What did you learn while unemployed?

[janas19]

Interesting thread. Lot of great wisdom on here.

 

[stargazr]

I learned that being out of work when looking for a job is the kiss of death, and if you're also over 50 it's even worse. A job at McDonalds would be better than not working. I landed a great job at the beginning of the year with a new company - back to toolmaking (manufacturing sector).

While unemployed I learned new skills, got A+ certified and fix computers on the side. Also learned to cut expenses like OP by dropping cable for Netflix etc.

 

[rh71]

congrats on the new job and baby.

I also recently did the math and we were spending $800/yr on the cellphone between the 2 of us. We get discounts so I'm sure others are paying more, but it's still a lot since we talk for an avg of 1 minute a day on it. Once her 2yr commitment is over, I'm switching her to a prepaid plan - but I'm going to keep my plan/data as I just got the GNex. Anyway, prepaid plans are like $50/yr for 1000 minutes, more than enough. Huge savings.

Cutting the cord on the triple play entertainment package is also another thing to do on our list. We will just stick with Netflix and $30 internet at some point. But right now we're on a FIOS triple play promo for $86 after taxes.

Lunch - I'm always at home anyway - used to go out all the time to grab food but have stopped doing that. Save gas & food money.

I learned to enjoy life without constantly buying stuff I didn't need.

I have never bought stuff I don't need (like people who make newegg-type purchases every month or two, etc.) but even so, people waste money without thinking about it. See cellphone bill examples. We have more expenses now with a family & bigger house so evaluating all your costs once in a while helps.

 

[DaWhim]

i am unemployed by choice because I like my life style, work a few months like hell (i am constantly putting in 60 hours, this week is almost 80 hours + i get 1.5x)

funemployment pays for the rest when i am not working.

I am too frugal even if I am working, so I can't save much if I am unemployed.

 

[rh71]

There's still not a lot of opportunities out there. Especially here in Ontario.

My cousin is a mortgage broker for a TDBank in Alberta and doing very well and keeping extremely busy. I know that's nowhere near you but isn't the housing market overall still doing well up there? I tell her about the stale market down here but she says it's not like that there. Maybe look into real estate related work.

 

[BoberFett]

One of the requirements for collecting unemployment is that you are actively looking for a job and in some cases, going in for X amount of interviews a week.

A "long ass vacation" doesn't include any of the above.

Go to state website.

Click Send-Me-Money button.

Website asks if you're looking for work.

Click Yes.

Go back to sleep.

Money is deposited in checking account.

 

[blinblue]

Congrats on being smart!
While I'm not technically unemployed I am rather underemployed and my contract work can sometimes disappear for months at a time.
In terms of skills that I've learned, I've been teaching myself piano with Synthesia. And about 8 months ago decided to pursue a career as an actuary, 2 exams passed, third coming up in April. No specific job leads yet, but I'm hopeful things will pan out shortly.

I've also been doing a lot of reselling of items from Goodwill, Target and Meijer. Started off at Goodwill checking books to see how much they were worth, did alright considering how little effort it took (would find $20-$30 books every now and then. Found one that I sold for $545, but that's a once in a lifetime find). Then I followed Slickdeals a bit more and was able to find some super sweet clearance deals from Target (since Target clearance is highly variable from store to store it helps that I have 4 targets within easy driving distance). Then I discovered Meijer (which is a region chain, basically like a Super Walmart except slightly classier), which has the most nonsensical and awesome clearancing ever.
Just bring your smart phone and check the prices on Amazon to see what they are selling for.

I only seriously did the reselling stuff for the last 4 or 5 months of 2011, and Amazon sent me nearly $10,000, about half of which was profit. Pretty easy money for very little work and very little risk. Oh, and reselling you'll love black friday, I was averaging like 8 orders a day for a week. It felt great


And you mention you needed an OTA antenna. Try building on yourself out of coat hangers. I'm dead serious about that too. I live in the far NW Chicago suburbs, and you can barely get OTA transmissions. With a standard pair of bunny ears I would seriously get maybe one station if I was lucky. Many people in the neighborhood had those massive antennas on their roof.
Anyway, I decided to try out this
http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/
And lo and behold I picked up every station with the exception of CBS. Cost nothing out of pocket (as I had everything lying around. But if you had to buy everything it would cost less than $10) and it works from inside the house too. So check that out first, you might not need anything better.

