My furlough just became permanent

[Longblacktie]

A lot of suckage in this thread, sorry to hear to all that got laid off.

JB - I know someone in Owensboro but i think that’s a bit too far from Paducah. And cincy definitely is too far. Let me know if I can help in any way

[Rollin Hand]

My thoughts and mojo are with all AGFers that are in this suiuation.

You know what they say: if life hands you lemons, squeeze the juice in it's eyes then hoof it in the junk and shag its woman.

You guys will bounce back soon and strong.

[fullonshred]

I sure am sorry Jeff. Sending prayer and best wishes your way.

[UrenragK]

Sorry to hear Jeff, hope things sort themselves out for you soon!

[JeffBeck]

Could be worse like east St. Louis. Then your the armpit of St Louis AND live in Illinois. But you're right not much there unless you farm, are a redneck hillbilly or guide for fish on the big lake. Used to work with some brothers and their uncle Crash years ago. Thet were something else.

Yup. Lots of rednecks and bass boats around here.

[jtcnj]

Sorry to hear; best of luck to you in finding a new, decent gig.

[mickey]

Could be worse like east St. Louis. Then your the armpit of St Louis AND live in Illinois. But you're right not much there unless you farm, are a redneck hillbilly or guide for fish on the big lake. Used to work with some brothers and their uncle Crash years ago. Thet were something else.

Yup. Lots of rednecks and bass boats around here.

Y'all have reminded me by talking rednecks & bass boats. I know I have not told this here but probably did on the old forum?
It was in the 1980's and my primary job was getting a new office in Brentwood Tennessee going. Brentwood is a high $ area of Nashville
with many companies locating their corporate HQ there. ATT was involved by providing voice/data communications for those Corp HQ.
My job was getting everything going smoothly.

A couple of my co-workers and I met for lunch at the City Cafe in Brentwood. The Cafe is still there, much larger & in a different (better) location than
it was back then. It was/is the type of place where you pick up a tray, eating hardware, vessel of choice for your preferred drink, etc. Then you go
thru a cafeteria line where you choose a "meat & 3 veggies," find a table & a waitress will come up write your bill, get your drinks, etc.
Well the City Cafe was always extremely busy. The problem with the place was the "find a table" part as it was extremely busy.

My co-workers were a guy who was born in Nashville & lived there all his life. The other guy was from Baton Rouge, LA and had been in the area
for a few months. Suddenly the guy from LA started to look like "Garfield!" At least his eyes did! And he said something like:
"Oh My God! There is Eddy Arnold! My wife is his biggest fan!" We tried to calm him down by telling him Eddy was just there to eat lunch like us.
He should leave Eddy alone in the Cafe. I'll not forget his response "OK! But as soon as he is outside he is fair game!"

Shortly Eddy walked over and said something like: " Mickey, may I join you boys?"
"I replied with something like: "Of course, glad to have you. Haven't seen you in a while."
(Aside: Garfield's eyes were getting even bigger.)
I introduced everyone & Eddy joined us.

Eddy was a big time bass fisherman. What I didn't know was the guy from Baton Rouge was too.
Shortly, they were talking bass fishing & Eddy invited him to meet for some fishing on Eddy's boat.
Needless to say, the guy completely forgot about the autograph.

They became friends & did quite a bit of fishing together.

When I said that Eddy was a big time bass fisherman. Back in the 1980's he bought his fishing boat used
for something well north of $500K. NOT your normal bass boat.

Eddy began life as a farm boy in western middle Tennessee. Between Nashville & Jackson.
He never liked being a "star" but wanted to be just one of the guys.
A one of a kind and a very nice person.

In case you do not know who Eddy was, here is a sample:

[Buddha Pickups]

Make sure you apply for unemployment. The extra 600/wk ends at the end of July i believe unless they vote to extend it

[Floridian FX]

Jeffy, Scotty, better things will come. Might look bleak now, but you can handle it. Better things on the horizon, they just haven't shown up yet.

