Introduction

Hi.  My name is Midwest Chick.  I am a 35 year old Midwesterner who was laid off from a job exactly one year ago today.  I have over ten years of cumulative experience doing varied things:  project management, human resources, sales, office support, operations - you name it, I've done it.  And I've done it for both small and large (Fortune 500) companies.  And, I did it so well, people never wanted me to leave.  I like growth, so that is why I would leave companies.  I had the 'do the job too well' syndrome...and it's a real ambition killer.  So.... I've never had a problem with getting a job...until now. 

In this economy, it is a business market, meaning, the businesses have the advantage.  They can pick and choose from literally thousands desperate people vying for the same job. He or she who is willing to accept 25k for a 50k job is s/he who gets job. Good, loyal, and extremely competent workers can be dismissed under the labels of 'layoff', 'downsize', 'buyout', 'separation agreements', and several creative terms that all amount to:  you're too expensive and we cannot afford you. Or in the real laymens terms:  we can get two people to do more work than you can do...and pay them both what we paid for your single salary. Back in the day, one could be dismissed from a job because they were incompetent (though it rarely ever happened), or because they simply didn't have enough black mail info on their superiors.  Now it's experience, salary, age, and health issues that gets one canned. 

As a result of these conditions, I am underemployed.  What is underemployment you ask?  Underemployment is when you're working beneath a satisfactory level in terms of salary, working conditions, and job satisfaction.  I am underemployed working at a company that is physically repulsive and reminds me of a prison.  It's gray, with high cubicle walls, and very little opportunities to be social.  Think of the movie office space and you've got where I work.  Did I mention this job is temporary?

I landed this form of slavery job long term assignment for a rather well known company on a temp assignment.  I was only supposed to be there for a week or two, and it turned into a month while I was waiting to begin another contract assignment.  The year long contract assignment would provide me with experience in the field I have my undergraduate degree in.  Long story short?  The manager of the department liked my performance so well, they wanted to bring me in permanently.  Of course, I was delighted.  The problem was, they couldn't bring me in for a month or two.  At the end of the day, I needed money, so I went to my contract job.  I went through their training sessions, and was almost ready to begin working when the temp agency contacted me to let me know my prior assignment was interested in bringnig me on in the form of temp to hire status.  The deal was I had to work for a month as temp, then would be hired.  Catch?  My contract job was paying me closer to what I was making prior to being laid off.  At the time, I had been laid off for seven months.  Bills were finally getting paid down a bit.  The temp-to-hire opp(ortunity) had me intrigued...and after much careful consideration...I decided to leave my contract job, with their well wishes, written recommendations, and blessings to pursue what seemed to be paydirt.

Well.  We all know how THAT turned out don't we?  If we didn't, you wouldn't be reading this introduction into bullshyitis would you?