what to do when laid off and really unmotivated...

[powder]

Hey everyone, well I am pretty new here to Kirupa but I must say I spend a lot more time reading here then actually posting. But I thought I'd just share my situation with you guys to see if you may have advice or sympathy..hahahha well not really. I am just bored outta my mind.

I recently graduated from Internet Graphic Design 4 months ago and since then I have had two jobs. Which is really good considering me and only one other guy are the only two in the class employed yet.

My first job (web design & CD Rom building) I love. But because since I am only a contract worker with them there are times when there will be several weeks of no work. So because of that and a enourmous $14 000 student loan I had to find full time permanent work.

I landed a full time "graphic design" position. This jobs pay sucked huge. And I really did no graphic design..go figure???

But after only 1 month of work I was laid off... this place got so slow I mean like go insane slow....

So here I am now, unemployed, my car is dead... going broke and unsure what to do. I sometimes wonder is there much work in web design? do I have to be self employed, should I have just gone to university or something like that??? etc...


Well I am not complaining afterall I do live very close to Toronto which has loads of web jobs but then it all comes down to experience... I know these things take time and patience. But what if you don't have patience..lol

Well I guess the point to this story is "Do you feel there is work in Web Design?" And what has and hasn't worked for you???


Maybe I am just frustrated...but oh well...


;) thanx for reading about some total strangers story....

see ya

[asphaltcowboy]

I feel for you man, truly.

Design (of all kinds, but especially web) is quite hard-going at the moment. as you say, there are lots and lots of new designers and students entering the fray and nowhere near enough jobs for them to fill. tis a hard life. tbh, Im pretty worried about the whole 'life' thing too... i'm *hopefully* going to uni next year.. but I've got a really hard resit to pass... and I'm not sure I'll manage it.. I have somewhere else to go too.. but it's **** in comparison... god, how depressing :-\


Just.. get yourself out there. Even if you aren't doing permanent jobs yet, go and do one-offs and individual web design jobs. get as much experience as possible, and when the time comes, you'll get noticed for your hard work. just a case of sticking with it.

chin up :)

[powder]

Yeah I hear ya too..lol.. I guess everyone starts somewhere. Maybe someday when we are all 100 years old we'll look back and be like "that is what I was worried about??"

So what you thinking of going to university for?? Web design??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Um ok I'm done :D

[asphaltcowboy]

nah, I do web design stuff in my spare time mostly (done a couple of one-off jobs though). I'm hoping to go and do Computer Animation and Visualisation at Bournemouth (UK) - it's one of the best courses in Europe for computer animation. Tough to get on. but I have a conditional place (based on my exam result :-\).

Whatever happens, whatever course I do (bound to be computer/graphic design related), it'll always have some relevance to whatever I choose to do after my course. If ya get what I mean :)

[eyeinfinitude]

I know exactly how you feel, I've been through similar situations. One thing I learned is that you must maintain a constant look out for job openings and opportunites no matter if it's big or small.

I know it's easier said than done, but you can do 2 things, you can either sit and complain or continue looking.

You already know that there's jobs in Toronto so there's a start for you. Go out and physically visit these places, call them if you have to as well and just straight out ask them if they have any positions open. Carry your portfolio with you at all times when you visit these places.

I know that experience is a factor at some of these places, but if you show up with a portfolio in your hand and if its solid then your portfolio will speak for itself. Also the way you present yourself is critical as well.

Web design is very competitive, you'll have to go through great lengths sometimes to land a client, but that's how it is.

There was a period when I didn't have any work at all and what I did was go around small businesses around my area and actually solicit my services. I probably spent about 20 hours per week doing that and it landed me a few jobs. At first they're just small jobs like designing flyers and setting up small sites, but from word of mouth, I gained more clients.

Networking is very important and when I say networking, I don't mean like cables and wires of that sort. What I mean is communicating with people, maintaining constant contact with people because it will get you connected to other potential clients as well.

All that jibberish is from personal experience and I hope it helps, good luck. =)

[asphaltcowboy]

^^ what he said :)

[powder]

Yeah you make alot of sense Electron.....


It seems like I keep getting the same advice outside of here to. I guess it really comes down to how motivated you are. I do believe people can get whatever they want in life, but it isn't easy. I guess it all takes work.. OK I am keeping this short before I sound corney...


Thanx for the replies...

