Jan 19 2008
Now That I have Nothing Better To Do
I had to go to this 2-hour unemployment workshop a few days ago.
It was actually kinda funny if you’re into black humor.
Of course it was early in the morning – from 8:30-10:30am.
It was held at the this Career Center in the unemployment office. The Career Center had rows of computers for people to use to look for work as well as all sorts of brochures and pamphlets.
I was told to sign in and fill out a form and wait until the workshop began. I sat at this round table to fill out the form but wasn’t sure what to do with the envelope I had been given. The sleepy-eyed black man sitting next to me noticed my confusion. He was slumped back in his chair, his posture and thick padded jacket giving me a pretty good idea of what he must look like first thing in the morning.
He said, “You have to address it to yourself.”
I said, “Oh. Thanks. I was going to go back up to the front and you saved me the trip.”
He said, “No problem.”
I wrote out my address and filled out the form.
He said, “Why do they make these things so early in the morning?”
I looked over at him, “Because you have nothing better to do.”
He laughed, “I definitely DO have something better to do!”
More people walked in and soon more people were standing than sitting. The black man slumped deeper into his chair and nestled in his jacket. A beaming older man came up to our small crowd. An ID badge hung from his neck and he clasped his hands together and said to us, “Are you all here for the workshop?” Assorted yeses bubbled up and he beamed even brighter and motioned with one hand to follow him into a conference room.
I wrote that the workshop was kinda funny. Now, the situation wasn’t funny It was this workshop leader who was funny. He started out mentioning how easy it was to call the unemployment office. He then paused, clasped his hands together and peered at us over his glasses.
A few of us chuckled.
We all knew it was practically impossible to get through to the office – I had tried to call and kept ending up with the “our lines are busy, please try again later (click).”
I am reasonably quick on the uptake – I soon realized that there were no operators.
He said that the government required this workshop and asked how many of us wanted to leave early? We all raised our hands. He then proceeded to tell us how to fill our forms correctly. “Don’t give any more information than you have to. Fill out the forms correctly because you DO NOT want them to call you.”
He went around the room and asked us what type of work we did or skills we had. This wasn’t so funny. The woman next to me was an administrative assistant and had been laid off after working 29 years at the same bank.
There was a cab driver, a woman who specialized in mental health who probably had several advanced degrees, a restaurant and hotel hostess, a stone cutter, a woman who sold stone (she did not know the stone cutter), a graphic artist, some type of union worker, a woman who said she was looking for clerical work. There were almost 20 people in the room.
Most people in the room were my age or older. There was only one man in his 20s and he seemed very upbeat. He was the union or trade worker. The sleepy black man I had spoken with earlier had fallen asleep. As I listened to people list their skills or former job, I thought about skills being a commodity. If your skill wasn’t in demand, you were out of work.
The workshop leader asked me what I did.
I replied, “Software consultant.”
A hush descended.
Coming up next: Job Insecurity
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Hi Ms. Q, I remember being unemployed year ago and I don’t remember this process. It must be new. How torturous to have gone through this so early in the morning, lol.
But is looks like you survived. I could imagine the room that you were in especially with the sleep black man probably mumbling his way through the rest of the morning.
Sorry to hear about your situation and hope you find employment soon. I’m sure there should be something available in your line of business.
You know, “unemployed software consultant” is probably something not heard too often at this office. Do you think this could be a trend, or just something uniquely happening at your old company?
I do card tricks to lighten the atmosphere at the unemployment office.
(lame attempt at sending MsQ a smile today)
SPeedy
Rolando: I’ve been told by many others who had been on unemployment that what I’ve had to go through is new. I gather that they are “cracking down” on people on unemployment and making us jump through more hoops.
Thanks for you good wishes! I am definitely better off with regards to my skills than most people!
Speedy!! I think you’re right – “Unemployed software consultant” is probably a rarity. Based on what the workshop leader said, the big pool of unemployed people are primarily in banking – escrow agents, loan officers, that kind of thing – all due to the “Subprime Meltdown.”
Lame attempt or no, you always make me smile! I like card tricks!
What I have noticed is that the employees at the unemployment office are very cheerful and nice.
DON’T LEAVE ME HANGIN’!
You do that on purpose, don’t you? hahaha. I’m hanging on every word you say and you just leave it.. hahahaha.
I’ll be back for Job Insecurity. … most definitely! I want to know why the hush over software consultant? WHY?! Then again, I’m pretty ignorant. I’m just a cleaner, and somebody always needs a cleaner.
