The Eye of the Storm

So as of today it has officially been 4 weeks since I was laid off. This is the middle point of my self granted two months of looking for a Project Manager job before I just started looking for 'whatever' job I could to pay for the bills. I'm actually trying to be a little more flexible than that, in that I'll take Technical Writing jobs that will still give me project experience towards getting my PMP. So far the hunt goes...moderate. The market is clearly very strong, and I'm getting at least one call a day from recruiters, but since I'm transitioning, I'm not in as strong a position as I was before. A year of PM experience + 10 years tech writing experience does not command as strong a position as 12 years of Tech writing experience. But it is worth it, because there are, in fact, many MANY more positions out there asking for 5 years PM experience than there are tech writing jobs of any kind.

Morale has been good for the most part. I'm not as disciplined as I'd like to be. A job helps me keep an organized schedule, and I thrive under pressure. Without that external pressure (besides 'find a job'), I have to force myself to have structure, which is energy that takes away from other things. I'm getting some creative work done, but not at my full capacity. I'm thinking about tricks around it, we'll see what I can do.

I will not be able to get the PMP this year. The good news is that my education credits do not expire. The bad news is that all of my volunteer experience counts for nothing. It has to be paid corporate experience, so my motivation to start side businesses, officially registered as corporations has gone up dramatically. I need 2500 more hours to qualify, and I'd like to take it next year. That way even if I do take a tech writing job, I can still get my PMP, which is HUGE in terms of getting a PM job.

Last weekend was fun. We cleaned the house of doom with Mom, Skip, Grandma and I, along with three friends (Claire, Russell, and Will) and a woman mom found on the ATML. She is a production assistant and I told her she should talk to Mom for networking possibilities. The house looks a LOT better, but some minor complications arose from things we discovered in the house. Some specialists will need to be consulted but I'm hoping to go back in early June or late May. Two more times and it should be pretty much 'done' to the point that we might be able to start trying to sell it. I really want to finish this before I leave Atlanta. I also saw a concert at Wild Bills from Riff Raff. Low cost cover charge. Sunday I took up an invite from another friend of mine (Daniel Hollinger) to the Ren Fest. It was fun. There were a lot of people there. I bought a wooden cup that I might photo along with the leather vest I bought at dragon con and finished paying for a week before I got laid off. :)

Last week Mom and I also went to see Hannah. It was pretty fun. We both enjoyed it.

All for now.