Job situation update (2 Viewers)

[saintmdterps]

I appreciate the support!

So here's an update. We've raised $365 total, from the gofundme site and Paypal, plus $800 from family. Today, I am $4,100 short to pay a bill that is due tomorrow. I am working with the company to see if I can get an extension. I've already called them to let them know I might miss the payment because of my circumstances and asked if they could extend the due date by a month, but they basically told me that while they understood my situation, there wasn't anything they could do at this point. It seems they want me to wait until I miss the payment and then get back to them. Meh.

I'm just a bit concerned they're just going to hit me where it hurts at that point. I thought about consolidating my debt, but I know those guys charge fees and higher interest rates in some cases, so, I'm just trying to avoid putting my family in a deeper hole. Plus, it takes time to get that processed, so it doesn't really help with the late payment issue.

I'd ask family to float a loan and pay back after I start working again, but no one I know in the family has that kind of cash on hand.

The reason I'm trying so hard to avoid the late payment is that it affects my credit record and potentially could affect my ability to gain security clearance for positions requiring such, which is quite common in DC, particularly with positions in finance. Financial services positions also check credit for those applying for advisory roles for obvious reasons.

I do have several potential leads in the works, including at least three from guys here on the site. I've got 3 other leads getting worked on in federal government positions and a couple of other local contractors I've been talking to about 2 different financial analyst positions. The dilemma I'm in is that I'm running out of time and resources to sustain us beyond the time it would take to go through the interview and onboarding process, which can take a month, and sometimes longer before I see my first check. This is the reason I set our gofundme target at $10,000. That would tide us over for the next 2-3 months and give me a chance to find work.

Right now, I'm just trying to buy enough time to run through these leads. I'm pretty much at the end of the line financially, and I'm not sure how I'll handle the $4,100 payment that's due tomorrow. I've never missed a payment with them and I hate to start now.

I really, really hate doing this, because I don't like airing my struggles like this. I'm embarrassed tbh. But, I'm at a loss for how to figure this out.

Regardless what happens, I really do appreciate the help you all have offered through job leads and monetary support. You guys and gals are the best!

I'll send another update next week with hopefully better news.

If any of you want to suggest something, you can do so here, or feel free to PM me.

Warm regards,

Dave

You need not be embarrassed. It takes a much tougher person to ask for help than to gut it out alone.

If you own your home you may be able to do a re-fi. A refinance must provide a net tangible benefit to the borrower, so you may be able to pull equity without getting slammed on interest once you're employed. There are others on this site much more experienced than I who can help you.

 

[DaveXA]

You need not be embarrassed. It takes a much tougher person to ask for help than to gut it out alone.

If you own your home you may be able to do a re-fi. A refinance must provide a net tangible benefit to the borrower, so you may be able to pull equity without getting slammed on interest once you're employed. There are others on this site much more experienced than I who can help you.

Indeed, if I owned my own home, I probably would have done a re-fi or heloc a long time ago. Unfortunately I haven't been a homeowner in several years.

I've got a 2003 GMC envoy as my only vehicle and thought about selling that, but it's probably not worth more than $1k. I really don't have any other assets as I've already cashed out my retirement account from when I was a self-employed minister. The well is bone dry.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

 

[DaveXA]

Just a quick heads-up. The job search is ongoing, I do have a potential opportunity in the works. I've scheduled a preliminary phone interview with a large defense contractor and it's for a Technical Writing and Document Manager position. I would actually be supervising 2 other people.

I'm pretty stoked! It's still early in the first quarter so to speak, but I think this position is great fit for me. The only thing I'm not entirely sure of is whether it's a temporary or permanent position. I guess we'll find out during the interview process.

We're not out of the woods yet, but I've got several active leads. There's still hope for a good outcome!

 

[sonicboom]

Just a quick heads-up. The job search is ongoing, I do have a potential opportunity in the works. I've scheduled a preliminary phone interview with a large defense contractor and it's for a Technical Writing and Document Manager position. I would actually be supervising 2 other people.

I'm pretty stoked! It's still early in the first quarter so to speak, but I think this position is great fit for me. The only thing I'm not entirely sure of is whether it's a temporary or permanent position. I guess we'll find out during the interview process.

We're not out of the woods yet, but I've got several active leads. There's still hope for a good outcome!

Good luck, I hope everything works out for you. Friends seem to be the best resource in finding jobs....The old saying is, "It's not what you know, but who you know." I believe in this job market you will be able to find work, it might not be the field your normally in, but there is work out there for sure.

 

[BobE]

Good to hear Dave. Just remember you can always come live the tug boat life with me.

 

[DaveXA]

Good luck, I hope everything works out for you. Friends seem to be the best resource in finding jobs....The old saying is, "It's not what you know, but who you know." I believe in this job market you will be able to find work, it might not be the field your normally in, but there is work out there for sure.

Indeed, the interview I have tomorrow is because of a referral from one of our long time who dats here. I've been networking quite a bit lately and it's starting to get some results. I'm actually planning to attend a career fair Friday as well. Just another networking opportunity. Time will tell.

