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marty.sasaki
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I feel like a broken record (hopefully there are enough folks out there who remember records). I was laid off when my project was moved to India, and I haven't been able to find a job for over a year. My savings are long gone, and I've borrowed money from family and friends. Unemployment ran out months ago. I've had medical problems and am actually in the process of applying for disability.

I know that things will get better, but the stress is sometimes really great. It feels like it is hard to breathe at times. I know that I just have to get from here to there, but the distance seems far too large.

So, I could use some support and prayers. I could also use a job, or a winning lottery ticket. If you have a need for a web site, please consider hiring me.

Thanks.
Marty Sasaki
Arlington, Massachusetts, USA

Standard disclaimer: I'm just a hobbyist who enjoys occasionally mystifying friends and family, so my opinions should be viewed with this in mind.
The Drake
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Hello Marty,

I've been in a similar situation and can only offer the advice of not giving up. I imagine you are joking about the lottery ticket but just in case you are dreaming that might come true I'll recommend you don't even go there and instead focus on what might work for you and not put ANY faith in a stroke of luck. I don't know your age or physical limitations so I can't comment too much in the job advice area abut I do know that any job even a lower paying one is better than none. Having a job that gives you a reason to get up in the morning and get your day going is a lot more beneficial than just the money earned. The positive frame of mind you have is much preferred to the stuck at home waiting for the phone to ring experience.

Like I said, I don't really know your situation but I do know several friends who had high paying tech jobs and when their company had layoffs they lost not only their income but their willingness to work for anything less. One friend refused any job that was less than $19 per hr. ( and that was 14 years ago) He is still not working.

This might not be the case for you and I don't mean to imply that it is. It was the case for me years ago as I went from a high income to having nothing left. It was only when I hit rock bottom that I took a job I previously thought beneath me. I delivered newspapers at night so I could stay available for shows during the day if they popped up. My first night I felt that my world had come to an end because I had become a paperboy after a long run of very successful business ventures. That job and the mental stimulation I got from it turned out to be a very important step to building my life back up. The money didn't hurt either. Turns out my attitude also improved when I wasn't afraid to answer the phone anymore. In just over a year I went from newbie paperboy to district manager. The money supported me until I became a full time performer.

Whatever your situation is I wish you luck ( not the lottery kind...lol) and the stamina to get back in the ring and keep slugging until you are back on track. Hang in there!

Best,

Tim
marty.sasaki
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I play the lottery occasionally, but don't put any stake in it. Instead of buying a snack or a drink, I occasionally buy a ticket. So yes, that's a joke. However, if someone were to give me a winning lottery ticket, then that's okay.

The problem that I'm encountering in my field is that there isn't much demand for the things that I have experience with. I could do another related job, but everyone wants folks with experience. I'm willing to take a more junior position for the opportunity to gain experience in another area, but folks are reluctant to hire me into those positions stating that I am over-qualified. I suspect that my age (I'm over 50) has something to do with it as well.

It's hard to remain optimistic, but I'm still trying.

Thanks for the kind words.
Marty Sasaki
Arlington, Massachusetts, USA

Standard disclaimer: I'm just a hobbyist who enjoys occasionally mystifying friends and family, so my opinions should be viewed with this in mind.
Margarette
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Memphis area
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Marty,
I hear ya about the being older and over-qualified and trying to "re-enter" the workforce. I wish prosepective employers would think before they rejected an older worker. From my experience, it is the ones who are not straight out of high school and college who would be willing to take the more menial jobs (I'm not talking McDonald's). A lot of "younger" people I run into want to start out at the top...they don't want to work their way to the top, but if you have someone who has a mortgage, car payment, and several mouths to feed, they don't mind taking a job that is something they did back in their college days. When I re-entered the workforce after my younger son started school, no construction company would hire me because I had been out of the field for so long. So, I worked as a secretary until I a company was willing to take a risk and hire me. Although, I think the reason that company hired me was some obscure federal regulation on one job that required a certain number of female billed hours.

