The Job Hunt begins...

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kingfish
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The Job Hunt begins...

Post by kingfish »

Hi,

After 26 years and 8 months, this past Monday, I received the lay-off.

Does anyone in the eastern Massachusetts area know of skirt friendly (or skirt indifferent) companies looking to hire an electrical engineer with a couple decades of embedded electronic design experience scattered across pretty much all the phases of that development from proof-of-concept to production, including schematics, pcb layouts, firmware, software, and functional test.

My hometown of Holliston does have a Men In Kilts franchise, but I don't see myself taking up a career cleaning gutters.

I did see some postings for the Mathworks, but remembering Carl's "adventures" toward the end of his tenure there, I thankfully know better. Though, I think I have a bit of that particular "gaslit" feeling regarding my last months there.

Carl, what did you do to get the groove back?

Thanks,
John.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by Fred in Skirts »

What caused the layoff?? With that kind of tenure you should be the last one out the door when the company folded. :(
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

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kingfish wrote:After 26 years and 8 months, this past Monday, I received the lay-off.
Well, that doth suck.
Carl, what did you do to get the groove back?
It took me a total of four months to stitch my brain back together what with the damage done by 12 years of no proper organisation, guidance, management, or priority. Everything there was more important than everything else and we were never allowed to ever finish anything that got started. The result was a massive case of "induced attention deficit disorder".

The first couple of months were spent just relaxing and getting my brain back into a condition where it could actually stay "on task" for more than 30 seconds. This involved long walks in quiet settings and a lot of reflection. I also had to dig my way out of a very serious depression that the sacking caused as that made me feel completely valueless. This was the longest phase of the convalescence by far. I had a deep financial buffer (and retain one) so I didn't feel any panicked need to take on another job, and that helped immensely.

After the first couple of months, I then methodically started ramping up my concentration by donating some of my time to the then-ongoing restoration of a DEC KI-10 that was going on at Seattle's Living Computer Museum that was having some extremely knotty problems. During this time, I found myself able to concentrate properly on things for well over an hour at a stretch meaning that I was getting back to being mentally healthy again. I did this not for money, but because it was (1) fun, and (2) extremely therapeutic. I also started dabbling in non-MySQL database stuff at the time as well as PHP to sharpen up on things that might help out in the job-search I knew was upcoming. At about two months after getting rolled out of Mathworks/SSG I started attending a networking group in Acton, and tangentially through them met a very good recruiter (who seems to have retired), and started interviewing. The KI finally roared to life and I began dabbling in TOPS-10 monitor internals with an eye to creating a hypothetical "maximal MASSBUS device" that would, with the help of the MASSBUS emulator in use there end the disk-space capacity issues they chronically fought with. This was more work than play as it required massive mental exertion and involved a vertical learning-curve.

The last month was spent on finishing off a "job-search assistant" in the form of a PHP/PostgreSQL system running on one of my Solaris systems at home, the MASSBUS project, and interviews. In mid-December, I received an offer from the company I now work for and accepted a start-date right after the first of the year. Also in mid-December the MASSBUS project bore first fruit in that the KI booted my custom device-driver (which I had to write in a true-to-form historical style) and recognised the (enormous) "disk drive"; unfortunately, this also meant making some fairly heavy tweaks to the on-disk filesystem format, and time ran out before I went back to work full-time.

The upshot here is that if you feel you're damaged mentally and need some time to fix said damage, you likely are and do. Take the time to fix things -- and fix them well, because the world of today is not what it was 10 or 20 years ago. It's all madcap no-priority garbage now, and if you dive right back into that your head will implode. It's also not any better at one place versus another: they all pretty much stink which is why I encourage youngsters to do something other than computing in the modern world. ("You're obsolete before you get out of school, will have a large amount of debt from the schooling, and your job will likely disappear to an H-1B visa holder who will work for a quarter of what you need. If I knew then what I know now, I'd likely have become a plumber with a speciality in HVAC systems.")

Good luck!
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kingfish
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by kingfish »

Carl,
Thanks for those insight(s). I know my sister is looking to have me dive right back in so to speak, and even spotted a possible opening in my home town less than 10 minutes from my house. Right now, I'm feeling a strong need to "re-tool" and may take the time to do some of that...that is once the panic-despair cycling calms down a bit. Though getting my head into the search seems to calm that one pretty good.