The employees are cheerful because they have a job and you don’t. Nice because they want to keep their job… okay, now I’m just being cynical. *stopping the cynicism*
I’m cheerful and nice most of the time too. Hrm.
shoot, I didn’t want to send that last message. oops
Sue: I wasn’t planning on leaving you or anyone hanging but the post got way too long so I figured it was better to break it up! Makes it easier for me in that I haven’t had as much time to write these days – there are all these freakin’ workshops to attend! hahaha!
Didja want me to delete that last message? I have the power. It’s currently deferred. I didn’t find anything bad about it.
I LOVE black humor! At least, I think I do. Actually, I’m not sure exactly what that means but I think I love it…
Your class sounds kind of like the divorce class that I had to take. Just a bunch of people thrown together with nothing in common listening to some boring stuff for hours on end with a faint hope that they could take one little useful piece of information away and if not at least not DIE from boredom. Actually, teacher in-services can be a lot like that too, except the people throw together generally do have something in common.
Jill: Black humor is dark humor also called “gallows humor.” Like eating bacon, eggs, pancakes as you last meal and joking, “Well…at least I won’t be dying of a heart attack…”
Your description of divorce class DOES sound like the unemployment workshop and I like your description of, “a faint hope that they could take one little useful piece of information away and if not at least not DIE from boredom.”
I had no idea there was a divorce class though. I can imagine a class that helps you recover from divorce – is that what that was about?
The people in the workshop ranged from those who wanted to learn and use all the resources to people who were just there because they had to be (like myself) to those who were hoping for something useful.
Based on my experience so far, if you’re in a highly skilled white-collar type of profession, these workshops aren’t going to increase your chances of finding work. I think it’s great that the career center had so many computers and workshops that helped with cover letters and interviewing.
I’m not finding any of this particularly helpful but it’s giving me an appreciation of how much I have to be grateful for.
Well Ms.Q I’m glad they did not make me go to these things when I was out of work but one day I may be at one. The good thing about these episodes is that it provides fertile ground for us to write and notice all the little oddities. I’m sure this is going to be fun.
Now that I think about it, it might have been a “parenting through divorce” class. It really wasn’t too awful, just that I already knew most of what was presented because of education classes and spending my life around kids.
I remember there was one young guy there, early 20s at best throwing out the most heartbreaking questions along the lines of, “What do you tell your daughter if she keeps asking why mommy has different men staying over?” That kind of thing.
And I remember that there WAS one bit of information I was grateful to hear, one thing that made me rest easier that made the whole stupid thing worth it, which was that the guy said that having divorced parents did not necessarily put children at risk for drugs, alcoholism, whatever bad stuff they measure. He said that having one stable parent was enough. And he had said enough things that from what I know about kids were right on that I could trust him on that one.
He also said that the kids who really were in the most danger were the ones whose parents continued to fight over them in court. Which makes sense I guess, because at least in the cases I’ve seen of parents spending tons of time in court of their children, never has it been it in the child’s best interest. I know there must be times when a child is truly in danger and it makes sense to get them away from one parent or the other. But the times I’ve seen have just been cases of one parent trying to force their will on the other.
Well now then, that definitely does not seem like a fun thing to go through!
These people sound interesting. I’ve always heard negative things about the unemployment office (understandably so since it’s not usually the most fun in any person’s life). I’m interested to hear about this process from your next (hopefully only) few blog entries.
Ricardo: I was told that the process has changed with respect to collecting unemployment – the gov makes you jump through more hoops. One person told me that he was literally on a beach in Europe when he had called in for his unemployment filing some years ago.
Writers find material to write about wherever they are. Hopefully you won’t be out of work and collecting unemployment in the near future!
Jill: Thanks for sharing what happened to you in your parenting through divorce class. My parents went through an ugly custody battle. I didn’t realize how much it had affected me until I was around 25. I wasn’t at risk with respect to drugs and things. But I had issues!
You seem like a terrific parent. I think the good parents are the ones who worry about being good parents. All anyone can do is the best they can.
Derek: The workshop was funny if not fun. Unlike probably most of the people there, I was pretty relaxed. I have a computer background as well as some savings and a great support systems of friends and family. The actual unemployment office was OK: neat, clean, lots of computers and the staff do seem to want to be helpful.
The problem I’ve heard is that if you have a specialized skill and one that can pay quite a bit, the unemployment office can’t offer you much assistance. I don’t need to be told what job websites are out there or how to write a cover letter or resume. I remember my first time at the unemployment office – one woman worked for a bank and was part of their real estate – something team. Like me, she hadn’t been unemployed in a very long time. That last time I only collect one check. I had to file in person – no online stuff.