Thursday, June 01, 2006

Pounding the Pavement

Candace on Waking up on Planet X is offering free advice for job seekers.

It is an excellent read and very apropos in this household, since my son has just finished Computer Engineering Technology with a 78% average, and is in search of permanent employment in the K-W area.

It's a scary time as we all remember - That moment when you leave the safety and comfort of a predictable school routine and face the real world head-on. Your self-esteem is very fragile as you try to sell yourself and face the possibility of rejection with every tentative effort.

So today I am shamelessly using this blog to solicate any more free advice and tips for my six-foot baby robin whom we are trying to assist as he flaps his wings in anticipation of someday leaving our humble nest.

30 comments:

Sara said...

ok stop scaring me I just had to deal with my 10 yr old get hair under her arms.... it nearly killed me...

Joanne (True Blue) said...

lol! And now the fun begins. ;)

Anonymous said...

Simple advice to him, don't give up. There are jobs out there, and not just in the help wanted section or on job websites. Also have him ask his professors for advice as they might have contacts in the working field and might know who is hiring.

Joe Calgary said...

Send him west Joanne, He'll start up at around $65K entry level right now in Calgary. He's young, so he can share accomodations for a couple a years.

Joe Calgary said...

I really mean that too... we are deperately short of engineers almost always. He can get on with an Oil Firm within a couple of months out here.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Thanks, Anon. Good suggestion. I'll pass it on. Part of the problem is scraping up the courage to make the approrpriate calls, etc. That gets easier with practice and experience.

Joe Calgary - I couldn't let my baby fly that far away! lol

Seriously, he graduated from Conestoga College, and will be receiving a diploma in CET, rather than a degree. However, still the same field; just a rung down. He has been told that engineers here are actually having to go after the technology jobs, since there aren't too many engineer positions in this area. They should all go to Alberta, and then he would have his pick!

Joe Calgary said...

Send your baby west, and then when he gets a really good job out here, make him pay to fly you out for visits.

Thats what appreciative children are for.

Let him leave the nest... besides, he can make gobs of cash here, and then go back flush.

My nephew is staying with us right now, he's just finished a biology degree at SFU. He phones up and says "Uncle, I can't find any work, can I look in Calgary".

I said sure, and got him on with Husky up in Fort Mc. $103,000k a year as a Welders Helper.

Smart little bugger got 2 of his friends jobs there as well, they saved the first 2 paychecks each, plunked the money down on a honkin huge RV, drove the thing back up there, and the lease on it is for 36 months, so their all going to work til the lease is paid, and then sell the RV and the lot they put it (one of the nippers is apparently a scary good poker player, as he won the RV lot in a game the first week they were up there.) on so they can go back to Van.

The little shits are all 20. So they come home with a cool 100k saved each, and go back for Masters degrees.

I bought him a cigar for his brillance, and then called my sister to see if his dad was really the father... seems too smart to be my brother in laws:)

Sara said...

I agree with Joe, to get his experience and money let him go... there is nothing here for computer techies even the government starts them at $30,000 which is crap.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Joe Calgary - Wow, that's a great story about your nephew! So Alberta really is the land of milk and honey...

The problem isn't just me; he has a girlfriend here and they can't being apart one day. Anyway, maybe things will start improving here (after we dump Dalton). ;)

Anonymous said...

I'd suggest that he take a look at the career section of websites of companies that he would be interested in. This is an exciting opportunity for him to challenge himself to try new things and to get more comfortable talking to people that he doesn't know.

Joe Calgary said...

Tell him to take the girlfriend... or dump her. He's young, she's young, they'll survive.

It is crazy here right now... I've been looking for a Computer technician since Dec. We pay 3k a month for an entry level tech, and I've had 9 responses since December, three of which have Masters degrees, so you know their fucked up.

Why a guy with a Masters degree in Calgary wants an entry level job is beyond me. Untouchable is my guess.

Still, that was a damn good wage for the position a year ago. Now I'm considering bumping it to 4k. That still might not be enough.

