What is your current employment status?

[elfwitch]

Poll question: What is your current employment status?

In light of recent posts, it seems necessary to find out who is employed and who isn't. In these uncertain times, people are in various stages of employment.

If you are employed, what do you do?
If you are unemployed, how long has it been?
If you are underemployed, what did you used to do?

[GOPisEvil]

1. Full-time employee: government drone.

Feeling damned lucky to have a gig these days. :-)

[MercutioATC]

21. Hey, me too!

Actually, I like my job and the security is a good thing.

[Wickerman]

38. I'll third that - eom

[Caution]

2. Full time

My title is "Senior Software Quality Assurance Engineer"

I'm the lead feature tester for an enterprise software company in Massachusetts.

[Intelsucks]

3. I've got almost 14 years at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Austin

n/t

[elfwitch]

7. One of my very best friends from college used to work there...

Haven't heard from him in a while though.

[Intelsucks]

11. I cannot deny that it is a great place to work. Benefits, salary, etc.

n/t

[elfwitch]

4. FTE

Me: Full Time Employed - Web Design, small tech firm
Hubby: Full-time Student - Part time Internship (payed) - Animation

[redqueen]

5. Full time office manager

and billing admin and receptionist and dish washer and whatever else needs doing (small sales office of a large multinational corp).

Oh yes and hubby is unemployed -- another victim of NAFTA.

[liberalnurse]

6. Employed full time.....pick-up extra without a problem....

I turn down work and am underpaid...... I am a nurse. I am working on my Nurse Practitioner so I can be essentially independent of the corporate ding-bats.

[ikojo]

More and more insurance companies are

contracting with Nurse Practitioners as Primary Care Providers. Of course it is done for corporate greed since they charge less than a physician.

[ikojo]

59. More and more insurance companies are

contracting with Nurse Practitioners as Primary Care Providers. Of course it is done for corporate greed since they charge less than a physician.

[DS1]

8. Student + part time

+ independent contractor + smart ass.

[nostamj]

9. officially unemployed

but with 7.5 weeks of severance coming. then........?

[LastKnight]

10. PT sales, student...

not bad for a teenager... but its still doesnt pay much cause the majority of the pay comes from commition, and not many people are buying alot of stuff these days.

-LK

[felonious thunk]

12. I'm rocking the suburbs

Although I have a day job as well, but just until the band takes off...

[lovedems]

13. I am a "staty at home mom"

My husband is an unemployed Network Administrator. He had a job interview today so hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

[burythehatchet]

39. Good Luck

I hope he gets it.

[Peachhead22]

14. Retired?

How 'bout a category for "retired"? It's a pretty common employment status.

[elfwitch]

17. as you wish...

Foolish of me to forget that one category.

[Intelsucks]

19. That's it.... Guantanamo Bay for you.

:P

[elfwitch]

20. see you all there !

Party at my bunker.

[Trajan]

15. Unemployed ... since September ...

Sold my house, using the money to start a business ....

Laid off from Boeing (Rockwell Heritage) after 22 + years of service ...

Production went to ? ... El Paso ....

Fancy that ..

The make only 9$ hour there in El Paso ... I made 25 $ PH ...

Fancy that ...

We had a union in CA ...

NO union in TX ...

FANCY that ...

Where was GWB governor again ? ... Enron ????

FANCY THAT ! ...

[Nikia]

16. Full time-Quality assurance

I work in the food industry making sure that our product is safe, meets government standards, and meets customer standards.

[spinbaby]

18. Might I suggest another category

"Employed full time but earning less than in 2000." Many employed people I know are still working full time but are making a lot less money than they were four years ago. My son is working for half the salary and none of the benefits he had in 2000. I'm still in the same job as I was in 2000 but am making a less (freezes in pay increases, temporary layoffs, vanishing bonuses).

