Do you have a job or are you unemployed?

[SOTTREADER]

Thank you pluto123. It's a funny coincidence. For the past few days, I've been hearing internally that I need to increase my minerals. I bought a bottle of mineral supplements.

I'm using more of it now. I will see if there is an improvement.

Keep on trying maguenette, I'm sure you'll find something soon.

To share my work story. Unlike what appears to be a lot, I never really had a passion or burning desire for a specific profession. No calling as it were.

I went down the path of least resistance, whatever I appeared to be good at. After finishing studies, I found it hard to get a job, due to anxiety issues with interviews. I went on government assistance part of which was to sign up to some classes on job interviews. I have to say this helped me as soon afterwards I got a job in the field I had been studying.

Company wasn't great, manager wasn't great but I learnt a lot both professionally and personally. Finally decided to change company, but within same area as had finally had enough of being used and abused for no reward or hope of reward. New company was better, I had better relationship with my manager and was given more responsibility on a project they recruited me for. It became clear though that after awhile there was only so far one can go unless they were extremely lucky. I still harboured some dreams of reaching financial independence so decided to move once I felt it was right. An opportunity came up at a different place, long convoluted interviews that lasted like 6 weeks and involved travelling up and down the country plus being made to do surprise assessments and on the spot tests.

As luck would have it, I got that job. I don't kid myself about why I work, I don't really have a calling. My aim is to just reach financial independence, feel like the environment isn't toxic, people aren't toxic and that one has challenges and some upward momentum. Out of the 3 jobs I had, this one is the best one thus far... challenging, competent people, leadership that seems to go above my expectations, opportunity for progression, increase in responsibility with more experience and competency etc etc. Downsides being one has to be comfortable being a cog in a big machine, job can be stressful with long hours and multiple competing items seemingly requiring simultaneous attention. In any case it serves the purpose now but with the way the world is going, one can't be sure what is coming next. For sure, one minute fortune can appear on your side, the other it will not. I've tasted both sides so can appreciate your struggles. Think if you keep plugging away, you'll find something and the wheels of fortune may turn in your favour once again.

Lyrics of this song are good

 

[Maya]

Since our family job in agriculture/tourism collapsed in 2018. we had to sell the whole farm/property to save at least something.
It was very hard to get any kind of normal paid work so I took myself to welding profesional training and it was the best investment ever.
I got a great job in local metal industry company.
Hard for a woman but hey, these are not the times to be picky. And you learn new cool stuff and skills.
The payment is regular and above average for my country so every effort I put in practising and hard work really payed off
Company is stable and very caring towards it's workers.
We produce central heating systems and at the moment I'm welding/ plasma cutting and doing some assembling on pelet stoves.
Since the ice age is coming the product is selling well (oh, my ) and I really hope to keep the job and maybe get a permanent contract in a few days.
No time for giving up.
And the best thing ever is that our boss really sees through the covid bullshit so we don't have to wear masks at all
I hope it will stay that way.

 

[T.C.]

I remain open to new possibilities but I want something that resonates with my soul.

I was a professional musician and music teacher for many years. When talks of lockdowns started in March, I could see where we were heading, and I knew it was going to make my line of work impossible.

So I decided immediately to apply for jobs in the area of delivery and online retail, since I thought if people were unable to leave their homes, they would need to order things online and this might be as secure an industry as possible under the circumstances.

Within four days I was able to take a temporary night shift packing boxes at an Amazon warehouse. I went into the job knowing that it’s not wise to mess up your circadian rhythm, and within a couple of weeks, the wearing of masks became mandatory.

But with everything in life, there’s a price to pay for what you want. I want to work and I want as secure a job as possible.

To my surprise, not only did I find that I actually enjoyed the work, but I began to excel within the company, was noticed by my managers and rewarded with training in various departments. I now work in what are called ‘critical roles’, which carry heavy responsibilities and are high pressure in terms of meeting deadlines throughout each shift, and I love it.

I’m paid well, received a permanent contract and get a large variety of benefits like dentistry, eye care, life insurance etc.

