January 29, 2008Day 2

Today, I got up at 10AM.

Recession: 103, CotR: 3

I started the day thinking about my future.

The greatest challenge I face in getting a new job isn't in getting the job (well, it might be—we'll see what happens when I start applying), it's in deciding what job I want.

When I finished college I needed to get a job. I wasn't looking for a career—just a way to pay for rent and beer. So I got a job taking personal ads and, at times, responding to customer emails related to problems with the company website. I managed to parlay that (don't ask how—I got the job even though I was wearing my sweater inside out and didn't know what a URL was) into a job setting up small business websites. From there I moved to positions in quality assurance and modifications (working on our more complicated sites). I worked at that company for over a year. Once I'd had enough of them (it was basically a telemarketing scheme) I started looking through the local classifieds, where I found my current—nay, former—position.

All of that is a long-winded way of saying that I didn't get my former job because I love the work. I got it because I needed a job, then needed a job, then needed a job.

So, what now?

Thanks to my severance package I have time to look, time to think. Do I want to continue on as a web developer? Do I want to do something else in the industry? Or do I want to do something else altogether?

At this point, I can't say I know.

Recession: 104, CotR: 3

After I'd wasted a couple hours thinking about my future I moved on to something a little more tangible: my resume.

Not much to say there—worked from a couple examples, attempted to cobble together something that might get me hired. Another piece of advice: even if you have a job, make sure to update your resume every couple months. Remembering the exact names of companies I worked for eight years ago, and the approximate dates I worked for them, turned out to be harder than expected.

Recession: 104, CotR: 4