And slickdeals is awesome, so much money to be saved if you can wait around for a deal.

 

[Golgatha]

In Florida - you need to make 2 "communications" per week. This is solved by using a motels free wifi and a shitty laptop to use a companies website to submit an application and resume. Very simple to do. In this state they don't have enough funds to actually follow up with making sure all the unemployed are actually doing that.

Same with Missouri. I learned to fill out the paperwork as they "want" to see it and never, ever claim you have any partial income whatsoever. I also learned that COBRA insurance is the biggest f'ing joke on the planet unless you happen to be actively in the hospital with a terminal illness. $1,800 a month for a family of 4, when I don't have an income stream. Yeah, I'll go with the $200 a month emergency medical only until I get back with an employer...kthxbye!

 

[rudder]

Judging by he commercials that come on during the price is right... there are a lot of old people that do nothing but sit around and watch the price is right.

 

[shortylickens]

When you say long time do you mean 4 years? Cuz thats how long I been going now.

As for what I learned: No one wants me. I need to be tall and skinny cuz frankly everything else can be taught on the job.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

That I'd rather be working. It would have prevented me from going to the psych ward, jail & homeless.
However, I wish I knew what I know now, a few years ago, & planned accordingly. I would be a lot better off now had I not been an idiot.

Current job is completely commission-based internship. At worst, it is experience. I'd still like something decent enough to pay rent & live on... For the time being I'm going to get some experience under my belt before I start looking for something elsewhere.

 

[evident]

i am unemployed by choice because I like my life style, work a few months like hell (i am constantly putting in 60 hours, this week is almost 80 hours + i get 1.5x)

funemployment pays for the rest when i am not working.

I am too frugal even if I am working, so I can't save much if I am unemployed.

what industry are you in that you can do this? construction?

 

[lokiju]

I learned that my feeling of self worth was deeply tied to my lack of ability to provide for myself and my wife when I was out of work in 2006 for a good stretch.

I took to working on computers for individuals and small local businesses where I could but it was not consistent and didn't pay much more than covering the cost of gas to do the work.

I learned to change my tune, focus and priorities when I did land a job worth keeping after that long stretch which lead to opening the door to a number of promotions, raises, experience. I often remind myself what I felt and went through during that time to give me a kick in the ass when I don't feel like trying as hard as I could or should.

 

[Stuxnet]

I have tremendous respect for those who have to go through the pain of unemployment and come out better people in the end. I don't know that I could do it. You have my admiration.

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

And his kid(s) will have a jump start on life with the college fund while yours are wondering why their parent didn't have any savings to help them.

Who said anything about money?

 

[bfdd]

I've only ever been unemployed by choice. ;| though i have been doing many of the same things you are when it comes to saving. it's amazing how quickly it adds up huh?

 

[bobdole369]

I have tremendous respect for those who have to go through the pain of unemployment and come out better people in the end. I don't know that I could do it. You have my admiration.

My dad is currently unemployed. He has a niche job though in a fairly vertical market - that is board level repair of ridiculously complicated hospital equipment. It's technically biomedical engineering, but he works on CAT scan, MRI, Cardiac cath labs, x-rays, etc. Like he can replace a board in the CAT scanner to fix it, then go troubleshoot and solder on a replacement part to get himself an "all-else-fails" spare, then orders a new spare from the mfr. He typically makes just shy of $100k, but the industry somehow is falling apart and he's having to expand his skills (at 58 yrs old), as he was let go middle of last year. So what is he doing during his down time? Learning computer stuff - networking and application architecture. And also working with his neighbors on car repair (he's always done that, but 00+ cars have him baffled with all the sensors and computer junk).

