One of Many
11/1/2002
I have lost count of all of the resumes I have sent out since I was laid of the day after September 11th. I'll admit that I wasn't too upset about my "vacation" at first, but as weeks turned into months I realized the true impact it had made in my life.
Obviously by comparison I have suffered very little compared to those who lost loved ones, but that does not mean I have not suffered.
Once the unemployment checks ran out, the reality that my credit card companies still wanted money regardless really sank in. Paying minimum payments to my credit card companies now is doing nothing to help my long-term debt to them. My student loan payments still needed to be paid, food still needs to be bought, alone with every other daily expense that I once took for granted.
With the job market as competitive as it has been, my peers and I have been put in a very hard position. I am just one of many who have been laid off recently. With so many unemployed in the Web Development field, how can someone with a modest two years of experience compete with someone with more knowledge and who is willing to work for the same salary? Many of my friends and ex-coworkers have since changed fields or gone back to school. I've though about it, but I cannot think of anything that I can see myself doing other than web development.
You hear stories about how someone actually became a millionaire from their pet rock idea or more recently websites such as www.givemeadollar.org that have made their developers rich because they were able to think beyond convention. They are not necessarily smarter, stronger, or anything"er" more than you or I. I constantly think about what my moneymaker could be. I am not looking for a get rich quick scheme, although it does sound enticing. I am willing to work for every dollar I earn, but I have not been able to find the opportunity to prove it lately.
Recently married, financial issues are of course ever-present. I have a hard time accepting a simple retail job seeing as how I worked hard for my college degree. I'm not implying that I am too good for it, but I would rather get an entry-level job in a more white-collar situation. It is a hard pill to swallow to admit that you might have to give up the career you always thought you would have in order to pay bills now. The longer you are away from programming the more you fall behind and the harder it is to get back into it. Sites such as this one are my attempt to stay actively involved.
I started my own company WebMark Art (www.webmarkart.com) which would be great side job money, but the fact is it has not been bringing in nearly enough to contribute fairly to my family's income. Anyone need a hard working web developer? You can view my resume at www.webmarkart.com/resume.
Why? Just Because!