[JeffBeck]

Make sure you apply for unemployment. The extra 600/wk ends at the end of July i believe unless they vote to extend it

I've actually been getting unemployment since the second week of April. Never thought I would get it, figured it would just be something I paid into my entire life and never use. Sigh.

Hopefully they'll extend that benefit, but seeing as usually only millionaires and corporations get bailed out, I'm not holding my breath.

[JeffBeck]

Jeffy, Scotty, better things will come. Might look bleak now, but you can handle it. Better things on the horizon, they just haven't shown up yet.

I sure hope so. Unfortunately the horizon around here looks like rising Covid numbers. I have been told that I'm first on the list to get rehired, assuming the business can stay afloat throughout all this.

My fingers remain crossed and I'm going to try and lose the extra Covid "19" that I've packed on around my middle.

[Mossman]

Sorry to hear about your job, Jeff... I was a graphic artist too, years ago, but I have no idea what job that market even looks like anymore.

Or were you selling ice cream? I'm confused.

[JeffBeck]

Or were you selling ice cream? I'm confused.

I was a designer for Dippin' Dots (and hope to be again someday), so I guess technically I was selling ice cream. If they can weather this storm, then I think my odds of being re-hired are very good.

[uwmcscott]

I've been really stretching the boundaries of my career search since I got the official notice [mention]JeffBeck[/mention] . I've been working with a career counselor that was provided to those of us facing permanent layoff and it has been quite helpful - been working on a big self-assessment over the past week and it has brought out a lot of skills/attributes that I never would have thought to pursue.

I've also hooked up with some folks at LinkedIN who have really helped me a lot with ideas about how to improve my presense, but also how to effectively network. I got my notice 2 weeks ago and i've already had 5 separate meetings/interviews with recruiters or direct employers and even one job offer. Not a single one of them came from a posted job either - all were from contacts I made directly or inirectly via LinkedIN or people I networked with yet.

I'm also getting excited about actually changing my career. When I look back at my last job,there were a lot of things that I did not like. Now's my chance to try and change that.

Best of luck and my advice would be to think outside the box - and take a really hard look within - you'll find that you have a lot more to sell than you think!

[Mossman]

Or were you selling ice cream? I'm confused.

I was a designer for Dippin' Dots (and hope to be again someday), so I guess technically I was selling ice cream. If they can weather this storm, then I think my odds of being re-hired are very good.

Oh, I see... I guess I would have assumed that a company like that would not have need for an in-house art department, and outsource their design work to an agency. Do they do their printing in-house as well?

[DonM]

I’m sorry to hear of your lay-off too. Really sucks; especially after you found some that you liked. Here’s hoping that something better will come your way.

[JeffBeck]

Or were you selling ice cream? I'm confused.

I was a designer for Dippin' Dots (and hope to be again someday), so I guess technically I was selling ice cream. If they can weather this storm, then I think my odds of being re-hired are very good.

Oh, I see... I guess I would have assumed that a company like that would not have need for an in-house art department, and outsource their design work to an agency. Do they do their printing in-house as well?

Out of house agencies just aren't (forgive me) "agile" enough to keep up with the changes and deadlines that we work under. We actually had a design team of nearly 15 people (including social media, photography, pos design, industrial design, etc, etc) and we were all VERY busy.

I'm actually surprised that they haven't at least toyed with the idea of moving the printing in house. Mostly for the vinyl work. But printing and application are very different things. Plus, we use printers all over the country in order to get finished products out to specific regions in the quickest possible time. Wouldn't work very well to be shipping a bunch of sneeze guard menus from New Jersey to San Diego, when we could just have a printer in Cali take care of it. Same difference in producing all of it in Paducah - it would just take too long to get where it needs to go.

[Mossman]

I was a designer for Dippin' Dots (and hope to be again someday), so I guess technically I was selling ice cream. If they can weather this storm, then I think my odds of being re-hired are very good.

Oh, I see... I guess I would have assumed that a company like that would not have need for an in-house art department, and outsource their design work to an agency. Do they do their printing in-house as well?