If I’d come at it from the start with a wish to find something that resonated with my soul, there’s no way I would have considered packing boxes for ten hours a night, four nights a week. But I walked in on my first day so grateful to the universe for giving me a new job when I’d lost my business. And what I’ve learned is that we have no idea what we might enjoy doing. And it’s not that we should try to determine what will resonate with our souls: it’s the other way around. Our soul tells us when it’s happy with something we’re doing.

Finally, a bit of advice on mask-wearing. I wear single-use, disposable white and blue masks. They have a metal strip that goes over the bridge of the nose that you’re supposed to press down around your nose, but by simply not pressing it down, it instead runs flat over the nose and leaves vents either side. By doing this, you can feel with every breath the air coming in through the vents and what you exhale going out through the vents.

I doubt this is 100% mitigating the potential health issues wearing a mask causes, but in a job where you have to wear a mask, it’s a really good way to improve the situation.

 

[AndrewMn]

During my life, I had to change jobs quite often. More often, it was associated with the leadership and the boss. But it taught me that knowledge is never superfluous. I myself am a mechanical engineer, but I mastered Internet marketing on my own, wrote a course on search engine optimization of sites, learned how to create websites on my own. It helped a lot when I was left completely without a permanent job for 3 years .
Despite the fact that now I have a permanent job, which I have been on for a year, I do not know what attacks or situations will happen. Therefore, I try to keep my knowledge up to date .
Perhaps my skills will be useful to someone - I can share my experience, teach basic things for free. I didn’t work with English-speaking countries, because I don’t know the language well, but with the help of a translator, I could tell you how to make your website and how to advertise it, so that during a crisis you can stay with some income and find clients via the Internet. The only thing is that private messages are not welcome on the forum (according to the rules that I read). Therefore, I could reply to email or in another branch of the form (with the permission of the moderators).

 

[Ant22]

Finally, a bit of advice on mask-wearing. I wear single-use, disposable white and blue masks. They have a metal strip that goes over the bridge of the nose that you’re supposed to press down around your nose, but by simply not pressing it down, it instead runs flat over the nose and leaves vents either side. By doing this, you can feel with every breath the air coming in through the vents and what you exhale going out through the vents.

If I have to wear a mask I do that too. Another thing that I noticed is acceptable in most places is cutting out the two inner layers of the medical 3 layers mask and only leaving the thin blue one. (Or at least cutting out one of the white layers.) When combined with not pressing the metal strip this allows near normal breathing. When walking, I can feel air on my face as if I wasn’t wearing anything.

So far I’ve only been challenged about my mask once. I thought that person was going to complain but he actually wanted to know if I bought it like that or made it. He said he hated wearing a mask and liked mine. I guess most people don’t really care what mask we wear as long as we look compliant.

 

[seek10]

Personally, I don't do well with Wi-fi, keeping my cell phone ON all the time etc. So I used that as a consideration in selecting roles. That may mean lower positions and salary etc. Unless we try out different things we may not know. Not everything happens the way we want though. There are occasions, I hated doing some jobs, felt relief in other jobs as the expertise learned in tough jobs made the current job easy.

Whereever you go, the role of managers( 2 levels above) above becomes important. They generally dictate the condition of mental peace. Of course, your own attitudes and programs contribute most. I had worked in some companies, considered pathologicals, but some of my friends enjoyable in the same company different manager, because their manager was good and easy-going. So It depends on your immediate bosses.

But, we live in strange times. Normally, Corporations had planned ahead of many years for their product development with market analysis, return on investment etc. With COVID scare, no body even knows what happens tomorrow. Even Govt. doesn't even know where it is going to get money tomorrow. Strangely this planet became like a "Bus load of people with no body in driving seat". Worse, nobody is even questioning it. It is as if, everybody is waiting for something to happen, but nobody knows what it is. If tomorrow govt. stops giving, a large section of population will be in bad situation along with every body doesn't have jobs. We live in such a interlinked world, every body gets effected even if one has job.

 

[Luis Miguel]

I use a neoprene mask without the filter, it has holes all over. Nobody has said anything but one client, and after her comment, I used it with the air filter but detached it from the valves, it lets the air go in and out easily. There are even some clients that do not wear it during their sessions as masks are not mandatory here in Mexico, but well, most businesses made it mandatory if you want to buy, and a lot of people wear them out of fear anyway.

