6 months layed off-Now What?

[hansman]

I gotta chime in here.....
Don't know if it will help
I have been in this crazy trade since 1980 I have gone from Cameraman, to Stripper, to Scitex operator, to Prepress manager - Systems manager -
Each time I made a change there were people saying get out of printing now it is dying the sky is falling etc.
Sure the salaries are not what they used to be (I made more in 1999 than I do now)
but you need to change with the industry.
There are jobs out there.
They are getting more scarce.
I remember going to a job interview in Philadelphia for a Prepress manager.
The owner looked at me and said you know I had to have gotten 100 calls for that job.
This was 5 years ago.
At that moment I made the decision to look anywhere online.
I found a job online 3000 miles away.

[Servicetech]

After 20 years as a field service man in the printing industry I have decided to jump ship for good, I accepted a good position outside the industry and will be returning to school and finish a degree in electronics/automation technology.

Printing companies closing all over, printing equipment leaving the country in containers by the shipload are just a couple reasons I finally decided that I'm out.

December 4th is my last day in the printing industry, and I predict my return is highly unlikely.

[Jecclr2003]

I've looked for months now (with NO results) and decided to go back to auto sales. The business around here in NE Ohio is just downright terrible.

IF something long-term becomes available would I go back? Absolutely. I love this line of work.

[trondello]

Folks,
The Print Industry is going through a change, no question. OX is being positive...I am also out of work. YOU NEED TO STAY POSITIVE!!! No one will hire a person down in the dumps....Remember you have something to offer, employers will start to read the million resumes sent to them soon enough. They need to make money, with all of this talent out of work, fear not....something will change..but REALLY...stay positive...

[Mark H]

A long time ago, when I was about 10 or 11, my dad's paper mill went on strike. He, and hundreds of others, were out of work for almost four months. When I asked him why he waited and didn't just get another job he looked at me like I was from Mars and said - "I've worked at the paper mill since I was 14. I don't know anything else!"

After I got married (to the first Mrs) I discovered that her father changed careers about every 2-3 years. Not just small, subtle changes, but big ones. He went from long haul trucking to excavation, then to septic system installation and repair, and now to commercial plumbing. So, I asked him why he didn't stay put and keep plugging forward with something that offered stability and security. He pointed to his head and said "The only security you have is between your ears. You pay attention to what's going on, keep building up what you can do, and when it's time to move on, you move on."

Tim is 64 this year and his philosophy hasn't let me down in nearly 23 years.

Mark H

[cjwworld]

A long time ago, when I was about 10 or 11, my dad's paper mill went on strike. He, and hundreds of others, were out of work for almost four months. When I asked him why he waited and didn't just get another job he looked at me like I was from Mars and said - "I've worked at the paper mill since I was 14. I don't know anything else!"

After I got married (to the first Mrs) I discovered that her father changed careers about every 2-3 years. Not just small, subtle changes, but big ones. He went from long haul trucking to excavation, then to septic system installation and repair, and now to commercial plumbing. So, I asked him why he didn't stay put and keep plugging forward with something that offered stability and security. He pointed to his head and said "The only security you have is between your ears. You pay attention to what's going on, keep building up what you can do, and when it's time to move on, you move on."

Tim is 64 this year and his philosophy hasn't let me down in nearly 23 years.

Mark H

Thanks for that Mark.. Thats seems to be a good theory especially in view of today's Job Market. Although I more likely to disagree with this 5 years ago.

Chris J

[SteveMA]

I've been out for over six months. Staying positive is the key, but also if you look at the free time as a gift you can really make some changes in your life. Explore re education, no matter how old you are. There are some things that may be paid for by unemployement. I took some courses in Dreamweaver and Flash to enhance my resume. I also decided to go back to school part time and finish a degree. Yeah, I'm 49 but so what. Who know who you might meet in a class or school. And if you can get in the print dept. of a school, even better. I'm looking hard now. Hope there is something out there for me soon.