[elfwitch]

23. I kinda put that in the category of Underemployed.

n/t

[kymar57]

54. Spinbaby

I'm there too:wtf:

[Snow]

22. Been in the field since mid-80's,

generally advance in my area level-wise by moving elsewhere. I'm a PhD level epidemiologist, which is usually a medical center/big university type job, although I'm working for a big non-profit HMO doing the exact same work that I did in the university I was at previously. There's a perpetual shortage of PhD epidemiologists, so finding and keeping jobs is easy. Your options for places to live are limited, though, since the jobs are mostly at large university medical centers. The other hitch is that you're usually expected to provide at least part of your salary by writing grant proposals to the Nat'l Institutes of Health, starring yourself as Principal Investigator. Most places give you 2-5 years to get this geared up, but if you aren't pulling in at least half your salary by 5 years out, they tend to get pissy. But that's not too difficult if you consider the grant writing your major job when you start someplace new.

[NoPasaran]

24. Employed Full Time

I AM the service department for a broadcast video sales/service/systems integration outfit.

[Devlzown]

25. Unemployed since December

Think I'm gonna start hookin'.:smoke:

[beawr]

26. Full Time

Technical advisor to the Marine Corps

I was unemployed/underemployed/Doctoral Student for 2 years prior

[Bertha Venation]

27. FT employee and yes, I am GRATEFUL

I know how incredibly lucky I am to have a good, decently-paying job with good benefits.

I AM GRATEFUL.

[Robb]

28. Is "Homemaker" unemployed or other?

:shrug:

[elfwitch]

31. I'd say Other

My hubby is a student and house hubby.

[scarlet_owl]

29. I'm on disability.

I am unable to work, but I am a homemaker.

[Indiana_Dem]

30. Employed Part-time

as RN on medical floor of a hospital.

My hubby just lost his job Friday from a plant closing after 9+ years. We'll have a year of 100% insurance due to the contract, thank God. He is one of those 56 year-olds who has worked in factories since getting out of Vietnam. Last job he had for 23 years before the plant closed. He was too young to take retirment for both of these jobs! Missed the first job by 3 years, this job he missed being able to take it by 8 months.

[southerngirlwriter]

32. Not sure what I am....

Lost a good job over a year ago. Since then, I've sent out over 500 resumes. Nothing. Been on about two dozen interviews -- only three of which were for a job that would have had health insurance -- and didn't get them. In one case, it was my credit report that cost me the job. They were all set to hire me when they found out my credit sucks. (Gee, if I had an INCOME, maybe I could pay for shit on time, huh?). I started puking at the tenth, "You're SOOOOOO talented that you'd be BORED here. Frankly, you're OVER-QUALIFIED."

I've basically given up on finding a job with benefits. In my city of 300,000+, there are fewer than 100 "Help Wanted" ads in the paper today. The majority of those are either for medical jobs, for which I'm not qualified, not having an RN license or nursing degree; or, they're things like "Couple wanted to live and work on farm. Housing included." Sigh.

How am I surviving? Freelance writing, mostly, with some desktop publishing and copy editing thrown in. Here's a tip for those of you who know spelling, grammar, and punctuation REALLY REALLY well -- go to every place that sets out the local rags "Seattle's Christian Family," "Houston's Best Restaurants," etc. Get a red pen and mark every mistake. Take it to them in person if you can, or otherwise mail it with a polite, friendly note that says something to the effect of, "Boy, do you need me!"

I've put together $1,400 in steady monthly income that way.

It's not enough, of course. All of my debts, except the student loans, are in collections. But I haven't been evicted, Ford hasn't come and picked up the car, and I have only missed a couple of meals. I've cut every expense humanly possible. Thank God the desktop publishing jobs require me to use e-mail and upload files, or I couldn't justify the monthly expense for my internet service.

[geniph]

44. I did that with the Seattle Times Sunday edition once...

...went through the entire paper with my red pen and marked it up and sent it back to them. I did not, however, include my name; I just mentioned they might want to go back to human copy editors. (As a former copy editor, I am NOT a fan of computerized spellcheckers or grammar checkers.)