Seriously though, if you have a degree, any degree. Basket Weaving will do, an the Oil companies will have a job for you.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. I will certainly pass them on.

Joe Calgary - "if you have a degree, any degree. Basket Weaving will do, an the Oil companies will have a job for you."

What about college diplomas?

Joe Calgary said...

Yep... it's really quite bad here. Most positions are entry level, but even in the upper management sphere theres high demand.

Zac said...

Tell him to stay in university. It's fun! Plenty of time to work later. Considering he probably has about 45 years until he can retire, why waste all of that time working?

Well that's my half-arsed philosophy anyways....don't graduate, celebrate!

Personally, I'm sticking around university until I'm reduced to sleeping in my car.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Joe Calgary - Things sound desperate out there, in sort of a reverse way. Too bad some of the positions can't be outsourced to Ontario.

Zac - He's actually just completed college. University is something he could consider though. I think he wants to start making some money though.

Zac said...

Oh, I thought he was graduating from univeristy.

You could tell him to got to uni, you said he had a 78% average, that'll get him in for sure. U of Waterloo and Laurier are pretty close to you.

My dad once said, "go to school, stay in school...the money will come along eventually"

That's what I follow, might work for your son.

I can see your son's perspective though. It's tough to see your friends going off and getting jobs, making money and your still living the KD and cheap beer life in school, but you just have to keep in mind that when your done, you'll be able to buy and sell their sorry asses!

Nah, I'm kidding I'm a poli sci major, I'll probably end up working the slushee machine at 7-11, but at least I'm having fun in the mean time.

But seriously, I'd tell your son to stick it out in University. If he already has a college diploma then he can get advance credit. He'd probably only have to take another 2 years, depending on where he went. Perhaps even 1. Might be something to think about.

Tarkwell Robotico said...

Joanne (TB),

Is Montreal too far? (oops, train catching time, I'll be back).

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Zac, Vicki, Chuck, thanks to all of you for your input and support.

Yes, C.C. five minutes away from his girlfriend is "too far". ;)

Oh, he's not going to like this! lol

Zac said...

yes, I can imagine that he won't like this. I despise it when my mom talks about me with her girlfriends over coffee, I can't imagine if she did it online...

Ah, well...

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Yikes! I'd better change the subject! Thanks for your input though, Zac.

After you finally finish your career as a student, what do you see yourself doing? Next P.M.?

Brian said...

oe Calgary - Things sound desperate out there, in sort of a reverse way. Too bad some of the positions can't be outsourced to Ontario.


Your sounding like a liberal Joanne :-)

Seriously, labour mobility is one of the tenets of free markets.

I think West is a great idea. I wish I would have done something like it back in my day, would have been good for me.

Whatever he does, tell him to stay away from teh auto industry - it's soul destroying and it's dying off (at least the North American companies are).

Joanne (True Blue) said...

You've got that right, Brian!! Auto industry, R.I.P.

Tarkwell Robotico said...

On Brian's point,

logistics is a great field to get into. No matter where manufacturing gets sent, distribution stays put.

its very exciting in terms of computing, information technology, telecommunications...

if someone wanted to be enterprising with computer training - I'd tell them to consider finding a way into that field. Their skills, with operational experience, would be valuable in any company.

Tarkwell Robotico said...

fkOh, but personally, had I not found work in Montreal, I would have gone west for sure.

Of course, my wife (girlfriend then) was from Calgary!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Chucker, thanks. Logistics is something I don't know too much about, but it does sound interesting, and also something that perhaps could be considered a "transferable" skill(s), which is crucial these days.

Zac said...

"After you finally finish your career as a student, what do you see yourself doing? Next P.M.?"

I'm going into journalism. So much for a liberal media bias?!?

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Oh boy, Zac. You'll have to take the oath of non-partisanship and objectivity. That could be tough.

Actually, I believe you could do it.

Sara said...

Joe how much are you paying for senior network technical administrator?

Zac said...

I'm just kidding Joanne, you can sleep soundly at night. I'm still trying to figure out what Im going to do.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

Zac, whatever you decide, you will be great at it!