Laid Off
 

Yesterday I was laid off from Time Warner Cable after 19-1/2 years of employment. I was offered a severance package which I will take (but not too quickly, so it will be part of next year's taxes, not this year's).

There's others worse off than I so I'm not after pity. I just want to mention that if you know a company that's looking for someone who has computer (as400/database) and communications skills, I am available and willing to relocate if needed. Just tell me who to contact. Thanks.

Sorry to hear that, Bob. Best of luck in finding something else quickly.

Man, that blows. Sorry to hear. Best of luck in the job hunt.

I've been there, and more than just once I guarantee you, so you have my sympathy.
But for employment opportunities you're in a good area geographically speaking, though I know little about your field.
My wife's daughter, who works in the environmental field here in Houston in the private sector, just made a job change "voluntarily" so maybe that's some anecdotal evidence that the economy is improving ?
Good luck Bob.

Today's news is that Texas' unemployment rate is steady at 8.1% but the Austin metro area is at 6.8%. That's not much higher than a normal economy. I see "Help Wanted" signs but a closer look shows many are part time with no benefits. Since much of my expertise is computer and tech-related, Austin is as decent a market as I can probably find. But I'm rechecking some recent contacts and tossing some hail mary passes just to see if I can transition to something I'd truly love to do, so I'm not part of the statistics yet. It won't be until I file for unemployment benefits and I don't expect to do that for awhile.

Good luck, Bob. If I hear of anything I'll be certain to let you know.

Bob, I always had good luck with the temp agencies. Don't know if there are any for your skills but I'd think that there are. Wouldn't hurt to shoot off a resume to some of them cause they are a great way to "get your foot in the door" and lead to a permanent position....

Bob, Academy is often looking for IT types. Their corporate HQ is in Katy. Just a thought. Good luck.

Moving To Houston
 

Just a quick note to say I've accepted a position in Houston and I'll be starting on April 11th. I'm now working on the logistics of moving from Austin and trying to get most things done on both ends before I start work.

Thanks again for all the support and well-wishes. I know I won't be able to attend a draft party now that the NFL schmucks have moved it to weeknights :( but I ought to be around in the fall for some weekend game viewing. :D

Awesome, nice going. I've been wondering about your job search but thought it might be a bit indelicate to reach out to you and ask, Yo, Bob, your shiftless ass find a job yet? You know? So I thought I'd sit tight. Anyway, congratulations.

And congratulations on getting the hell out of that liberal hippie nudist colony and moving to Houston where the real US Americans live. Just think, you'll have a Republican congressman for the first time in your life.

Nice. Really not too long of a layoff either it appears, especially in this market.

I sent an e-mail to the recruiter for this position in Houston and I jumped through all their hoops, passed the tests, interviewed with the boss, interviewed with the boss's boss, etc. Went back to Austin and was told the decision would come in a few days.

The recruiter sent me an e-mail the middle of next week with comments from the boss saying "Bob was our top choice but we've since been informed that we're under a hiring freeze".

It was like "You WOULD have had the job, but you don't have the job." So, three weeks later, the recruiter calls me and says the hiring free has been lifted and am I still interested. I told her yes, and got the confirmation yesterday.

The job is around Greenway but I decided to rent an apartment in Sugar Land. Lots left to do.

You would have had a Republican congressman either way and I personally would have opted for a shorter commute. But you'll certainly be closer to minor league baseball once they get the Exterminators' stadium built.

Seems to me there is some minor league baseball being played downtown too, at least on the home side of the field.

Congrats on your new job Bob, that's great !

Congrats Bob! I'm glad for you.

You got that right, but with major league prices.

Chuck, I would have liked to live closer but the options just weren't appealing or there was nothing that fit my timeline. Working a 2p-11p shift, the commute won't be so bad as it will be a straight shot up 59 when it's not rush hour.

There was one complex where I could have walked to work and saved on the gas money but I looked it up and they've had a history of break-ins. In fact, break-ins and roaches were a common complaint all around that vicinity. The roaches I can mildly tolerate but the break-ins, no can do.

And I looked it up. Al Green (D) would have been my U.S. rep had I lived around Chimney Rock and Westpark (great singer, lousy rep). Not that that matters that much. I was in Lloyd Dogshit's district for many years up here. I don't even know who reps Sugar Land. It's all going to get redistricted soon anyway.

I just discovered Hwy 99 that also gives me a straight shot from Sugar Land to I-10 in Katy so I won't have to take the crowded Hwy 6 anytime I'm headed back to Austin.

It will be a big transition, no doubt, but once I'm settled, I'll adapt okay. I knew there'd be sacrifices when I got laid off. From the looks of things, I'm getting off much easier than a lot of other folks so I feel truly grateful and blessed. I can't tell you how much I hated being without a job. It wasn't the money (I'm better in that regard than ever), it was all the stress and hassle of finding work. I hope I never go through that again.

All in all you'll probably be happier in a place like Sugarland but I'm surprised that you couldn't find an acceptable place somewhere near enough to Greenway Plaza. But you're right, driving in for a 2 pm start will be no problem.

And if I were you I might very well take 59 (or 90, depending on where you are) to 36 and get I-10 at Sealy. Once you get through Rosenberg you'll be alone on the highway.

I'd forgotten that good reverend Green's district extends into Sharpstown and over into Mission Bend. What a piece of gerrymandering that was by the felonious roach-boy. I knew he had Sunnyside and Missouri City but I didn't realize it went that far west. Why you might want to live on Westpark and Chimney Rock I have no idea unless you're considering joining a Salvadorean gang.

But that's kinda my point. And I'll say right up front that I was doing internet searches from distant lands and then checking www,apartmentratings.com to find out what the complaints were. But the new office is right off of Westpark just inside the loop so I checked many places. Besides crime and roaches, I also had to find a place that would keep my parrot quiet (she wants to see me throughout the apartment and gets upset now if I spend too long in the bathroom or the kitchen where I'm not in her view).

So, in some cases it was the floorplan. In some, it was fear of crime, In some, it was a lack of parking (and knowing I'd be coming home very late). In some, honestly, the rent was too LOW - and I know from experience that cheap rents attract bad tenants. And it would have been nice not to live blocks away from Stripperville (Richmond Ave) or somewhere in which half the business signs were in Spanish (Is there a law where you must have a "tacqueria" on every block?).

So, call me a racist if you want to. I'm just trying to keep me and my vehicle safe and not spend over $900/mo for a 1BR apartment while not turning my bird into a screaming maniac that might get me evicted if the walls are really thin.

Amazingly, I had two people offer unsolicited advice that Sugar Land was my best choice - and one of them is married to a Stafford cop,

BTW, I used to live in Wallis which is between Rosenberg and Sealy on Hwy 36. The road wasn't great but they've had over 30 years to upgrade it since 1979 when I lived there. It was my first post-college employment.