[DK666]

33. Ask me about Manufacturing. I'm an expert.

First off its soft money from government research grants and we have a combination of State and Federal funds.

I am in the high tech field. I do research on high tech manufacturing & product development or design strategies and then we assist small companies in implementing it. It compresses the time to market for new product rollout therefore giving American companies an edge against foreign competition. I am also developing K-12, technical, 2 year and 4 year curriculum that implements this into existing design and manufacturing programs.

While we are a successful program training hundreds of students and dozens of companies the powers that be have decided to redirect their efforts in service sector training.

So I will be looking for work. Unfortunately I work in a very narrow sector and finding a job will be very difficult.

[corporatewhore]

34. I was fired and am picking up odd jobs here and there

[citizen snips]

35. Student.

n/t

[MrSlayer]

36. Laid off 3 weeks ago.

I am a Union Construction Electrician in Local 98 of the I.B.E.W.. Thankfully I got a call from my BA today and I start work on Monday at Lincoln Financial Field. Don't know how long the gig is for though, in construction 2 weeks could be 2 years or vice versa.

[rbnyc]

37. 1 full time, 1 part time

Full time: Information and Referral Specialist/Information and Referral database Manager for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center

Part Time: Development Assistant for Women At Risk, a breast cancer non-profit

Goal: High Level Development Officer for a non-profit that is suitably progressive. These jobs tend to pay 45-75 K. I could live with that.

:)

[populistmom]

40. Unpaid servant

Stay at home mom/ part-time (9 credits this semester) student

I can't wait to work again!!!! Get paid for my work that is.

[geniph]

41. Network manager for a large public school district

Basically, I'm the sole system administrator for about 150 servers. I also end up getting every damn PC problem in the district escalated to me if our support techs can't resolve it, which is a bit overwhelming at times (4000 PCs, one of me).

[camero]

42. Unemployed

Though I'm hopeful it may change soon. I applied for a position with the county I live in for a meter reader position. They are still in the testing phase of filling the vacancy but I got my score on the test back today.

I got a 96. Wish me luck. :)

[nostamj]

43. shame you can't get a MUCH larger DU sample

it seems that unemployment among this community is closer to 50% than current bushco guesstimates

[alwynsw]

45. R-E-T-I-R-E-D!!! And loving it! (i'm 47)

[shanti]

63. rub it in already!

*shaking your hand* i'll be there in about, oh....7 years.

[alwynsw]

64. It's my job - rubbing things in - I prefer lotion on female backs

and other parts. Call 1-800-letch4U for service.

[Melsky]

46. I'm self employed

as an artist. My husband was off work for 13 months, and has been employed since November, earning about half of his former salary.

[bigwillq]

47. Been employed at least part time

since I was 16

[tinnyguy1777]

48. ROF-----"Retired ol fart"

[ewagner]

49. Self employed

Reping for an Insurance Brokerage (health insurance only) and a Mortgage Company. Trying to crack the market.

I was in Marketing for a Farm Equipment Company for 10 years but the fundies took over and the place went to hell. I walked out on March 21 of last year. Spent about 7 months getting relicensed.

Struggling but the wife has a good job as a business analyst with a HMO........

[Interrobang]

50. Unemployed technical writer -- anyone hiring?

I got laid off in mid-October, and the company I used to work for has since gone out of business. Bleah.

[Breezy du Nord]

51. HS Student

can't wait till I graduate...

[NightTrain]

52. Drugstore delivery driver, $10.50 an hour

That's considered a living wage in my neck of the woods, but since my rent is so goddamned high, I have trouble making ends meet.

[SOteric]

53. 3 part-time jobs.

I teach at the college level, I do research protocols for a well-known encyclopaedia, and I work with the FBIA to capture the oral traditions and history of 3 local American Indian tribes in written format.

And in my spare time, I write award-winning poetry, plug away at novels and often work in upscale restaurants as a sous chef and do catering.

