Living on the WRONG side of the Unemployment desk

The title of this post may be a bit misleading . . . I mean, is there ever really a good side of the unemployment desk? I don't really think there is, but I'm wrong a lot so don't quote me on anything.

Yeah so, here I am . . . I have officially become an "unemployed loser." I spent 3 years at my last job, which made me the highest hourly paid employee there. I also just so happened to be working there during a very slow economic growth period. So they decided it would be best for the company, if they took me completely out of the equation. Then they paid someone half of what I was making to do the same thing. Talk about a low blow. The thing that really sucked, was the fact that I was basically laid off via TEXT MESSAGE. They couldn't even tell me in person, even after working there for 3 years of my life! . . . There's a big 3 year chunk of my time that I'll never get back. It's not like I didn't like working there, I just though after hanging out and chatting with these people every day for 3 years, they would have the guts to lay me off in person. (I'm getting off my soapbox now, even though I really like the view from up here.)

Anyways . . . That being said. I was laid off the week after Memorial Day, and ever since then I've been without an official job. I've gone to interviews, I've left resumes, I emailed resumes, I've made phone calls and personal walk-in visits, and I've spent enough time on CareerBuilder.com to actually consider it my full-time job (that doesn't pay). Finally, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. . . a little place called "Portrait Kitchens."

Since mid July, I have been "working" for Shad Johnsen at Portrait Kitchens, starting out as an Outside Sales Rep and later becoming the Internet Sales Manager (it sounds better than it actually is). Well, we all know how bad the economy has been for the past few months. Me of all people should have taken that into consideration as I was applying for jobs. But, little old me has been "stuck" working for FREE for the last 3 and a half months.

The building industry in our little area has seemed to all but come to a screetching hault. When I first started at Portait Kitchens, I was expected to drive around "hunting" for work. I use the word "hunting," but it felt more like begging for scraps. It was my job to find houses that were still in the building stages and see if I could sell them any products or services. It seemed like on average, I would see about 2-3 houses that had been "dropped" (or had stopped being built) every day! . . . Not a great confidence builder at all!!!

About 2 and a half months ago, we started working on our "Worst Kitchen Contest" as well as our online shopping cart, in which case yours truley was put in charge of the latter. . . "Que promotion. . . and . . . Action!"

I was "transformed" from the Outside Sales Rep, that was basically always OUT OF THE OFFICE, to the Internet Sales Manager . . . which looks great on my resume, but not in my bank account. . . like I said before, I was working for free (or on full commission. . . either way it's still free. Tomato... Tamoto). Luckily, I was able to qualify for "unemployment insurance," which pays me about half of what I need in order to support my family. All in all, the whole situation SUCKS!!!

I've tried thinking up new and creative ways to make money. I donate plasma twice a week in return for 50 bucks! It's not a lot, but it helps pay for gas and food. I've thought about selling my guitars, but that's one of the things that I do to take my mind off of everything. . . so I can't get rid of those. I've even gone as far as researching how much money you get for donating BONE MARROW. . . For any of you brave souls out there looking to try this method too, they don't give you anything more than a pain in your side and a pat on the back. I even thought about donating my body to science. No joke! I really looked into it! . . . they don't pay either, otherwise I would have by now.

In this economiclly turbulent time, I figured someone could benifit from my story. If not anything more than to just laugh and say, "I'm sure as hell glad that's not me!"

Money really does make the world go round, and the lack thereof seems to make it all just fall apart. I just know there is something I'm supposed to be learning from this whole ordeal, but right now, I can't see the forest through the trees. I realize that I'll come out of this a better person, so I'm not too worried. I also know that I'm not the ONLY person that has been effected by the slow economy, so that's something to be greatful about.

Well, another long post down the drain. It makes it easier to write this stuff when I'm tired for some weird reason. . . hmm.

Anyways, Thanks for taking the time to read this long-ass post!

-Sky