what the quality of their work is. I also do this because if you show interest in what they do before you even start, it could definitely be something that'll make you shine more than the other guy.

It sucks what happened and I've been in your situation before, but don't sell yourself short and take a job at a company that's not going to get you anywhere in the future just because it's money. Take what you feel is the best job for your career.

Also, you can apply for jobs anywhere. You don't have to be local. If they really like you and want you to work for them, they will pay for your move.

 

[ElFenix]

i was in that sorta boat... primerica guy showed a bunch of interest in my but thats mostly a pyramid scheme too. bastards.

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: pulse8

Originally posted by: Codewiz
He told me that he was looking for business people that have a technology background. That is all I needed to hear. After 5 months of searching and getting no call backs gets you discouraged. He showed interest in me and all I cared was that he had a company that might be a fit for me. It was like a 10 minute conversation where he more or less interviewed me about my background. I got his business card but couldn't find out any info on it on the web. He said it was a new company about 2 years old.

Not much else I could do.

There was plenty more you could do! It's not just about whether or not you're qualified for his company, but you should also inquire about what the company does. I always ask questions about their company and how they function when I interview at places. I do this so I can know what kind of company it is and what the quality of their work is. I also do this because if you show interest in what they do before you even start, it could definitely be something that'll make you shine more than the other guy.

It sucks what happened and I've been in your situation before, but don't sell yourself short and take a job at a company that's not going to get you anywhere in the future just because it's money. Take what you feel is the best job for your career.

Also, you can apply for jobs anywhere. You don't have to be local. If they really like you and want you to work for them, they will pay for your move.

I said I have applied to many companies everywhere.

This was in the damn mall. It was not a formal interview. I knew he was interested because he wanted my phone number at the end. I figured that I could find out more about him and the company when I got home and looked it up. I also figured I could also find out a little more in a real interview.

In regular interviews I do ask lots of questions. I find out everything possible about a company. I was doing more answering questions for this guy. As I look back he just wanted to see if I would have enough knowledge to do what the pyramid scheme needed.

 

[RaySun2Be]

I believe Quixtar is the on-line, Internet 'store" owned by Amway. So it has a pyramid structure, but it isn't an illegal pyramid scheme.

Disclaimer: I am NOT a Quixtar or Amway distrubutor. I am NOT promoting either. The above is simply a statement of fact for clarification, to the best of my knowledge, which many times is very limited.

The only affiliation I have with Amway is that the wife does buy some Amway products now and again.

I understand your frustration. Keep plugging away, and I also would suggest that you look outside of Raleigh as well. See the world, explore new horizons. best of luck with the job hunting!

 

[Paunchy]

Originally posted by: Codewiz
I am a recent grad with a degree in CS with a minor in math. Anyways, I am in the Raleigh area. I have been looking since May for a job. I can't even land a damn interview. I posted last week about things looking better because I met a person in the mall that "owned" his own business. He said he would give me a call in a week or two. Well yesterday he called. We setup a meeting. I dropped everything I was doing yesterday because I don't care what I am doing as long as it is a real job. I don't want to work at grocery stores or anything of that nature.

Well his "business" is nothing more than a fvcking pyramid scheme. He is part of Quixtar. I am so pissed for falling for this crap and wasting my time listening to his BS. I am SO pissed. I had my hopes up so much about getting a job. I wasted a whole afternoon that I could have used towards applying to newly posted jobs. I should have asked more questions when I was approached at the mall but I am getting pretty desparate.

If you ever hear the name Quixtar just turn and walk away. It is just a pyramid scheme.

Does anyone in the Raleigh area want to give a highly motivated programmer a job? I have worked in tech support and sales. I want to program but I just need a job. Help a fellow member out

[/Rant OFF]

If worst comes to worse, you could always teach.

It's not what we went to school for, but I went through about a year of $8/hr web designing after I graduated with a degree is CS. Every night I'd go to Monster and the other job sites and apply for 10-15 positions. You can imagine the sheer number of jobs that amounts to over a span of 10-12 months. I got TWO interviews out of all of those inquiries.

About a year ago, I decided to hunt around locally and found that one of the community colleges here was hiring for their technology programs. I met the department head, interviewed, and got hired the same day. I make what an entry level programmer should be making plus all sorts of crazy benefits.I'm not doing what I went to school for/enjoy, it DOES pay for the house and entertainment expenses.

There's always alternatives until you find the kind of job you want. Good luck.

 

[propellerhead]

Try these guys. It may not be your thing but won't hurt to check.

 

[SagaLore]

yea Quixtar is based on multi-level marketing but I wouldn't call it a scheme. It's a legit method of selling products, and everybody wins. It's not like those mail-order deals where people shuffle money around and people at the top get rich and people at the bottom lose a couple of bucks. Basically you sell products to people that they want, and they are quality products, or you get others to sell for you under you, and then they can get others to sell for them... so the people at the top get rich, and the people at the bottom get really good-working laundary detergent.

I tried quixtar for a year, many years ago, but you have to be willing to buy your own products in order to push them to others, and I was just flat broke and couldn't do it. now that you said something about them maybe I might join back up.

 

[Nitemare]

I work in RTP myself. I am just thankful that I have a job. What programming languages do you know and how much work experience?