My induced attention deficit was something I actually didn't feel much pain from, even though it kept me from being productive on anything requiring deep thought. I have been tested for ADHD and have traces. Things like getting phone answering duty, getting asked where something is, having my back to the main hallway, having hearing good enough to clearly make out conversations in the next room (and being banned from wearing headphones), and getting asked for little things a dozen times a day can really interfere with being able put the concentration that produces good, timely results. Of course, I also didn't mind mindless stuff. If they're going to pay me to sweep the floors, okay.

The layoff was resulting from a financial pinch the company is feeling at the moment. By taking out me and one other guy, they've effectively cut their workforce by about 14%. It was an engineering services company. The kind of place that other companies would contract for electronic design work in lieu of building an in-house design team. This meant that we tended to get busy in times of economic uncertainty or labor shortage. Alternately, it also means they get slow in times when the economy is really bad or really good. And right now, the economy is really good and the labor market is only just starting to dry up around here.

We also didn't really specialize in a particular target industry or phase of development. I've written small scale firmware, written PC applications, I've laid out PC boards, put together costed bills of materials, written illustrated build and test procedures, failure analysis, and even filled in on some mechanical design work. I've worked on large industrial equipment, commercial equipment, consumer electronics, medical equipment (both clinical and research), design validation equipment, functional test equipment, and can even hold my own operating/maintining a makerbot(tm) 3D printer.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

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kingfish wrote:Thanks for those insight(s). I know my sister is looking to have me dive right back in so to speak, and even spotted a possible opening in my home town less than 10 minutes from my house. Right now, I'm feeling a strong need to "re-tool" and may take the time to do some of that...that is once the panic-despair cycling calms down a bit. Though getting my head into the search seems to calm that one pretty good.
You're most welcome, and if it helps I'm happy to have been of assistance.

One thing, though, is that if you sense -- even briefly -- that your mind is injured from the experience it highly probably is, so take care of that first.

Panic/despair is extremely common in situations like this, and it's vastly worse for men than women as men tend to be "validated" by their jobs. Ignore this facet at your peril.

On the notion of "Induced Attention Deficit Disorder", that is not a clinically-recognised condition -- and it's very different from ADHD. ADHD is something that you "have"; "IADD" is something that was caused, perhaps inflicted intentionally (in my case there exists evidence that it was the latter, especially in the final two years). I went into MW/SSG in 2001 in a high-functioning mental state and exited in 2013 a complete mental wreck. In retrospect, it's a miracle I even survived it. It took slightly more than two months' time before I could even sense that there was something of my old mind left. I took another month before I could harness it again.
The layoff was resulting from a financial pinch the company is feeling at the moment. By taking out me and one other guy, they've effectively cut their workforce by about 14%.
Watch the "careers" section of their web-page. In my case, it was a cost-cutting measure and the entire senior admin team got the axe from MW/SSG over the course of 3 months. There was one guy there who dropped dead in his 30s from a heart-attack which was likely stress-induced. When I last looked, my position was still open and they wanted someone with a PhD for it (likely playing the H-1B card). Was the act criminal? It's highly likely that it was; however, straight white middle-aged guys have precisely no purchase in the legal system (as I was baldy told by a couple of lawyer pals) so there is no recourse save to hope that Karma takes its course.

In the end, was it all bad? I'd have to say, "No." Towards the end of my tenure there I was a pale shadow of my former self and my intellect had suffered similarly. The sacking was, ultimately, a blessing -- although it was definitely in disguise at the time. I'm vastly better off now than I was in mid-2013. In the interim, I've also gained insight into the behaviours of certain bosses: in a nod to Karma, one of them remains well-hated from a position he held in the late 1980s before MW/SSG was even contemplated -- and it's possible I might just have brushed wings with him then (there was overlap), but if I did it was entirely inconsequential.

Understand and gauge your needs wisely -- and don't underestimate the effort or time required to heal the wounds.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by kingfish »

crfriend wrote:
One thing, though, is that if you sense -- even briefly -- that your mind is injured from the experience it highly probably is, so take care of that first.

