Checking in...

Not much to report...

Still looking for work. Have a phone screen for a tech support job in another 45 minutes. Yeah, I know, but after 6 months, money coming in will be worth answering phones.

In other avenues of interest, took an iPhone Boot Camp class a couple of weekend's ago and got a lot out of it. I'm working on my second app and working with Apple to clear up the certificate problem, so that I can actually test my apps on a real device.

I also rolled out a new mobile blog: jp4mobile.blogspot.com, which will also have a jp4mobile.com web site once I have time and money to set up the web site to go with it.

I have some app reviews, etc...

Going forward, not quickly, but seem to be starting to get some traction, which feels good.

Medical Experimentation Is A No Go...

A few weeks ago, I told you about a testosterone study that I was trying to get into. Unfortunately, I didn't pass the re-test.

Does that make me not man enough, because my testosterone levels are low-normal? Eh...

Oh well, another job that didn't work out.

Back to studying mobile programming to create my own job.

Idealist Job Fair

I haven't been to a job fair in almost thirty years, since I was an undergrad at Northeastern. Not much has changed. Picture an empty hall packed with rows and rows of tables, each table staffed with one or two earnest looking people and in a few cases a flag, some take-aways and a standing display of some sort.

What really surprised me was the sheer amount of people. When the doors opened, we were backlogged for about ten minutes to even get in due to the number of people. This wasn't just kids, but I noticed a lot of grey-heads in suits with leather satchels in hand.

This was a career fair for jobs in the non-profit sector. But the only word that mattered to a lot of us was jobs.

Meg from Idealist.org gave a great presentation on looking for jobs in this sector for both new workers and mid-career sector switchers. She pointed out the percentage of growth for jobs in non-profit space and shared some strategies as well as outlining some of the realities. (She also recommended their downloadable career guides.)

I hadn't really been scared before. I guess I've been optimistically sure that something will work out. I've got my plan, the skills I need to acquire and the sector that I need to break into, so I haven't been really dealing with this at the ground level. There's a palpable whiff of desperation and it's hard not to be affected by that. Especially when you see job after job for entry- or mid-level positions only in my own search.



Posted with LifeCast

A nonprofit job fair at BU

A sign of troubled times. It opened minutes ago. It's wall to wall people minutes after it opened.

Alas, Didn't Make the Cut...

Unfortunately, I was just short of the cut off for the medical study. In four weeks or so, I should be able to try again. I'm supposed to take multiple vitamins to try to get my vitamin and (hopefully) my enzyme levels up to what they should be. They'll test me again in another four weeks, if I still want to go forward with the trial.

*shrug* Don't see why not.

I can take a daily multi-vitamin that I probably should have been taking anyway.

More on the Medical Experimentation Front...

Today was interesting. Rushed out in the cold and the miserable to head over to the hospital to meet people at the MGH research building to find out more about this study. Read through the paperwork and offered up my arm for the blood samples that they'll need, before they can officially say whether that I'm eligible for the study or not.

The money seems nice, it doesn't seem like it'll take long and the downside seems minimal. And as an added bonus, I get something to write about, so it's win win all around.

I'm afraid I have no choice but to sell you all for medical experiments.

Last night, I was looking into the wonderful world of medical experimentation as an alternative monetary source. Today a few called back.

One was for a study on PTSD. They're looking for people that either have or don't have PTSD, and surprisingly I fit into that pool of possible subjects. They called back today and we talked about some of the less savory aspects of my formative years. I think the most disturbing thing for me was all of the times that I had to say 'Yes, but...' to questions about how I might be dealing with stress in a manner that was similar to PTSD. Unfortunately, I didn't make it into that study.

The other call was for a study on the effects of testosterone on bone density. I get to go to the hospital and talk to people about that tomorrow and get some blood taken. It might be interesting to see what happens with that.

And in other news, I had another phone interview and a request for a face to face interview. Finally, things seem to be turning around.

Fear and Loathing on the Job Hunting Trail...

At the moment, I am out of my previous company. It was my choice and I'm glad I made it.
Today, I'll check with unemployment to see if there's a way to collect while I look for something else and figure out what I'm going to be doing next.
That and a haircut and lunch with a friend at 2.
Babysteps.