Darn, the company I work for has gone bankrubt... >:(
Time for another job, recession sucks :(
Any other victims out there?
Right here, brother. I was working for a headhunting firm here in Japan for a year and a half doing corporate facing solution sales to the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries. The thing is, if you're a headhunter, your job is completely based on whether your clients are hiring or not. Eventually, the big heads upstairs decided downsizing was in order, and chopped the workforce by 30%. That was back in December.
It has given me the push needed to really actively search for work back in the gaming industry again, though, so though it's been a tough few months, I'm focusing on that silver lining. As a professional headhunter and a firsthand-witness of the recession, I'll tell you now that the current situation is grim - fewer companies are hiring, and those that are are very picky about who they take on, but as long as you keep your wits about you and keep on applying for jobs, and maintain momentum, work is there to be had.
My job is hanging by a very loose thread, and I've started searching for new jobs just to be safe. Yesterday I was on my first interview in almost two years. It was rather fun. I got to wear my suit and a tie.
Basically the market for teachers in my city is pretty screwed, and I've even considered moving abroad. If your country has a demand for English/art teachers, write me a PM :)
Just go work in Norway Andail, and live in Sweden :P (Not that I know if there is need for english/art teachers here...)
Luckily safe... yet. I got quite specific profession, it's really hard to find qualified replacement.
But bullets are passing close, very close... and unemployment has skyrocketed to over 10%!
For a nation consisting only a bit over million souls, it's really sensible amount of unemployed people. Everybody and their neighbors know someone who's out of job.
Was made redundant last year, still haven't found anything. Even though the games industry is apparently recession proof!
Andail, are you still living in Brighton?
Not that I'm in a dire position like some ppl out there (or here on this board), but I've been trying to find work for the last two months and no one wants to hire a basic high-school graduate.
So yeah, this recession sucks.
~Trent
Where I work, we were at a point where we might have not gotten paychecks. But things have picked up a bit and I have gotten paid every week.
Sorry to those who have lost their jobs, I wish you the best of luck finding new employment.
BTW, I work in a Trophy and Awards shop.
After *cough* some *cough* years studying market-wise stuffes like : philosophy, history, anthropology and others *cough* payful *cough* domains, I decided to became more humble and learn computer-maintenance.
I'm out in 2 weeks.
God I will hate this recession. Hard time.
I chose the right time to go back to school.
So far (touch wood) the recession hasn't seemed to directly affect me since I started Uni in September, but who knows what is around the corner. I have nevertheless witnessed some pretty grim stories. My old man had to sack half of his workforce, some of whom are among his best friends, and he has worked with them for the last 20+ years. Also, my cousin runs a hotel and last I heard she has had to file for bankruptcy. And she's only like 23, it sucks!
Bad times and it's going to get worse before it gets better.
Yup, I graduated from college with a worthless degree at the absolute wrong time and have been out of a job for 8 months. Lately I have been battling the psychological effects of anticipating the sociological effects of moving back in with my parents for a little while. Depending on whether I can save up any money like that, I may just move out to Costa Rica to teach English if the decline in tourism hasn't hurt the demand too much.
Nope. My boss tells me that we're so much better than the competition that they are all suffering from recession, and we're not. Hm, where is that grain of salt again? :)
I said I wish I got a nickle every time someone mentioned recession, so I patented the word recession and now i'm loaded!
Quote from: Haddas on Sun 05/04/2009 18:53:09
I said I wish I got a nickle every time someone mentioned recession, so I patented the word recession and now i'm loaded!
No wonder the news has so many beeps now. :=
Unfortunatly, me aswell since march. I worked as a software engineer usually making user interfaces and creating databases for custom factory applications. but since the recession compagnies aren't all that hot on spending money to upgrade their equipment anymore. So in lack of orders my contract wasn't extended I was working at. :(
Phew, when I read your comments guys I'm so glad I'm still a student ;D Job's everywhere especially in the uni. :) Hope you find soon something.