Panic/despair is extremely common in situations like this, and it's vastly worse for men than women as men tend to be "validated" by their jobs. Ignore this facet at your peril.
Thinking back, there's a good possibility I've gotten the gaslight treatment, from one of the two bosses in particular. I have experienced verbal abuse from that partner. And how I was approached regarding the quality of last release memo and usage protocol I wrote kind of confirms the drop in mental acuity.
crfriend wrote: On the notion of "Induced Attention Deficit Disorder", that is not a clinically-recognised condition -- and it's very different from ADHD. ADHD is something that you "have"; "IADD" is something that was caused, perhaps inflicted intentionally (in my case there exists evidence that it was the latter, especially in the final two years). I went into MW/SSG in 2001 in a high-functioning mental state and exited in 2013 a complete mental wreck. In retrospect, it's a miracle I even survived it. It took slightly more than two months' time before I could even sense that there was something of my old mind left. I took another month before I could harness it again.
From what I read when you were going through it, it was inflicted upon you. Constant task switching and interruption prevents deep focus on problems, impeding their solution. Been there. Felt that. Took to sweeping the floors or pretending to work. I really think of it as the high tech version of gaslighting. I do hope to bounce back faster than a couple months.
crfriend wrote: Watch the "careers" section of their web-page.
I will, but I'm not sure there's anyone manning that channel. My former employer is a company of 11 people now. The irony is that one of the people on their management team page has been "consultant" status for three years, and ended his relationship the week before in a less than amicable manner.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by Freedomforall »

kingfish wrote:Hi,

After 26 years and 8 months, this past Monday, I received the lay-off.

Does anyone in the eastern Massachusetts area know of skirt friendly (or skirt indifferent) companies looking to hire an electrical engineer with a couple decades of embedded electronic design experience scattered across pretty much all the phases of that development from proof-of-concept to production, including schematics, pcb layouts, firmware, software, and functional test.

My hometown of Holliston does have a Men In Kilts franchise, but I don't see myself taking up a career cleaning gutters.

I did see some postings for the Mathworks, but remembering Carl's "adventures" toward the end of his tenure there, I thankfully know better. Though, I think I have a bit of that particular "gaslit" feeling regarding my last months there.

Carl, what did you do to get the groove back?

Thanks,
John.
My wife is an office manager for SAIC. They are a multi-faceted company. The office she manages is comprised of electrical engineers. They have locations all over the globe. You might check with SAIC.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

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kingfish wrote:I really think of [constant task-switching] as the high tech version of gaslighting.
I wasn't familiar with the term "gaslighting" as a verb, so I looked it up. The list of behaviours enumerated in the article might as well have been a checklist for the corporate psychopath that ran (and still runs, along with his henchmen) the division I worked in.
I do hope to bounce back faster than a couple months.
Hopefully you're not under financial pressure; the sorts of behaviours seemingly involved would indicate you've suffered a serious setback you may not be completely aware of.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by kingfish »

Freedomforall wrote: My wife is an office manager for SAIC. They are a multi-faceted company. The office she manages is comprised of electrical engineers. They have locations all over the globe. You might check with SAIC.
I just checked their website. Their closest site is Middletown, RI and they do have an opening for an electrical engineer, literally in the same office building as a former client of mine (who since moved to Arizona). I built a couple of camera systems for his bacteria counting concept. With Google maps showing a commute of an hour and a half, It is at kind of the range of what I'd commute to. I will throw a resume at it anyway...that is once I get the jumbled mess of memories combed down for the buzzword bingo often referred to as a resume.

Thanks!
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by kingfish »

crfriend wrote:Hopefully you're not under financial pressure; the sorts of behaviours seemingly involved would indicate you've suffered a serious setback you may not be completely aware of.
I do have a financial cushion sitting in some mutual funds I inherited that theoretically could sustain me for a year or two, but I I'm hoping to hold onto it for retirement. The bad news for me is that seeing the money go out, from an emotional standpoint, will feel traumatic.

As for cognitive impairment, I am more forgetful than I was several years ago. I noticed that my spelling ability has dropped off. There are times when I have trouble finding the right words. And my memo/protocol/etc writing of recent past has needed coaching where it once didn't.

The good news for me is that the last couple of things I was doing for work, they left me alone to complete it. I actually felt the groove that comes with getting a piece of code to work. (read major confidence boost) It's just a matter of getting the API down. I may have to do some serious brushing up on C++ and do some academic work involving python and raspberry pi/embedded linux, but I can still code.

Also, even though I'm dealing with the shock of separation (which is bad enough that I can't decide if it is nauseous or hungry, or the panic/despair sensation), I do feel a sense of relief. And I'm grabbing at that with both frontal lobes.

Oh, and by the way. I want to thank everyone, especially you Carl, Freedomforall, and everyone lurking, providing positive vibes and "providing a dry shoulder" for my miseration. The act of writing these posts is proving to be theraputic for me.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by Fred in Skirts »

kingfish wrote:Oh, and by the way. I want to thank everyone, especially you Carl, Freedomforall, and everyone lurking, providing positive vibes and "providing a dry shoulder" for my miseration. The act of writing these posts is proving to be theraputic for me.
A lot of us have been where you are and we do feel for you. But as has been said before you must do the work of getting back on your feet. You may never ride a horse if you are thrown unless you get right back in the saddle and ride it.
It looks like you are coping fairly well at present so keep up the fight and win the day!!