The idea of removing layers from cloth masks is a good one.

I read a tweet about a guy proposing the use of a happy face badge as a symbol of "I am complying [with the mask], but I don't agree"; it's a good approach IMO. We know what the muzzle means for the ones that imposed it, and we are not wearing it motivated by fear. So it's more an action based on strategic enclosure and external considering.

Things are getting more and more complicated outside, it is what it is, but we can avoid in many ways to be victims of the "new normal", and even if 'we are in the world, but not of the world' we can take advantage of the new setting, and even from the crisis.

An anti-fragile perspective is very useful under the actual circumstances. We need to pay attention to reality outside without being emotionally affected or hooked (it's complicated, of course), plan accordingly, and be proactive. We can stick to your actual plans with some tweaks, or create a new one.

I was speaking with a neighbor a couple of days ago about her restaurant, she opened it 2 years ago and she was still recovering the investment. She's desperate now as restaurants have experienced a decline in customers. We talked a little about these new digital platforms for restaurants and how she could not only have more clients that way but minimize expenses as she would only need to have a place to cook, and she could use known delivery services. She hadn't considered that alternative before.

In this context, the thing is that there are tools - like online platforms - that we could use to have an income if we are unemployed or just to increase it during these uncertain times, whether it is services or products.

One of the most wanted services and products now are online or home education, wellness, and fitness.

You can create an online platform or use the available ones to offer classes, tutorials, informative videos, online certifications, webinars... and so on; to teach others something that you are good at and/or enjoy:

Gardening, indoor gardening, hydroponics, carpentry, jewelry, embroidery, tailoring, painting, yoga, music, electronics repair, photoshop, illustrator, video editing, etc... Even book workshops.

And depending on your career: online consultations, therapy, emotional-support...

There's a lot of people searching for valuable and quality online services since the plandemic started.

The same goes for products, there are a lot of platforms out there that can help you to sell them online.

Well, I was reading the below passage recently, and it makes a lot of sense now, even in this context:

Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Thanks for the discussions and ideas shared here.

 

[Arreis13]

I also consider myself lucky for continuing to be employed. My part time position at UPS has been more of a full time position as far as the hours I am working is concerned. Since this coronavirus scare it has been overwhelming at work more then usual. For me since I have not stopped working it doesn't feel as if we are on lockdown. I am however frustrated with the lack of concern our company has twords their employees. I mean they are half ass when it comes to wearing masks, social distancing, etc. Some days I go in and forget my mask and nothing is said . Other days I am hounded by a co-worker reminding me to wear it. And since peak season hit they are only concerned about getting the packages out. These past two weeks have been difficult working so close while trying to work as well as keep my distance. Like I said I am greatful to be employed. Yet I can't help thinking if I should do anything to let others know how my company is going about things and really not taking any this coronavirus seriously.

 

[Nienna]

Good for UPS! The coronavirus is no more serious than the flu. The only thing really serious about it is all of the lies and tyrannical measures being forced on people. And, masks are making people sick with breathing in the toxins and bacteria that the body gets rid of through the breath. People are fainting and getting bad rashes on their faces from wearing the masks. Plus, they do no good in keeping viruses from spreading. Viruses are so small they go right through it. Many doctors and nurses have stated that the reason they wear masks in hospitals is to keep their saliva from getting on people like during surgery.

What is being done to us with all of the mask wearing social distancing and lockdowns is dehumanizing us. At least, that's what they are trying to do. No seeing friends and relatives, no hugging, not hand holding, no touching whatsoever. Keeping children from socializing with each other. No wonder that depression and suicides are spiking during all of this.

So, even if it's unintentional, good for UPS!

 

[LongCloud]

I also consider myself lucky for continuing to be employed. My part time position at UPS has been more of a full time position as far as the hours I am working is concerned. Since this coronavirus scare it has been overwhelming at work more then usual. For me since I have not stopped working it doesn't feel as if we are on lockdown. I am however frustrated with the lack of concern our company has twords their employees. I mean they are half ass when it comes to wearing masks, social distancing, etc. Some days I go in and forget my mask and nothing is said . Other days I am hounded by a co-worker reminding me to wear it. And since peak season hit they are only concerned about getting the packages out. These past two weeks have been difficult working so close while trying to work as well as keep my distance. Like I said I am greatful to be employed. Yet I can't help thinking if I should do anything to let others know how my company is going about things and really not taking any this coronavirus seriously.