Quote from: Radiant on Sun 05/04/2009 15:09:00
Nope. My boss tells me that we're so much better than the competition that they are all suffering from recession, and we're not. Hm, where is that grain of salt again? :)
Don't be so sure. They always say so. Have a friend who worked in big company at home (if there's something like that in my country := ). The boss(es) were always saying: "Don't worry, everything's fine. Keep workin', lads!" And suddenly - BOOM! Almost 35% ot the workers lost their jobs.
Arboris - it's a dismal time for anyone on a contract. Everyone's cutting corners, and external resources are usually the first to go, unless you happen to be one of the unlucky in-house developers for product houses that are going the outsourcing route. People are really adhering to the old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage these days, so things are getting tougher and tougher for the ever-changing IT business world. That's what screwed me over as an IT headhunter, ultimately.
Just over a year ago I worked for a company that dealt with the real-estate market. When the market tanked down here (BIG time) 90% of the staff (including myself) were let go. Luckily I found myself unemployed before the major effects of this recession hit.
I decided to take a job with a company working in the education field 'cause I figured it was a safe bet (always need education right?). I even passed on a job offer for 30k/year more than what I got offered here because I was worried the other job would be subject to the down turn. Good call on my part as that company has long since crumbled and I am still going strong here. Granted we got an 8% budget cut this year, and none of us developers got our annual raises, but it's still employment (for which I'm grateful).
I have a few good friends that are having to consider moving out of the state because they can't find jobs down here (south Florida) and the cost of living is so ridiculous here they can't afford to stay :(
Besides, Darth collects ad money from his 250 websites, so he can laugh any employer in the face.
Oh and Meowster; no I moved back years ago. Still miss it though! Brighton was awesome.
Well it surely doesn't seem so nice for people I study German with. There's really no jobs to begin with and now most are going down. I'm glad actually, that I've got a safe place translating books for pennies at times, as it seems, that there's always demand for printed literature. At least for novels. But yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm going to become nothing if I carry on this road. Might be different in 6 years if I graduate though, but I see my status pretty good atm, unlike my mum or some relatives, friends etc.
Initial 6-month contract runs out in just under a month, and while they're rather happy with me working there, being an IT company geared specifically towards the real estate market turned out to be a bad decision during this economic recession. Yay.
Trying to find a new job the past 2 months has been an absolute hoot. Fruitless, too.
Unemployment, here I come!
I tried to do something about it before it came, and I don't think we've seen the full effect in Australia yet.
Mid last year I was starting to feel it cause we kept having interest rate rises and I was struggling to pay all my mortgage and bills.
I thought about a new job and living somewhere a bit cheaper but somewhere pretty nice, not a major city but still one big enough to have enough opportunity for work.
Decided to move to the Gold Coast in Queensland, been here since 6thNov 08, and am renting my place out in Sydney for a good price guaranteed for 2 years.
Got a job before I planned to move, and had the flexibility of them giving me a few months to sort myself out and move. The new job pays more (I think I was just getting screwed in my old job) and I pay less rent, and am on the edge of a river, with river and ocean views from the 8th floor.
So far it is working out, the move was based purely on my financial situation, and seemed like a good opportunity to go somewhere different for a while. And it has been a wise move, warm weather everyday, probably too hot a lot of the time, just been getting a bit cooler in the evenings lately which is nice.
I don't know how long term this thing is but with all these stimulus packages, we'll all be paying it off the rest of our lives
Quote from: voh on Tue 07/04/2009 02:58:12
Initial 6-month contract runs out in just under a month, and while they're rather happy with me working there, being an IT company geared specifically towards the real estate market turned out to be a bad decision during this economic recession. Yay.
Same boat as me I see. "Yes, you're doing a good job and fit in the compagny. But you still have to find another job, sorry about that"
Well, I think I was really lucky. The company where I am working (for the last 4 years) is in the middle of a huge expansion.