Out of house agencies just aren't (forgive me) "agile" enough to keep up with the changes and deadlines that we work under. We actually had a design team of nearly 15 people (including social media, photography, pos design, industrial design, etc, etc) and we were all VERY busy.

I'm actually surprised that they haven't at least toyed with the idea of moving the printing in house. Mostly for the vinyl work. But printing and application are very different things. Plus, we use printers all over the country in order to get finished products out to specific regions in the quickest possible time. Wouldn't work very well to be shipping a bunch of sneeze guard menus from New Jersey to San Diego, when we could just have a printer in Cali take care of it. Same difference in producing all of it in Paducah - it would just take too long to get where it needs to go.

Yeah, that makes sense. I don't think I realized the scale of that company... plus I'm a dinosaur. There was no internet, or Photoshop, or digital imaging when I last worked as a graphic artist. Back then, you were lucky if you got Adobe Illustrator, or Deluxe Paint for type-setting (as opposed to some niche, proprietary, or downright primitive system). It made more sense to do everything in house, because back then you were dealing with physical artwork and films. You didn't have the option of emailing that stuff to a remote print shop, and then there's the risk of loss or damage in transit with FedEx, etc. I once worked for a plastics company in Massachusetts called Comet Products. We did a lot of work for 7-Eleven, fast food chains, airlines, etc. (If you ever drank a Big Gulp in the late '80s/early '90s, you've probably seen my work. ). They printed everything there and shipped tons of plastic all over the country. I tried not to think about that, actually.

Funny side note; when I worked at CP, I got a call in my office from one of the science guys down in the lab, and they needed me to go down there and help them with their computer system (I was known as a computer geek by my co-workers, and I guess the word got around). When I got down to the lab, there were a bunch of engineers there wearing lab coats and pocket protectors, standing around something that I couldn't see right away. I had never been down there before, or even knew it existed, and the equipment in that place looked like something out of Star Trek!

One of the engineers noticed I was there and said: "Oh good, you're here... Steve in accounting said you might be able to help us." as he motioned for me to come closer. He said: "We just upgraded our extrusion equipment, but it runs on proprietary software, and we just can't get it to run". As I got closer, I could see the thing they were all standing around, looking clueless, was a Commodore 64 with a cassette drive!

Hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars worth of equipment, and it's all running on a C64... On tape! I typed "LOAD", then it said: "PRESS PLAY ON TAPE". Then I told them they could all take a break, because it would take about 20 minutes for the program to load, and went back to my office.

[redman]

Bad news for sure but A+ for the attitude and I really hate this happened to you. I live in a seniors apartment complex small place just 42 apartments and almost everyone here is like me old and single so we're a pretty close knit group and today I found out one of the tenants has got this pandemic virus. I guess I'll need to stay in my apartment and keep my head down even more than I already have been.

[mickey]

Bad news for sure but A+ for the attitude and I really hate this happened to you. I live in a seniors apartment complex small place just 42 apartments and almost everyone here is like me old and single so we're a pretty close knit group and today I found out one of the tenants has got this pandemic virus. I guess I'll need to stay in my apartment and keep my head down even more than I already have been.

By the time you are old enough to live in a "seniors" anything Covid-19 appears to be a death sentence!

[JeffBeck]

Bad news for sure but A+ for the attitude and I really hate this happened to you. I live in a seniors apartment complex small place just 42 apartments and almost everyone here is like me old and single so we're a pretty close knit group and today I found out one of the tenants has got this pandemic virus. I guess I'll need to stay in my apartment and keep my head down even more than I already have been.

Yeah, man. Don't take any chances with this stuff.

I know people who have it right now - some friend's of my son - who thought going on vacation to Mexico and the Gulf would be a great idea. Just found out in the last few days that 5 or 6 of them now have it. They're young and dumb (19 yrs old) and will most likely be fine. But I know a couple of others (mid 30s and mid 40s) who had it two or three months ago and said it was the single worst thing they've ever gone through. One guy said he went to bed feeling fine on night and woke up the next morning feeling like someone was stabbing him in the head. He said all he could do for the next week was lay in bed and cry.

