More Thoughts on Jobs

I may have mentioned that I have asked my Computer Task Group manager to propose to my IBM manager the possibility of my telecommuting from Ohio. The IBM manager said he'd think about it . . . .

But it occurs to me that if I am allowed to do this and move to Youngstown to be near les bebes, then IBM has yet another cutback, I would be out of a job and SOL. Jobs in Youngstown are few, and I'm not willing to work as a clerk/typist at the local hospital! I might have to commute an hour each way to either Cleveland or Pittsburgh to find a suitable job. So I think, absent one of my Powerball tickets paying off, I have to be careful as I ponder possible solutions to my loss of family.

And to those of you who wondered why I made this blog private: yesterday my team lead told us that two new people are joining the team next week after our loss of one developer in November and one in December. She told us the name of the woman in Tucson who is joining us, and of course we geeks immediately Googled and mySpace'd her. OMG. We know way more about this woman than you want someone to know about you before you set foot on a job. For example, she writes on one of her blogs about Tucson: "They have a great supportive queer community and pretty vibrant art/music scene." On another blog, her profile lists her hobbies and interests as "fencing, yachting, bowling, spitting, flying planes, salmon, tattered dresses, tango music, string quartets, 1920s Berlin". Spitting? And we've also seen her portfolio of graphic design, and we aren't impressed. But it was her or nobody, so the webmaster hired her. I hope that she is a fast learner and has a sense of humor.

But do I want future work colleagues pinging each other with things I've said in MySpace or Facebook or on this blog? No way. That's why you have to log in to read these words, my friends.

More re jobs: I've been looking on Monster and USAJobs and various company sites. Last night I went to CareerBuilder and was shocked to find a ton o' jobs that are not on the other two sites. So I'll be spending some time over the next week or so surfing through all that's available on CareerBuilder.

Yesterday I applied for two jobs at WETA, then went on Realtor.com to look at jobs in that zip code, the Shirlington neighborhood in Arlington, VA. My search parameters were $200K<->$350K, 2+br, 2+ba. There was one property. One! The price was $349K, and it was 1000 sq. ft. Great location, easy to move the grand piano into the living room, but I might have to sleep under the piano. Ah, memories of our condominium in Sarasota when the boys were four and two. That was 1100 sq. ft., two bedrooms, and hardly room to walk around for all the furniture, including six linear feet of piano.

<Funny story on>
As I write "Shirlington", I'm reminded of a story I heard on the radio in Washington about 20 years ago. There was a major snowstorm and traffic was at a standstill on 395. A couple, on the way home from work in their van, pulled off at the Shirlington exit to wait for the snow to slow and the traffic to dissipate. Nine months later they named their daughter "Shirlington". True story.
<Funny story off>

Repeat after me: This will work itself out. This will work itself out. This will work itself out.