So, for now, the only change due to recession was to slow down the expansion a bit.
But they are still hiring, every week I see new faces around.
Luckily, Australia isn't THAT badly affected by the recession.
In the UK, I worked as a Real Estate salesman in 2007, and pretty much a week after Northern Rock thing happened, about half of us were let go in the company. I went back to work in a pub, and about 9 months later, that place shut down. Bugger.
I'm back in Australia, and have been since November last year. Job hunting was tough, but from what I've seen, this year the job section of the paper has reduced in size by about half. I decided to pass the recession by and study, which is what I'm doing now.
Australia is lucky. The government building projects keep building firms in business. The Australian mindset of having to own property, along with the first home buyers grant, keeps the property market afloat. Our glorious leader gives us free $950, which possibly more to come. Mining is suffering, but they had it lucky for quite a few years. New car sales are suffering, but smart people don't buy new cars.
Tim, the stimulus package is just a clever way of making us feel okay about the increases in tax. The large majority of it will filter straight back into the tax system. You get a nice place on the coast? I know a few areas are a bit iffy.
Just got told that my division is closing all R&D on this site... :(
Any indie developers need a programmer?
Ack, that sucks SSH. Do you have any plans?
Ouch, SSH. You have a wife and kids, right? I hope you land on your feet.
On the other hand, this might be the perfect time to go commercial with the Princess Marian games!
Quote from: SSH on Tue 21/04/2009 12:53:52
Just got told that my division is closing all R&D on this site... :(
Any indie developers need a programmer?
F**k, that's bad to hear.
I am sorry SSH... But... But... You are a Super Scottish Hero!!! A HERO!!! You' ll manage! ;)
Good luck.
I know my mates dad got laid off from a high paid job last year. I didn't know things were getting this bad though.
I guess like everything I've timed it wrong. Im taking a break from studies to work this year, I guess its not looking good.
Best of luck to all of you. Its not nice having to try and look for work in the middle of university exams. I can't imagine how stressful it is trying to get work to pay bills, food etc. I know for a fact I don't want to go back home to my folks. Theyre doing my head in at the moment and I've only been on my hols for 2 weeks.
It looks like I may be able to avoid the chop as there are some positions available in either Beijing or Colorado Springs. The question is: east or west? :=
Personally, I'd go east, only because I hear China has a very interesting culture and is a beautiful place to visit. Its more likely you'd take a pay cut going east though right?
It all depends on your preference. I say I'd go east but im sure i'd get sick of it very quickly. Also I don't know how to put this right, but a lot of people I've met from China, Vietnam, Thailand and others I've had great difficulty trying to understand what they say. I live with 2 vietnamese people this year, and it was a nightmare trying to hold a conversation.
Of course I've always wanted to go to America too. I dont know if your a local scot or whether you're in US, but the advantage being moving west would be that at least everyone is fluent in English. Whats the whether like in Colorado?
If you're looking to come all the way East, I know for a fact that the gaming industry here in Japan is surprisingly short on decent programmers. I just recently landed a job as a producer after months of searching, but nearly every company I applied for was searching for someone with a background in programming. If you wanna take a few months crash course on Japanese and can convince your family to come all the way over here, I'm still sore at Vince XII and Kinoko for never doing Japanettens, and want more AGS buddies on this side of the lake.
But seriously. I don't know what the deal is with the big discrepancy between the east and west, but in gaming, there's at least plenty of room for talented programmers here. No openings near your abode in the industry?
I already speak with a lot of the people in my company's Chinese team and a lot of them speak English fine. They certainly type it very well on emails, etc.! I hear that rents in Beijing are very high, though...
Quote from: SSH on Wed 22/04/2009 10:29:19
I already speak with a lot of the people in my company's Chinese team and a lot of them speak English fine. They certainly type it very well on emails, etc.! I hear that rents in Beijing are very high, though...