Fred
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

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kingfish wrote:As for cognitive impairment, I am more forgetful than I was several years ago. I noticed that my spelling ability has dropped off. There are times when I have trouble finding the right words. And my memo/protocol/etc writing of recent past has needed coaching where it once didn't.
I suspect that this is a more common side-effect of today's "economy" than anyone is willing to admit. The amount of damage that can be done can be catastrophic leading to depression and -- at worst -- suicide when the sufferer compares his current state to one remembered from when times were less stressful in general.

First and foremost, do NOT let the incident shake your sense of self, even though you may well feel that way. The moment you give in to that you've lost not just the battle but the entire war. In retrospect, I think that I treated my wounded mind the same way that serious concussions are treated today, one component of which is to reduce the work that the brain has to do; that can be ramped up later once the calm has allowed the nerves to all settle down.
The good news for me is that the last couple of things I was doing for work, they left me alone to complete it. I actually felt the groove that comes with getting a piece of code to work. (read major confidence boost)
Do not forget that feeling! In my case, I only began glimpsing my old mind after about two months' time, and never got it into high gear until close to four months' time. It was a long and needed convalescence. It's mostly shattered snippets again, but that's the "new normal" in a world that thinks that "multi-tasking" is a real thing for humans (when there is a vast body of evidence in both medical and psychological literature stating that humans do NOT multi-task well). Whatever you do, though, don't try to push it too hard as you'll aggravate the wound.
Also, even though I'm dealing with the shock of separation (which is bad enough that I can't decide if it is nauseous or hungry, or the panic/despair sensation), I do feel a sense of relief. And I'm grabbing at that with both frontal lobes.
This is a good sign indeed.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by dillon »

I don’t have much advice for eastern MA, but I suspect that if it’s important to you to follow the same career, you’ll have to consider relocating. That’s sort of expected in the corporate world now. In my own case, I see dozens of jobs in California but few in the Carolinas. Luckily I have a pension, such as it is, and don’t have to beat the bushes for a job. Too, I have some family business ventures which will hopefully add to my income. I feel bad for you, because even with laws against age discrimination, it still prevails in the job market. Luckily, an EE commands a good salary, which suggests demand. I know because my son is an engineering student, though not electrical. But he has a job waiting after he graduates in two months.
As a matter of fact, the sun DOES shine out of my ...
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

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dillon wrote:I don’t have much advice for eastern MA, but I suspect that if it’s important to you to follow the same career, you’ll have to consider relocating. That’s sort of expected in the corporate world now. In my own case, I see dozens of jobs in California but few in the Carolinas. Luckily I have a pension, such as it is, and don’t have to beat the bushes for a job. Too, I have some family business ventures which will hopefully add to my income. I feel bad for you, because even with laws against age discrimination, it still prevails in the job market. Luckily, an EE commands a good salary, which suggests demand. I know because my son is an engineering student, though not electrical. But he has a job waiting after he graduates in two months.
For me the good news is that eastern MA has a *lot* of places doing electronic development work. Big players like Bose, Raytheon, Dell/EMC, are the first three that come to mind, all within a dozen miles of my house. In fact, this afternoon, we took our grand niece to Chuck-e-Cheese (arcade) in Natick, across the street from Carl's former employer. Ironically, this Chuck-e-Cheese franchise had rented a portion of one of the buildings at the front of the Cognex campus, a company making industrial inspection cameras.
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Re: The Job Hunt begins...

Post by Freedomforall »

kingfish wrote:
Freedomforall wrote: My wife is an office manager for SAIC. They are a multi-faceted company. The office she manages is comprised of electrical engineers. They have locations all over the globe. You might check with SAIC.
I just checked their website. Their closest site is Middletown, RI and they do have an opening for an electrical engineer, literally in the same office building as a former client of mine (who since moved to Arizona). I built a couple of camera systems for his bacteria counting concept. With Google maps showing a commute of an hour and a half, It is at kind of the range of what I'd commute to. I will throw a resume at it anyway...that is once I get the jumbled mess of memories combed down for the buzzword bingo often referred to as a resume.

Thanks!

Hey my wife just reminded me they were bought by Leidos, who also employs electrical engineers. She suggests looking on their site as well. If you do apply, please let us know as she may be eligible for a recruiting bonus.
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