notacomputergeek

No, I’m not hiring, but I have a suggestion if you are looking. Many years ago, I found myself laid off in the downturn of post-Y2K and the dot-com bust. It was difficult for many in the IT field to find new employment if they were in this situation. I had six weeks’ severance and thought I would easily find something in that time. Six weeks came and went. Six months came and went. Sure, I found a few part-time jobs that kept me afloat, but I was getting farther and farther away from my industry.

After about a year of being unemployed and underemployed, I needed to keep my IT skills up to date. I made a call to our local United Way #unitedway #tauw, which is a collection of non-profits assisting the community, and talked to the Director of IT. I said, “I need to keep my skills up to date, do you have any agencies that would like free IT support?” He sent me to several jobs helping different agencies and after about three months, it became a full-time gig being self-employed. What started as the donation of my time turned into the career I love and working with non-profits is all about the mission and very satisfying.

You have valuable skills – don’t be afraid to give them away sometimes. Stay busy, stay connected, think outside the box, and don’t stop.

I guess the moral of the story is that you never know what one decision will lead to something better. As the famous baseball player, Yogi Berra, said, “If you see a fork in the road, take it!”. #yogiberra