...and that's what Mah Jong is for! Gamble & enjoy the thrill (& pay the rent; alternatively, have a finger of yours chopped) :D
Glad to know SSH won't be unemployed!
Yay, I get to join this club. I was just informed that in two week I'm going to be laid-off (temporarily). I think I'll look for another job since I've been meaning to do that anyway (for three years now:)). Maybe I'll try to get a job from game industry, that would be cool.
Another one bites the dust. Unlucky Zabnat.
Anyone else find it convenient that while this swine flu "pandemic" has been sweeping across the globe we have heard very little about the recession?
Or am I just being conspiranoid again :P
I find it hilarious that this "pandemic" is called "pandemic" and that it has reached level 5 out of 6 on the pandemic scale.
So far, it has killed fewer people than what a typical winter flu results in. Actually, I think more people die from falling through open manholes every month.
Recessions are soooo last week. Swine flu is where its at. Media just loves a good scaremonger campaign
Quote from: Arboris on Tue 05/05/2009 12:35:05
Recessions are soooo last week. Swine flu is where its at. Media just loves a good scaremonger campaign
Are you saying I should just forget about the laying off thing and get swine flu? Sounds like a plan.
I'd rather have swine flu for a week than no income.
I don't know why you guys are complaining... :-X I wish I could get laid off to have the summer to myself.
I could pay all my bills and rent, plus spending cash, with the money I'd get from unemployment.
Although having a job is comforting (I imagine some countries don't have unemployment).
The thing is, most people think that "pandemic" means deadly, when it actually just means "everywhere".
Quote from: SSH on Tue 05/05/2009 22:22:28
The thing is, most people think that "pandemic" means deadly, when it actually just means "everywhere".
I doubt you will find historical records of proper pandemics that didn't kill anyone.
A pandemic by definition is a serious infectious disease. Not 100% deadly of course, nothing is.
Around about 5 grays of radiation poisoning is enough to kill any human being in a matter of hours/days, so I wouldn't say that 'nothing' is 100% deadly. Also, the media operates on half-truths and downright lies for entertainment purposes (scaring people is considered entertainment as well). The CDC explained early on that their worry isn't this version of the swine flu but that it has so rapidly mutated to be a combination of other flu viruses, which means there is a potential for it mutating into something very dangerous.
Quote from: Andail on Wed 06/05/2009 10:38:37
Quote from: SSH on Tue 05/05/2009 22:22:28
The thing is, most people think that "pandemic" means deadly, when it actually just means "everywhere".
I doubt you will find historical records of proper pandemics that didn't kill anyone.
A pandemic by definition is a serious infectious disease. Not 100% deadly of course, nothing is.
That has spread all around the world. If it is located in a single zone, it' s an epidemy.
EDIT: Sorry... An epidemy is a serious infectious disease that spreads fast, full stop. If it spreads to continents or the whole world, it' s a pandemy, if it is located in a single area, a endemy.
Quote from: Nacho on Wed 06/05/2009 12:31:00
EDIT: Sorry... An epidemy is a serious infectious disease that spreads fast, full stop. If it spreads to continents or the whole world, it' s a pandemy, if it is located in a single area, a endemy.
And if it spreads crap it's an Academy ?
ok... sorry ;)
Quote from: Ryan Timothy on Tue 05/05/2009 22:17:56
I don't know why you guys are complaining... :-X I wish I could get laid off to have the summer to myself.
I could pay all my bills and rent, plus spending cash, with the money I'd get from unemployment.
Although having a job is comforting (I imagine some countries don't have unemployment).
Well, the thing is that unemployment benefits are a little less than half of the normal salary. If I had a proper job with proper salary I could just move to Spain for the summer and drink daiquries on the beach. But the I didn't have a decent salary, it was just enough to pay the bills. Also I'm afraid that I might not be eligible for the unemployment benefits since I have my own "company" but it has been only a side thing and income from there has been only occassional little jobs.