Just keep your chin up and try not to get discouraged. I know it's difficult at times, but eventually, I'd like to think something will come along.

Margarette
The only stupid question is the one not asked.
Justin Style
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Hang in there, better days are coming.

Good luck!

If you want to sell some D'LITES let me know.
Piers
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... wishing you good things from the UK.

Piers.
Smile



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Finished my 4 months of Chemotherapy in 2009. 3 monthly checks since... and into 2021!



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Lyndel
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wrote the theme to the TV show COPS!
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Marty,

Author H. Jackson Brown Jr. once said, "In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins--not through strength but by perseverance."

NEVER GIVE UP!


Lyndel
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Donal Chayce
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Hi, Marty...

Like many others, I, too, have been there, so I know how dark these days can seem.

But whether you can see it at this time or not, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and whether it feels like it or not, things will get better. Until then, to quote Dean Acheson, "I learned from my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured."

Blessings,

Donal
jakeg
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I think that the book, "Who Moved My Cheese", should be required reading for anyone who loses a job. Not all that long ago, I was forced to make a major business change and I know how it helped me. It's small, a very quick read, and really hit home with me.
bugjack
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First off, I really empathize with you, and you have my best wishes that things will turn around soon.

I checked out your website -- you write really well, there's great information there, and it's well put together. And, while you may be in a field that is hit by outsourcing, you're also in a field that is still growing as I imagine that more and more companies are in the process of creating websites. I was recently involved in a web project in which a considerable amount of the tech work was outsourced to India, and the result was kind of a disaster. A lot of work had to be redone by new vendors here. There were many reasons for this, but our trend has been towards working with consultants and small vendors to correct the problem and then go forward.

I'm also in a field where, on the non-tech side, there is a lot of free labor in the form of college interns and non-paid volunteers. I get resumes all the time but I rarely have open staff jobs. When I do, I almost always hire someone who has been interning for me. Or, I'll get a big temporary job and I'll try to make sure that out of that I hire and compensate the people who have been working for free. And, many people have come through my office and through the connections they've made just by being around have gotten jobs elsewhere.

I guess what I'm saying is that maybe part of your free time should be spent contributing your services to a small company or perhaps a non-profit with the stated intention that you hope it could grow into a more formal (and paid) arrangement.
marty.sasaki
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I'm hoping that the "pay what you think it's worth or what you can afford" will allow me to build a portfolio. I would be happy to do work for non-profits or folks who really can't afford to hire someone. I worked at Harvard University, and in the Boston area hospitals for less money than I could have made in the "real world" because I thought it was a good cause.

Thanks for the kind words. I like to write, so will continue to do that, even if no-one reads anything.
Marty Sasaki
Arlington, Massachusetts, USA

Standard disclaimer: I'm just a hobbyist who enjoys occasionally mystifying friends and family, so my opinions should be viewed with this in mind.
Tom Fenton
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Leeds, UK (but I'm Scottish)
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Marty,

You have my best wishes.
"But there isn't a door"
Piers
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"Thanks for the kind words. I like to write, so will continue to do that, even if no-one reads anything."

We will!

Piers.
Smile



www.justgiving.com/piers-cancer-fund

www.justgiving.com/Piers-Cancer-Fund-2

www.justgiving.com/Piers-Cancer-Fund-3



Finished my 4 months of Chemotherapy in 2009. 3 monthly checks since... and into 2021!



As seen on the QE2 and QM2.

Author of Salem's Cornucopia - SUC Book
Piers
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How's things?
Piers.
Smile



www.justgiving.com/piers-cancer-fund

www.justgiving.com/Piers-Cancer-Fund-2

www.justgiving.com/Piers-Cancer-Fund-3



Finished my 4 months of Chemotherapy in 2009. 3 monthly checks since... and into 2021!



As seen on the QE2 and QM2.

Author of Salem's Cornucopia - SUC Book
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