In short, I'll do just about anything for a buck.

[supernova]

55. Unemployed

for over a year and tired of looking. I'm still going on interviews if asked but, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm hitting the temp agencies in February. I'm beginning to need the money. And I'm working on my own writing just to keep my intellectual stimulation.

[Padraig18]

56. Small businessman, 3/4-time student.

It keeps me hopping. :)

[flama]

57. I chose other because I'm so confused

I'm a temp who's probably about to lose her current job in a couple of weeks. I was called in to cover for the cover of a woman on maternity leave. She's coming back as soon as her doctor says it's OK.

I was downsized a/k/a laid off from a wonderful but demanding job on December 21, 2001. (Does the proximity to 9-11 have any meaning?)

There were no jobs to be had until the headquarters for an MLM company offered me a position. (That's exactly what the guy said!) It was more than a demanding job. It was inhuman! I faxed in my resignation after seven months. (I had to put callers on hold when I needed the necessary room and think maybe I had a couple of mini-strokes at my desk.) I was functionally paralyzed for at least a month after that job. Still not too sure I'm capable of doing anything.

Since then I've been a temp. I've eaten up my savings to pay the bills. As a temp, I can't even think about a part-time job since I never know where I will be working - or what hours. As a temp, I have no benefits. No way to pay for the new glasses I really need or the dentist who could buy a huge new boat from the profits of the dental work I need.

What do/did I do? Well, the great job that gave me that wonderful Christmas present back in twenty-naught-one included A/P and Payroll as major functions along with Customer Service, Order Entry, Reception, and backing up HR, A/R and Shipping. In a former life I was a Dangerous Goods Specialist,CSR and backup Dispatcher for a minor air freight forwarder. If it's work in an office, I can do it. (I think. Maybe. That last "real" job left me with PTSS.)

I'll shut up now - and go check the Classifieds.

[ikojo]

58. I work for an insurance co (HMO)

and am in the unit that loads the provider information in the system.

Yes I work for an evil industry but I like to eat and I have a SERIOUS gadget habit.

[ncrainbowgrrl]

60. Ever read "temp slave?"

Your situation just reminded me of some of the better anecdotes from there about working for change from the 'truly inside' status...

[ornotna]

61. Full time employment

I'm an electrical contractor, remodel banks and install bank equipment. I can't complain, I make a purty darn good living.

[liberalpress]

62. 34 year broadcast veteran

Currently sidekick and smartass on morning radio... although I am sure everyday will be my last.

[NightTrain]

65. Re: "I am sure everyday will be my last."

That was exactly why I got out of commercial radio in 1995. Who the fuck needs perpetual 13-week job security?!

[Habibi]

66. Unemployed a little over a year now.

IT tech support. I may have to go to secretarial school.

[ellie]

67. Full-time editor n/t

[haele]

68. Employed, limited "duty" due to disability...

They're going to be settling the case soon, and supposedly there's some re-training and a lump sum coming to me when they do, since I'm no longer going to be physically capable of doing the work required for my job category.

Hopefully, the work I've done so far, and the extra-curricular training I've been doing will enable me to cross categories within the same company structure - even though I'm probably not going to be in the same division.

They can't just "lay me off" until after the settlement is done. And if they do, I get a severance that will supposedly keep us from the streets until I get another job. The one good thing about the whole disability mess is that they weren't able to lay me off when they cut a quarter of the hourly wage workforce loose for a month and a half last year.

Companies that survive on government contract revenues tend to be like that, especially around the close of the fiscal year. Most of them are not hiring full time anymore, either.

Haele

[Lindsey]

69. I'm currently in the job of my dreams....

I'm an associate dean at a career college and I love it! I've been there for only 6 weeks. I've been in the career college industry for about 15 years in a variety of capacities. This is the highest level I've achieved and I'm absolutely thrilled. (Believe me, I also consider myself very lucky)>