March 19th, 2009
Day in the life of... a laid off tech support
Editor’s note: In these troubled times, we struggle to find work if we’re left without any. The current economic climate dictates many challenges to face, such as being laid off if we are left out of work. This is the case of JD Clyde (who has written over on sister site TechRepublic) who has qualifications, two children to care for and a vast amount of experience under his belt.
In this series of a “day in the life of…”, we’ll explore some of the jobs out there on the market, what they entail and the nitty-gritty stuff behind the work. Today, we have a laid off tech support worker, of which many of us will be able to empathise with.
6:00 am
Alarm goes off. Ugh, to early, hit “snooze”.
6:09 am
Alarm again? Snooze.
6:20 am
ThingOne (one of my twin boys) comes in. “Dad, time to get up“. My reply, “but I don’t want to go to school today, mom!“. Old joke for us, but we are goofy that way. I get up.
6:25 am
Drive my boys to school.
7:00 am
Back home, take dog for a walk.
7:30 am
Shower and get dressed. Grab a piece of toast.
7:50 am
Check email, read a few jokes, do a few replies.
8:00 am
Start browsing job sites. Typically start the day looking for a new tech posting that is never there. Follow emailed links from job search sites about possible matches based upon the keyword searches. Get several of these a day. I think I will pass on the job as a Nail Technician. Dang keywords.
8:30 am
Worked on resume some more, always tweaking it every time I have to send it out. Emailed several resumes out, both for jobs, and to associates for review. I have three different resumes, depending on if it is networking, systems, or general tech support. Sent updated copy to my references, so they are better able to answer any questions if a potential employer calls.
9:30 am
Bonus: made change to references to add people from different fields. Depending on the job I apply for dictates which reference list I send, as well as which resume I send.
10:30 am
Start my research on new companies to apply to (and found this to be a good resource for getting contact information). Make list, email out a few more resumes. Today is short, on time, so tomorrow will be hitting the road and making calls.
Midday
Search both State and Federal websites for positions, applied for three State positions. Found I needed to have my registration number for Selective Services to apply. Wow, didn’t know that one. Spent too much time trying to find that out. Went to Secretary of State - no deals. Post Office - no deals. Grabbed myself a Selective Services registration card.
2:30 pm
Take ThingTwo to practice. Use open wi-fi to continue Fed job search. At the Selective Services site, I found the number, and was able to fill out the profile for the Fed job search. Applied for one position.
4:30 pm
Practice is over, drive to pick ThingOne up. I have Cisco class tonight, so it is a quick pizza on the way home.
5:30 pm
Cisco class - switching and routing.
9:30 pm
Home at last. Look for left over pizza, silly me. Peanut butter and honey sandwich for me.
10:00 pm
Check emails.
10:30 pm
Make check list for next day of things that need to be done.
11:00 pm
Chase the boys to bed, lights out.
Has the economy caused you to reconsider job prospects, or are you sticking to what you are doing now to avoid hassle? Are you facing being laid off due to the economy? Are you currently seeking employment in the IT industry? TalkBack and let me know.
Zack Whittaker, the youngest in the ZDNet network, is a British student at the University of Kent, Canterbury, where he studies BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy. His insight into the next-generation is unique and first-hand, sharing his knowledge of the here and now but more so what's next and how to get there.
You can read his public biography and his work disclosures of his current and past industry affiliations.
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