Job Search Update
Well, I’m semi-employed again, anyway. I’ve been offered and accepted a management analyst position with a local tech firm that does government subcontracting. I start Thursday. Essentially, I’ll be a technical writer doing contract proposals to get the firm more business. The salary is about 2/3 what I was making and everyone understands that I’ll continue looking for a more permanent position, although there’s the possibility of getting a better one within the firm if a good contract comes in.
There shouldn’t be any impediment to blogging with this job, although I’ll likely not be able to do much during work hours.
Two thirds huh?
Oh well, congratula.
Wow. Glad to hear that you were able to land something so quickly. But here’s hoping that you’ll get something soon that pays closer to if not more than your previous salary.
Thanks! And, yeah, one sad bonus to 9/11 and the war on terrorism is people with expertise in international security are employable, especially in the DC area. My main drawback is that I’ve been out of the Army long enough that my Top Secret clearance lapsed and they have to start from scratch. Since it takes a year or more to do and is expensive, most of the private companies would prefer to hire those just out of government.
That’s good news, sort of. Something is much better than nothing.
Well, everyone has to be somewhere. It beats the alternative. I suspect you will be able to find all the time you need to keep blogging during the day. Demand to work from home. LOL!!
Congratulations on finding a firm willing to spend the time and money (wages, benefits, and etc.) to get your clearance updated. That’s potential gold in itself.
Hope you make the contacts needed to get back into the career field you most enjoy.
Ditto here. I’m still here for Kraft Dinner recipes, though.
Lots of agencies, both profit and nonprofit, and even municipalities need a temporary/part-time/contract tech writer for specific contracts (possibility of picking up additional work on the side). Another possibility is grant writing proposals. For the grant writing, some places hire you for a specific amount of money; other places pay you a percentage ranging from 10 to 20% of the grant (depending on your location).
Of course, I don’t want to see you get so busy that you would have to dump the blog.
Glad to see that you may be able to forego the soup kitchen for awhile yet.
Good on ya.
I lost my job three years ago when the dotcom boom went bust. I was on the job market for almost six months, living off savings, unemployment insurance, temp jobs, and short stints with my Reserve unit.
Two-thirds is not too shabby, for such a short job search. I know it takes the pressure off a bit, but keep looking. The job market is getting stronger every day — We’re getting unsolicited calls and emails from headhunters every other day at the office now.
Good for you, James. I’ll keep you updated on what I’d mentioned a few weeks ago. I should know more in another couple of weeks.
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