I'm really anxious to work though. I need it, and my family needs it. Time is flying by, but bills are still piling up. It's tough tbh, but I haven't lost hope, or faith. We'll get there.

 

[DaveXA]

No joke...my 8 year old iMac decided it doesn't want to start today. I mean seriously? All of my interview notes are on there and starting over will just suck. The iMac seems to be completely dead. It is plugged in, but it doesn't turn on when I press the power button. Any tech gurus here have a suggestion on troubleshooting? I've got about 2 hours to figure this out. I use the iMac to make video relay calls also, so I really need to get this figured out. I would use my son's pc, but it doesn't have a webcam. Might have to go get one and set it up. We'll see.

Any thoughts on what would keep the computer from turning on? I've already tried different outlets and different power cords. The iMac simply doesn't respond to the power button. Meh.

 

[mt15]

I had a Mac that used to do that once in a while. It seems like there was a way to get it to turn on. Maybe hold the power button down for like 10 seconds?

If you can go online on your son’s computer try an Apple help forum.

 

[DaveXA]

Yeah, I'm actually at a computer repair store now. I'm just hoping it's the power supply and an easy fix. I guess we'll see soon enough.

 

[mt15]

Good luck, Dave!

 

[APSaintsFan]

Dear SaintsReport family,

After giving this a great deal of thought and speaking with Andrus about our current situation, he encouraged me to reach out to our community here and share our circumstances.

As many of you already know, I've been working and living in the DC area with my wife and four children for over ten years. Last October, I was laid off of work because of a workforce reduction and my position was eliminated. Since then, I've been looking for another career opportunity. It's been a very difficult road, and we are currently in dire straits financially.

I am hard of hearing and I believe this has been a reason that hiring managers have avoided me. I get ghosted constantly and I've only had one interview after submitting hundreds of applications to a wide variety of career opportunities. I'm not sure why I haven't been able to get my foot in the door for a good career opportunity when I have a resume and history that speaks for itself.

On top of all this, my wife recently came down with vertigo. She literally can't leave the house without falling over. Needless to say, she's unable to work this week and possibly next week as well. It's a stressful situation all around. We're hanging in there but it's challenging to say the least.

At this point, I'm stumped as to what to do. Andrus gave me the idea of starting up a gofundme campaign, and I really hate asking for money, but at the same time I have no idea how we'll get through the next couple of weeks.

Tbh, I'd much rather get a job offer. I have no doubt that I would be a valuable addition to any organization that takes a chance with me. And I really believe there's an opportunity out there waiting for us, it's just not apparent to me what that is yet. I have an interview with a recruiter this Monday. I'm not sure it's for a specific position, but it's something to look forward to, I hope.

Warm regards and who dat!

Dave

Dave,

I can only wish that I could help you out because I understand how this just hurts to HAVE to ask for help. I am working 2 jobs just to keep my family afloat. My wife is disabled and is unable to work. She is not on disability yet and we are waiting for Social Security to decide. It has been 2 years plus since she applied. My second job is one that I am on my feet all the time and my legs are starting to give out. I was working 4 nights a week and had to cut it back to 2 nights a week to save my legs. So, this alone hurts us because the 4 nights a week at least kept us afloat. Now, we are getting help from the church for food and gas for my vehicle at least for work.

Good luck

Paul

 

[DaveXA]

Good luck, Dave!

So, I was just told the power supply is dead. They don't have any in stock. I'm trying to see if there is a store that has them on hand, but doesn't look promising so far. Might have to order one and wait for it to be shipped. Meh. I guess I'll just have to wing it for the interview. Of all the days to improvise! Lol.

 

[DaveXA]

Just thought of something, I have another mac, same as the one with the bad power supply. Might try and swap them and see if that works. Not looking forward to that tbh. Imacs are notoriously hard to work on. Have to pull the screen off to access the power supply, ehhhh. Yuck.

 

[sonicboom]

Just thought of something, I have another mac, same as the one with the bad power supply. Might try and swap them and see if that works. Not looking forward to that tbh. Imacs are notoriously hard to work on. Have to pull the screen off to access the power supply, ehhhh. Yuck.

I don't know the whole story, but if you need a pc in a pinch, you could goto the public library. You can buy a cheap chromebook or ipad. There is also FEDEX... Bug your neighbors!?! Just trying to help.

 

[DaveXA]

I don't know the whole story, but if you need a pc in a pinch, you could goto the public library. You can buy a cheap chromebook or ipad. There is also FEDEX... Bug your neighbors!?! Just trying to help.

I just finished the interview. Had to use the phone relay app. It sucks, but it worked well enough to get me a follow up interview with the hiring manager on Monday. Looks like they're trying to get this done quick. Who knows, they might start me next week at this rate. But I'm getting ahead of myself lol. Let's see how it goes Monday.

As for the imac, I'm about to pull 2 of them apart and swap the power supply, meh. Hope I don't make it worse, .