She won’t do this… I begged. Oh well. They may use me as a consultant by the job, I can work at home to ease the transition for me and them. Sounds okay to me!
And Bugman: Great ideas, great advice. Thank you. I’ll let you know as things develop! Sounds like you are a great resource. You should go into enterprenurial consulting. Wait maybe that is what you do…
Yes you ned to be licensed to dig holes in some places. I am a vigilante shoveler. I dig where I feel justified, not where the law dictates.
Dumpster diving?
Countless things over the years really:
30+ typewriters (I used to collect them, now donated to a theater)
A new ladder
Many springs from a vending machine (I kept them for years, I "knew" they'd have a use!
A toaster with a short... I was just a kid.
$200 worth of empty washed diet coke bottles (10cent MI refund)
Cabinets for my kitchen remodel
Cement board for my kitchen counter tile installation
One thing you could do is get another short term job that has a known out date. After that you have a legitimate unemployment claim. I work in TV and it’s always short term jobs with known outdates, and I’ve never had a problem getting unemployment between jobs. Even Tom Cruise gets unemployment when he’s not working.
I have a sole-proprietorship with very flexible hours and very low start-up cost, if you’re seeking any more income-production ideas. It needs only some nearby middle-to-upper class suburbs to work.
Unemployment funds do not come out of the general tax dollars. When you are working for a company they pay into unemployment on your behalf, when you are no longer working for said company due to reasons outside of your control, they pay you back some of that money in order to keep you from having to go onto public assistance, etc. It actually saves you Taxes because it keeps people off the more costly public assistance programs.
It’s also there in case you might ever need it. It’s like an insurance policy.
also, i feel like i should bring this up(mostly since my dad is a consultant for them) if you are interested in starting a franchise but arent sure exactly what you can handle financially or personally franchoice.com offers free consulting over the phone. It is a big help when making the big step to work for yourself.
Way to go! We all have the power to choose what we do with our lives. So many people get caught up in the 9-5 grind and are afraid to make a change. Best of luck to you.
Sometimes you just have to jump into the great unknown and hope that it will be a soft landing. I did when I left my job as a nurse to persue psychology.
Having said that, I also think there is probably no problem you cannot overcome if you are creative enough with your solutions.
I’ve kind of been forced into self-employment. My company was sold and I was among the 500+ who were “right-sized” into unemployment. That was six months ago. I’ve discovered that the job market for 60 year-olds (even ones who ride unicyles) is grim.
Now I’m committed to pursuing a few other avenues on my own. Fortunately the kids are out of the house and the wife has a good job.
Who knows, this could be the best thing that ever happened to me. :o :o
It’s a done deal, there was a little back and forth between me and my boss; she was absolutley shocked and visibly shaken. she wanted a day to kind of digest things.
It worked out tht I gave official notice today. just about an hour and ten minutes ago!
I am definitely happy and proud of myself. It baffles the academes. WHat? you don’t want to play the game? You know of a different career path? you are crazy, this is such a sad day etc.
I used to run my own business, so it’s not uncharted territory exactly, it is with a kid and a mortgage, though!!
Self employment is great- I’ve been doing it for a almost a year now- wished I’d done it a lot earlier. I end up working more hours, taking more holidays and earning more at the same time.
I was self-employed for 7 years and those were the worst in my life:
I am unable to work well while simultaneouly search for clients, get paid and so on.
I am essentially a good employee (too bad I have sometimes bad employers! but that’s too bad for them )
Pat your right, It can be the best thing that ever happened. The service industry is a great place for motivated individuals. There are a lot of things around peoples homes that they don’t have the time, skill or desire to do themselves. If you can do those things, like Podzol seems to have the skills to do, and you show up when you say you will there is no limit to how much you can make. Whatever you do, don’t get a job at Home Depot. That’s what my Dad did after retiring. He has been miserable ever since. He refuses to quit as well.
it’s time for Grey Panthers to stand up!
(almost all my friends are out of work because of age… “they” say : “you’ll have to retire older” … but when you answer “ok no problem, I like working” you get fired!).
For the moment I survived : I even got elected as representative of the most firebrand union I could find -which is funny for I always behave like an amiable old gentleman and the big bosses are just scratching their head -
The more I think about it the more enthused I am about going it alone. After wearing suits and ties for forty years, I’m looking forward to jeans and t-shirts. Now I just need to make a go of it.
I’m wearing jeans a t shirt and the still-comfortable shoes that the dog has gnawed on.
I’m spending my day rehairing violin bows and listening to good music with a warm pot of tea… much more my speed than reading scientific journals next to a noisy copy machine while the boss howls for more data analysis!
-which is funny for I always behave like an amiable old gentleman and the big bosses are just scratching their head 
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