I feel fortunate that I don't know anyone who has died from it. I hope to keep it that way.

[PoodlesAgain]

JB, got any equipment at home you could produce stuff with?

Pals in the industry?

Local gigs (especially the ones that want everything for nothing..!)?

Got something prepared to go out to support a job application?

[mindwave]

WARNING THE FOLLOWING MAY CONTAIN WHAT APPEARS TO BE POLITICAL COMMENTARY----------------------ITS NOT

Welcome to the Previous administrations version of NIRVANA! You have now been freed from the slavery of the 9-5 or 8 - 6 or 6- 6 if youre in heathcare, and into the world is youre oyster. You now have 160 EXTRA hours every month to look search and see what it actually is that you WANT to do.

Unfortunately at the MOST Uncle sam will only be able to support you for 180 days but come one youre not a recent college grauate with a masters in lesbian interpretive dance sleeping on his mom in laws couch at age 47 (are you)

Seriously, its a horrible feeling. The only thing WORSE than having the WORLD pull the rug out from under you, is having your own BODY decide you cant follow your chosen career path (voice of experience here)

However, and this I mean seriously, YOU unlike most men your age, have a hobby, guitars, SO, you start to feel down, go LEARN SOMETHING> I dont care if its Grannys Hoboken hoe-Down, learning keeps your brain moving and your mind away from the pit of depression (again voice here!)

One thng you however may NOT have, is a plan, and thats ok, becase this same world that just yanked on your chain is changing in ways that you can tke advantage of in a HUGE way.

When I was a kid and my dad asked me what I wanted to bem the CRAZIEST thing I said was "An Astronaut" because the \body thing' is a genetic issue so we knew it was coming. and at the time there was NO way around that. You cant run, you cant be an astronat.

When I asked MY son what he wanted to do, he couldnt put a name to it, so I said "Show me someone who is doing what you want to do...."

Social Influencer

29 years ago those 2 words couldnt co-exist in the same sentence, now there are 1000s of people all over america making a 6 figure income doing just that!
BUT since like "rock star" its a far less than 10%nsure things I suggested we start ;looking into what a GOOD one of |those| needs.

He is now an Honors students and one of te founding students in his high schools engineering programs earning college credits at the same time

SLAM DUNK

How does that apply to you?

(your going to HATE THIS but do it, it works)

Make a list of what you LOVE to do, WRITE IT DOWN (see I told you you would hate it)

Then write down every single ancillary way to make money doing that.

I teach a class on ancient history in a very niche market, one of m students came to me after class and said he was getting hassled by his folks because of his career choice, so I asked him what he told mom and dad, and then we did what Im telling YOU to do,.

BTW: Initial Goal? NFL Player

My 1st reaction was to point out, that it was a VERY short career, an we went online and found that most players who play for longer than 10 years, do so in some other leagues, CFL, EFL, Japan.....

Then he says but Yeah if Iign for $10Mill and play for 10 years......and we broke down taxes and management, self insurance....thats not a lot of $$ to throw yourself at guys that will hurt you if there is any possible way.

2 hours later he had 6 actual jobs he could go for. Right now he is working in #2. pick

For 3 years he's been a cameraman for ESPN,.....

Im just saying.... we put ourse;es in very small boxes and start to feel safe and warm and comfy......

[JeffBeck]

An update.

Well, all crappy things, as well as good things comes to an end it seems.

After a year and change I've landed another design job. Unbelievably it's local. My geographic location is not really a deep well of opportunity for graphic designers. I just finished up my first full week of work and I'm tired (I'm used to sitting on the couch and zoning out, you know) but I feel so much better now than I have since April of 2020. I've literally spent the last year or so not allowing myself to be happy or come out of my unemployment induced funk (which included coming here and taking part), but now those clouds are parting. I actually smile driving to work. It's a nice feeling.

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. But I'm pretty happy with it.

[bleys21]

That's great news, glad to hear you found something close. I'm super fortunate to work about 2 miles from home, so I'm betting once you get past the whole "Wait, I have to get up and go somewhere? Why?" stage, it will be pretty sweet.