He also works bussing tables and doing dishes. His wife works and that + whatever unemployment they decide to pay him after the restaurant job pays the mortgage and bills. Otherwise he sells stuff on ebay and gives plasma and sometimes helps on carpet installs with friends. Pops = industrious.

 

[Spacehead]

Being laid off isn't near as much fun in the winter as in the summer... at least for me.

Looks like i'm back to work on Wednesday though.

 

[Stuxnet]

My dad is currently unemployed. He has a niche job though in a fairly vertical market - that is board level repair of ridiculously complicated hospital equipment. It's technically biomedical engineering, but he works on CAT scan, MRI, Cardiac cath labs, x-rays, etc. Like he can replace a board in the CAT scanner to fix it, then go troubleshoot and solder on a replacement part to get himself an "all-else-fails" spare, then orders a new spare from the mfr. He typically makes just shy of $100k, but the industry somehow is falling apart and he's having to expand his skills (at 58 yrs old), as he was let go middle of last year. So what is he doing during his down time? Learning computer stuff - networking and application architecture. And also working with his neighbors on car repair (he's always done that, but 00+ cars have him baffled with all the sensors and computer junk).

He also works bussing tables and doing dishes. His wife works and that + whatever unemployment they decide to pay him after the restaurant job pays the mortgage and bills. Otherwise he sells stuff on ebay and gives plasma and sometimes helps on carpet installs with friends. Pops = industrious.

WOW

Sounds like that bastard is tough as nails :thumbsup:

 

[ponyo]

WOW

Sounds like that bastard is tough as nails :thumbsup:

Because he's old school. They have work ethic and willing to get their hands dirty. People today are too soft and lazy and rely too much on the govt and outside assistance.

 

[jupiter57]

Go to state website.

Click Send-Me-Money button.

Website asks if you're looking for work.

Click Yes.

Go back to sleep.

Money is deposited in checking account.

This.
Last time I got Unemployment, did exactly this.
Only you were required to physically visit the Unemployment office every 3 months and fill out a paper listing the places you had applied for work, 3 per week IIRC.
Apparently they never check these, so you can just put down whatever you wanted, although I always had legitimate contacts, as I was actually looking for (temporary) work even though I knew I was returning to my old employer as soon as work picked up.

Even better was while I was an active Union member, you just had to write down "Local #64" once at the top of the form & you were done!

 

[GotIssues]

1) I learned that I already lived a pretty frugal life. There wasn't much that I could cut at the time (Now, I try and force myself to buy something now and again because I CAN afford it).

2) Women on Maury rarely know who the actual father is.

3) Being unemployed isn't so bad for the first couple weeks, but gets progressively more stressful after that.

 

[CubanlB]

I learned;

that the ER sucks and no one will tell you how much orthopedic surgery will cost in advance,

a lot about linux, NAS, switching, other random things. Boredom can be good. (and at the right place an A+ cert can get you a job),

not to ever rely on an alcoholic,

to be a much better cook,

and I'm sure so much more but I'm finally busy at work!

 

[TurtleCrusher]

I found out I wanted to join the worlds greatest Navy instead of collecting unemployment.

/sarcasm

No really, I just felt bad my only work experience was in service, retail, loss prevention/security and supervisory roles. A private loan for school was denied and the navy reserve would teach me electronics if I scored high enough on the asvab. A 93 asvab and a physical and I was off to boot camp a month or so later. Almost done with my training about to collect my sign on bonus

 

[alent1234]

talked to someone yesterday who's an out of work mainframe programmer. i looked it up and the machines he works on were made in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Crazy.

i was talking to him yesterday and suggested that learning hadoop might be a good idea. i also suggested that he concentrate on his db2 experience and try to move to oracle or SQL server.

at 59 he said he's too old to learn anything new and wants to just find something working on ancient hardware and software. and it seemed the thought of working on anything related to peecees seemed below him. he even thought oracle was pc based