"LBYM" is going to be difficult.

[Avalon]

What types of machines? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[Walt34]

Congrats on finding a job. If nothing else it will stop the financial bleeding and give you a recent reference if a better opportunity appears.

I don't know about your area, but around here employers will pay a premium for someone who has established themselves as reliable and is not a "problem child" who takes a lot of time to deal with. That is someone who will show up on time, do their job with little or no supervision, and in general is not a headache to deal with.

That alone will open doors for you.

 

[aaronc879]

What types of machines? If you don't mind me asking.

The company is a paper converter. They said I would be running a rewinder but I won't actually see the machines until tomorrow. I have 8 years experience on a slitter/rewinder so it should be very similar and training should go smoothly.

 

[Avalon]

The company is a paper converter. They said I would be running a rewinder but I won't actually see the machines until tomorrow. I have 8 years experience on a slitter/rewinder so it should be very similar and training should go smoothly.

Got it, thanks. I'm familiar with slitters.

Good advice above from Walt.

 

[Amethyst]

Ack. Rotating shifts. Been there, done that, took months for the body to really recover.

I tend to prefer night shift myself, but I seem to recall you have a noisy neighbor who's active during the day. So unless she is gone, maybe you'll want to stick with day shift if you can.

Amethyst

I never rotated shifts before and won't have to know. I used to work straight nights 5pm-5am. Now I will be training on 1st 6a-2p for 2 weeks then changing to either 2nd or 3rd. .

 

[aaronc879]

Ack. Rotating shifts. Been there, done that, took months for the body to really recover.

I tend to prefer night shift myself, but I seem to recall you have a noisy neighbor who's active during the day. So unless she is gone, maybe you'll want to stick with day shift if you can.

Amethyst

As far as sleep goes me best option is 2nd shift 2p-10p. 3rd shift is no good because everyone is making noise during the day when I would need to sleep. First shift isn't best because I would need to get up by 4am and my neighbor is making a lot of noise until midnight or later.

 

[Mulligan]

Congratulations Aaron! The new job may not be the job of your dreams, but you are back in the labor market and in a better position to respond to other opportunities that may come up. My recommendation would be to approach the new job with a positive spirit and do the very best you can. Your chances of success are greater with a positive attitude.

Im my world of employment we always said and believed it to be true, " the best way to find a better job, is to already have a job". This may open better doors down the road. Congrats Aaron for getting a job!

 

[panhead]

Im my world of employment we always said and believed it to be true, " the best way to find a better job, is to already have a job". This may open better doors down the road. Congrats Aaron for getting a job!

Aaron, congrats man and good luck to you. The above I have found to be very, very true. I am always out on the lookout for a better job (a la intrcst if you are familiar) and when you have a job you come off (and can be) much more confident than when you really need a job. I'm not familiar with where you are located and what other options you have, but I would continually search for a better paying job and apply every chance I get. Also, talk to your friends, you never know....somebody knows somebody, etc.

Good luck to you.

 

[Hamlet]

Yeah, I did it about 5 times in college. My plan was to use it for spending money.

After a couple weeks I decided that a job at Taco Bell was less unpleasant

As you know, it sounds like easy money until you do it.

In my area they pay $20 for the first time each week and $30 for the second. Then there's also a bonus of $10 for the 5th of the month and $20 for the 7th time in one month. Not a lot of people are willing to have needles stuck in their arms for an hour twice a week, every week. There has to be a reasonable incentive.

 

[FinanceDude]

When I was in a similar situation many years ago, I took my rent check and spent it to go to bartender's school. I had to borrow money from a good friend so I was not evicted. I made enough money my first year bartending to pay back my friend, quit my "real job", and buy a duplex. I used the bartending money to go back to school and it paid for my college. Some weeks I made over $400 in tips plus $5.50 an hour, and that was over 25 years ago, and NOT in a big city!

You can do it, stick to the plan..........

 

[panhead]

When I was in a similar situation many years ago, I took my rent check and spent it to go to bartender's school.

LOL, yeah, I was actually going to mention bartending. You will often make about $20/hour cash. I actually still do a little of this these days for fun. Once a month it's fun, but this is still real work....

 

[mackpal]

I am still in my condo. That is the only reason i'm not living in my car. I even got a membership at a 24-hr gym so I could use their private(lockable) showers and bathrooms. Also, because i'm a member, I can legaly park my car in their parking lot anytime of the day or night and sleep. I have very few posessions and can fit everything I need in 3 or 4 duffel bags plus bedding and jackets. I probably would do it if I could sell my condo but i've gotten no offers in 5 months so i'll probably take it off the market after the 6 month contract expires. My new job is 11 miles from home which is reasonable, though not great, so i'll probably stay put since it's cheap.

Hi, I'm new to these forums and your thread is one of the few I've read so far. I just wanted to humbly offer my encouragment. I'm very impressed by how resourceful you are, and how you're standing fast in your determination to reach your retirement dreams.
All the best
mackpal

 

[SJ1_]

Rent the condo and find a room.

or get a roommate.