Have you tried NC State, the pay isn't that great but you do get some good perks. If you do get on, can I have your football tickets?

 

[FeathersMcGraw]

Originally posted by: Codewiz
I am a recent grad with a degree in CS with a minor in math. Anyways, I am in the Raleigh area. I have been looking since May for a job. I can't even land a damn interview.

That's some wicked lousy timing. The Triangle area in NC has been decimated by the recent state of the economy. Nortel, Cisco, and IBM are all major players in the area, and all of them have had layoffs within the past nine months. And that doesn't even include all the small/startup firms that have had to close their doors in a similar timeframe.

I have friends in the area, several of whom have become unemployed in the last half year. One of them was unable to locate anything and had to relocate to Salt Lake City. Another one is still looking locally, but I know he went to Austin, TX to interview with a company there.

It's worse for recent grads because the job market is flooded with overqualified applicants. About the only thing working in your favor is starting salary, since a lot of the senior staff in the workforce may be currently priced out of the market with budgets the way they are. Your best bet short-term might be contract work. Look at options where you can telecommute.

 

[singh]

Did you take a look at this post about a contract job?

 

[Fausto]

This is here in Atlanta, but might be worth a look.

EDIT- n/m closing date for application is today.....sorry. I'll PM you if something else of interest pops up.

 

[Codewiz]

I know Quixstar is not illegal but it is a pyramid scheme. All the business involves is getting more people to sign up to make money. It is the same type of thing that A11Advantage did with the pay to surf type of thing. The difference is that Quixtar is selling products. You buy products and you get all your friends to buy products. Then get them to be business owners.

It is all based on getting other people to sign up using you as a reference. It is just a legal pyramid scheme. I don't doubt some people make money off of this. I have read my share of horror stories over the past few hours involving Quixtar.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: Codewiz
I know Quixstar is not illegal but it is a pyramid scheme. All the business involves is getting more people to sign up to make money. It is the same type of thing that A11Advantage did with the pay to surf type of thing. The difference is that Quixtar is selling products. You buy products and you get all your friends to buy products. Then get them to be business owners.

It is all based on getting other people to sign up using you as a reference. It is just a legal pyramid scheme. I don't doubt some people make money off of this. I have read my share of horror stories over the past few hours involving Quixtar.

this is basically how primerica worked... there was money selling the insurance, but there was more money in the training, since you got part of your underling's commission or something like that.

 

[rh71]

Research Triangle Park, NC ... HUGE IBM location. Did you apply with IBM via the website? They do store your resume even if you don't meet current needs, believe me. You may hear about layoffs in the media, but that DOES NOT mean they've stopped hiring.

Either way, it's a dreary forecast for all recent grads, no matter your qualifications. I consider myself extremely lucky to have graduated pre-Y2k.

 

[BooneRebel]

What sort of programming are you looking for? I just looked out on Computerjobs.com and they have over 400 current listings in the area.

Computer Jobs

 

[Codewiz]

Originally posted by: rh71
Research Triangle Park, NC ... HUGE IBM location. Did you apply with IBM via the website? They do store your resume even if you don't meet current needs, believe me. You may hear about layoffs in the media, but that DOES NOT mean they've stopped hiring.

Either way, it's a dreary forecast for all recent grads, no matter your qualifications. I consider myself extremely lucky to have graduated pre-Y2k.

Heck yeah I applied to IBM I applied to them right before I graduated. In another month or two I will apply again because if I remember correctly they keep the application on file for 6 months.

Trust me if there are jobs posted on Hotjobs, monster, carolina.computerjobs.com, or any other online job posting website I have probably applied to them. Every week I hit them all and apply to every job I can. That usually only takes me two days then the rest of the week I just make sure nothing new is posted.

 

[rh71]

Well it's great that you're keeping on top of everything instead of just moping and feeling sorry for yourself. I have a friend who is an entry-level web developer (has had 1 contract job for a company). Well he graduated in May also and just YESTERDAY got an email stating he is being given an offer.

He was just like you, internet job sites every single day, the local paper, etc. That's a long time looking. Keep at it.

 

[Mycroft]

Keep at it, buddy. It was a good 10 months after I graduated (12/99) that I got my first permanent job, though I had a 3 month HTML/Internet-searching job for 3 months in the middle of that period. In those 10 months, I got maybe 3-4 interviews with real companies, as opposed to the 50000 interviews I had with temp agencies. By the end, I was really losing hope, but one lucky resume I sent out snagged me what turned out to be a very fair job for a recent college grad.

That, in retrospect, is actually good compared to the scenarios these days. In may, I started looking for a new job, since I really need to move out of the low-mid 30K income range to start a family in NYC. I keep a depressing Excel sheet of where I've sent resumes to: out of 75 resumes I've sent out, I got 2 interviews, one of which was just another temp agency. But I know eventually all this scouring of the job sites & papers will get me a good deal. Yes, infinitely easier to say this since I currently have a decent job (print layout, web design), but it's true nonetheless. There *are* jobs are out there; just more competitive now. Don't quit.

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

There's jobs everywhere. Just not as many for Programmers.

 

[PlatinumGold]

If you ever hear the name Quixtar just turn and walk away. It is just a pyramid scheme.

Sorry, it's not a pyramid scheme. they actually sell products.