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They say it's always easier to find a job when you have a job... 
(random tweets about employment coming up)
I'm 42, and including high school & collage jobs I have worked for 8 companies and only 1 job I got "all by myself"
The first (only) job I got in high school was working for a Casino company. The person who hired me, hired me after I did two days of volunteer work for a local organization. "You're a good worker, you want a job?" ... ok.
He gave me a chance out of the blue and I will forever be thankful for that. But I can never tell him. He passed away in 2001.
My second official job was in College, but it didn't last very long. But again, I didn't try for it. My sister was managing a Tim hortons in the city I went to college and she said "just apply to the one near your school, you'll get in." -- I did.
I worked there during the school semesters. I almost got killed by a reckless driver. When I asked for some time off to go back home, it was denied. So I quit. (You'll see this again)
Post college, my first "real" job was working for a computer store in downtown Toronto. This job was also one that I didn't apply for. It was handed to me by a fellow that I did freelance work for.
I don't consider "Freelance" a job. I can break that down more later if you're confused. I've always had a little freelance work interlaced in my life. Regardless, building computers wasn't my jam - and after a year i asked for 2 weeks off (in a row) - it was denied so I quit.
I was then unemployed for almost 2 years. I threw away a paying job for some strange belief that an employee is entitled to time off. That two years was quite a moment of my life, but again, not this thread.
My second real job (after searching and searching for something tech related) came by way of another friend. "We're hiring, submit now!" - so I did, and I got hired.
This one was a tedious data processing job. Not what I wanted, but I needed it. I wanted to be programming stuff. Which, strangely enough, this data processing job leaned into. I wrote some software that optimized my job. I was ultra-efficient in comparison to others.
Then I got fired. My first real experience (and only) of working in a place where they give you and everyone negative reviews constantly so at a whim, they can fire you. (And also not give you reasonable raises)...
Unemployed again. But this time, the age of internet job boards was springing up. I splattered my very weak resume over many of them. I kept applying to jobs I saw and got nothing in return. The occasional email "we're pursuing other applicants"...
Until one day someone reached out to me directly. "hey, I saw your profile on [redacted], would you like to come to Toronto for an interview?" -- uh.. yes, yes I would.
I went. I had _the worst interview of my life_. (all of my interviews are bad, just FYI). I drove back to mom's house at 160km/hr and hid in the basement for a day.
Then I got an email "Your interview was terrible, but we want to give you a chance. We would like you submit us some code samples by Monday, can you do that?"... Anxiety -> Maximum. I can do that, but now I have to figure out what to write...
So I worked on some things and submitted it it Sunday night. It was reviewed Monday morning (I know, because I saw the logs!) and then I was given a response...
"That was probably the best code sample I've ever been given. We would like you to come in for a second interview." I earned this one. Hopefully I don't fuck up the second interview...
But now that they know I'm terrible at interviews, this one went a little different. In fact, it wasn't an interview at all - it was a job offer. They asked me the ever hard question "How much do you want to be paid?"...
I'm coming from a data processing job of about $10/hr. Minimum wage at the time is about $6.85/hr. My freelance rate is about $30/hr. I say "$22/hr!" thinking I'm gonna get bank! - they look at each other and say "we'll discuss."...
They come back after a few minutes "we'd like to off you the contract position at $35/hr"... I... what... wow. Of course I'm going to take it! (If you're reading this, you know who you are: Thank you, you probably have no idea what that did.)...
I worked there for 3.5 years. I left in 2009 without any angst or stupid reasons. It was just time to go. This was an experience given to me by someone I didn't know who thought they should give me a chance...
In late 2010, it was time to go back to work again. The job browsing was much of the same. Apply -> "no!"... Search -> Apply -> "no." Until a friend again, "We're hiring! Apply here..." Apply.... (bad interviews)... get job because I know someone...
That job was terrible. I only lasted 5 months, and the last two months I spent finding another job. The next one in early 2011 was the only one I've ever acquired by myself.
While employed by the "bad" place, I was applying to others. A lot of places near by. I would literally go "for lunch", but actually go for a bad interview instead. I would "go for coffee" but it was really a phone call. I don't know if they noticed I was doing it...
It didn't matter to me. After a bunch of bad interviews and nope nope nope, I got one that was willing to be more flexible. They scheduled one out of office hours. I had to bus far away for this one...
I had an interview that I actually thought went well (this is rare) I felt like I would be in there... I was wrong. They declined to offer me the role and I went on....
Two weeks later though, the same place called me back. "We have this different position, do you want it instead?"... done. This was the first and only job I have managed to get without someone else on the inside, or someone seeking me...
Of course, this was only a contract job. I didn't hate it but shortly after, while employed, someone from one of my former jobs reached out to me... "I know a place that's looking for what you do... do you want to meet them?"... You might be reading this too, Thank you.
Ok! Let me at 'em. There's not much to this one - after an into, an out-of-hours interview (bad, there was a dog though, so I think that helped.), a second interview at a bar (my safe space), I was hired as the first employee of this company...
I was there for 8.5 years.
While unemployed I struggled to get even a bad interview.
While employed I bounced from a bad job, to a good job, to a great job....
While unemployed I struggled to get even a bad interview.
While employed I bounced from a bad job, to a good job, to a great job....
I don't know what my point is to all of this. But I'm in the unemployed stage right now where I'm applying to things (20 jobs so far in the last few months) -- only 2 interviews, a handful of "we're pursuing others..." and a whole bunch of ghosts...
I'm in the unemployed stage where someone, somewhere maybe will give me a chance to roll up and do some kick ass work...
I'm not at the state where I'm willing to just take any job though. Again, sorry for the rambling rant of shit. I don't have a blog anymore. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk. 