Before the Corona, were you ever worried about Influenza?

If not, why not? If so, were you going around telling people they should wear masks? Betcha you would have sounded crazy if you told them how many people died from it every year, but nobody noticed since it wasn't on the "news". Or anywhere else considered "media".

Think back, and go look. 2018 was an epic Flu season. No panic back then, and that was only 2 years ago.

 

[LongCloud]

If I have to wear a mask I do that too. Another thing that I noticed is acceptable in most places is cutting out the two inner layers of the medical 3 layers mask and only leaving the thin blue one. (Or at least cutting out one of the white layers.) When combined with not pressing the metal strip this allows near normal breathing. When walking, I can feel air on my face as if I wasn’t wearing anything.

So far I’ve only been challenged about my mask once. I thought that person was going to complain but he actually wanted to know if I bought it like that or made it. He said he hated wearing a mask and liked mine. I guess most people don’t really care what mask we wear as long as we look compliant.

I've been digging out my 6 month old single use mask out of my pocket. I usually keep that little bar under my nose unless when I approach someone *and* they give me the stink eye, then I flip it up, and like magic they calm down (which is hilarious), and then not a second after I pass them in the aisle, back under the nose.

90% of the people where I shop don't give a damn.

 

[Lucius]

If I have to wear a mask I do that too. Another thing that I noticed is acceptable in most places is cutting out the two inner layers of the medical 3 layers mask and only leaving the thin blue one. (Or at least cutting out one of the white layers.) When combined with not pressing the metal strip this allows near normal breathing. When walking, I can feel air on my face as if I wasn’t wearing anything.

So far I’ve only been challenged about my mask once. I thought that person was going to complain but he actually wanted to know if I bought it like that or made it. He said he hated wearing a mask and liked mine. I guess most people don’t really care what mask we wear as long as we look compliant.

Today I was wondering how you can not stand out from the crowd but wear something that covers your nose and mouth (for legal reasons).

Ant22 - a good option - I just cut out these two layers from the mask. Till this time I was walking in an arafatka or with my nose exposed.

As for work - I am happy to work in IT so I have more work than before - I work as a UX designer. But you never know how long the job will last.

 

[Lucius]

Today I was wondering how you can not stand out from the crowd but wear something that covers your nose and mouth (for legal reasons).

Ant22 - a good option - I just cut out these two layers from the mask. Till this time I was walking in an arafatka or with my nose exposed.

As for work - I am happy to work in IT so I have more work than before - I work as a UX designer. But you never know how long the job will last.

I have a few doctor's appointments tomorrow, we will see if it 'goes through' the check.

 

[Ant22]

I have a few doctor's appointments tomorrow, we will see if it 'goes through' the check.

If they pick on it, you can politely point out that the government website doesn't indicate any specific quality standards face masks are supposed to meet. Also, this one had three layers, and cloth masks have one layer only. They are perfectly acceptable so there's no reason why your current one-layer mask shouldn't work.

The above arguments combined with a humble and almost apologetic smile have helped me soften up defensive attitudes before. But it's likely they won't care much about the mask. I wore a mask like this at the doctor's and they didn't even comment on it.

 

[Lucius]

If they pick on it, you can politely point out that the government website doesn't indicate any specific quality standards face masks are supposed to meet. Also, this one had three layers, and cloth masks have one layer only. They are perfectly acceptable so there's no reason why your current one-layer mask shouldn't work.

The above arguments combined with a humble and almost apologetic smile have helped me soften up defensive attitudes before. But it's likely they won't care much about the mask. I wore a mask like this at the doctor's and they didn't even comment on it.

Ant22 thanks for the good advice, it sounds reasonable. However, if I do not write any post tomorrow... it means that I have failed and I am at Police Station.

I am obviously joking :)