 

[FinanceDude]

or get a roommate.

Hopefully cute and female.......

 

[Tractor guy]

Congratulations on getting the job. After taking a short breathing time to get your finances back in shape, I suggest you start thinking of next steps.

Unfortunately, jobs at the salary you mentioned are always going to be highly at risk of being cut in this country. There are two many places overseas that will do them for 1/10 what you are getting paid.

The only way to make yourself more secure is to improve your skills in a type of work that will stay in demand. This can be done but you have to be careful. There are a lot of for profit schools that are targeting people in your situation as a way to make money. Their business model is to sign up their students for loans, push them through school, and then tell them that the loans are the student's problem.

In my experience, larger or even small companies that are well run are usually very supportive of their staff getting training. Many of them will fund training if it can be shown to be related to the current or next job. Even if they don't do this, the human resources people usually have a good handle on what are the best training opportunities in your area and what courses can lead to higher paying jobs. They likely will also know which schools are ripping of their students.

For example, in my area (near Chicago) welders are in high demand. I met a guy about a year ago who was out of work, spent about $7K for a basic welding course and then got hired on at $18.00/hr starting. He's been working 60 hours/week (with time & half for OT) for the last 7 months.

 

[aaronc879]

After a full year of unemployment I finally found a job. It pays $10.50/hr which is <$22K/yr pre-tax. After insurance deductions I expect my take home pay to be $300/week(there is no 401K). I've been living on $1250/mo or a little less but that's going to be right around 100% of my take home pay so I guess I won't be LBYM anymore. Strange how some here can be LBYM when they spend several times as much as I spend and i'm not LBYM? Oh well. At least i'm not spending anymore of my retirement savings and hopefully i'll get pay raises without having my costs go up.

This job was thru an employment agency. I watch their job listing daily and saw one that caught my eye. I asked to be moved off my 1st job and put onto this new position and they agreed. I start today 2nd shift then rotate every week. The pay is only up to $11/hr from the $10.50 I was getting but the future potential is much betterand it's only 1.5 miles from home instead of 10.5 miles. It's a union company. Getting hired on is very difficult and if it happens at all will likely take at least a year but if it happens i'll get a 50% pay raise right away plus additional raises the first year and very good benefits. In the mean time at least I have a slightly better paying job at a better company so wish me luck

 

[REWahoo]

Nice move. Looks like after a long dry spell, your hard efforts to get your foot in the door with a new job are paying off. Hope you get the 'hire' decision much sooner than a year from now.

 

[aaronc879]

Nice move. Looks like after a long dry spell, your hard efforts to get your foot in the door with a new job are paying off. Hope you get the 'hire' decision much sooner than a year from now.

3 months thru the employment agency is the minimum. This particular employer is more picky than most and sometimes take up to a year to decide if they want to give you the chance to be hired on. Even then you still have to apply for the job like anyone else but since you have experience you have a leg up on the competition. There's a good chance this will end up being just a temporary assignment but at least there's potential for more. One step at a time

 

[REWahoo]

We did a lot of temp-to-permanent hiring at my old job. Employers love the opportunity to 'test drive' an employee before making an offer for employment. Works both ways too, allowing you to know whether it's a place you want to hang your hat before saying yes...

 

[FIREd]

Sounds like a great opportunity, Aaron. I am routing for you!

 

[W2R]

Aaron, this improvement in your pay and job location is terrific, and so fast! I am so happy for you. Couldn't happen to a more deserving person.

 

[aaronc879]

We did a lot of temp-to-permanent hiring at my old job. Employers love the opportunity to 'test drive' an employee before making an offer for employment. Works both ways too, allowing you to know whether it's a place you want to hang your hat before saying yes...

I agree this is good for all involved. I wish I had applied to the staffing agencies earlier in my job search. I had been applying directly to individual companies(dozens). This is much better. If I don't feel this place is a good fit for me I can give notice and be moved to a different assignment.

 

[tmm99]

Congratulations Aaron!

 

[rescueme]

It's a union company.

But is it a union job, or lead to one?

I kind of doubt it, based upon my previous involvement with a company who's production workers that were members of a union (UAW) for 30 years.

While I held white collar positions (both union/non union management and non-management, during my many years there), the contract was very specific for union production members. You had 30 days to join, assuming you were hired.

Unless you are in a right to work state (where we had a plant, but the workers voted union and the contract did not allow non-union production folks, once the contract was ratified), the rules are very rigid in most cases.

Just wondering.

 

[aaronc879]

3 months thru the employment agency is the minimum. This particular employer is more picky than most and sometimes take up to a year to decide if they want to give you the chance to be hired on. Even then you still have to apply for the job like anyone else but since you have experience you have a leg up on the competition. There's a good chance this will end up being just a temporary assignment but at least there's potential for more. One step at a time

Just got done with my first shift. My lower back is killing me...BAD! All the equipment is made for people under 5'10" and i'm 6'6 1/2". This may not end well