[asphaltcowboy]

we're here to help... ;)


that'll be £2000 for the 5 minute consultation, ta :beam:
(EG: we'll split the money 60/40 in your favour ;))

[eyeinfinitude]

Sounds good. :P

[asphaltcowboy]

:thumb:

[powder]

I guess you missed the part where I said I am broke....lousy phsychiatrist..Im not paying you.............j/k

[asphaltcowboy]

bah! we're not paid to listen! what do you think we are? professionals? ;)
we're paid to talk... and... and... get results! :)

[powder]

Yep...

[fester8542]

I sort of missed the boat on this thread but what electron said is very true. I was seriously depressed when I first tried to go out and tackle huge projects with not many completed ones under my belt. I actually did a a personal site for a local non-profit just to get another URL.

Word or mouth is your greatest asset when starting out. do a good job and complete it quickly. Even take a hit on your pricetage to land the job.

[dexa_007]

I pray ... then trust. Works for me.

[Raydred]

Geeze phil... your satire is too much sometimes..


Heres what i do...

1)
Make a list of what you want , where you want to be in say a few years etc.. (you dont have to make a physicall list).. if you dont know what you want, try things, and see what you like..

2) Be presistant and Determined. Always go for what you want, even if you dont think you can get it, maybe you can and just dont know it.

3) apply for every job you want etc, even the higher stuff. SOmetimes if you dont have expierence but you have the want-to and the determination, they'll hire you and invest time in you to make you a valualble employee. Rememer too if you dont apply, you have 0% chance =)

4) Never let anyone tell you you cant get something you want. That should serve as a motivation to get "your way".

Thats enough of my lecturing, hehe but seriously it works. =)

[c!rYx]

Sweet Raydred, The third point was really crazy. Is it really 0% when you don't apply ? That was kinda shocking to me.
See you never stop learning ;)

[Raydred]

lol well yea.. hehe people forget that though =)

[prstudio]

you spelled "yield" wrong

[asphaltcowboy]

silly-philly! :P

[LilleMartin]

I completely understand where you're coming from. I've been unemployed for soon 8 months, and the norwegian job market is friggen hellish nowadays.

Not too long ago I got an interview for a great position as Flash designer for a web firm. I didn't get the job because I didn't have enough programming experience. First I got really depressed, because I had actually expected to get the job, and I didn't even feel like looking at my poor g4 for a couple of days.

Then I got **** mad and decided to build a Flash CMS with XML and a php back-end just to show those buggers what they missed.

I'm not quite there yet, but I managed to surf on that anger for a while, and my site is now at least partially XML-ified, and I've learned a lot about AS in the process.

-M

[powder]

Good point on the 0% Raydread...no matter what everyone else thinks.

Seem like I am not the only one that has been here before. To be honest one of my biggest factors that is unmotivating me is I feel it is too hard to learn a lot of the programming stuff. And that makes me feel underqualified too. I did learn coldfusion an ASP in school and I was able to make a fully functionally guestbook that ran off my system...But we were never taught how to actually upload it onto the web. It may seem funny but I kinda gave up on programming stuff at that point. Plus I really hate it... but maybe I just find it frustrtating.

But yeah I would love to get more into web design more over development..But then I see all this awesome stuff that can be done with AS in Flash....

But I am just rambling..although got some good news I got a small job for $100 designing a logo :)... and my car is now fixed....:)

see ya guys...

[asphaltcowboy]

aww! nice one m8! sounds like you back on the road to Moneyville (or is that Happyville? or is that the same thing?) ;)

[powder]

Heheheh...yep now I can pay you for your help....how is $0.28..???

[asphaltcowboy]

w00t! I accept all major forms of credit card, PayPal is best ;)

[fester8542]

Hey powder....I'll pay you 20 bucks to clean out my fridge :)

:trout: :trout: :trout:

You have to leave the SARS at home though :)

[powder]

aren't you suppose to say.....no thats ok??? and then we argue for a bit and then I keep the money???? Ok fine I'll give it to ya..:)

[eyeinfinitude]

Originally posted by powder
Heheheh...yep now I can pay you for your help....how is $0.28..???

Asphalt, remember our deal, $0.17 of that $0.28 is mine. :P

[powder]

clean out for fridge??? as long as I dont get hurt?...Im on my way

[telekinesis]

Use your welfare check and go to the nude bars and get wasted! :thumb:

If you have a girlfriend then forget what I just said :P

[asphaltcowboy]

****! (/me deletes previous) wait? what are you talking about? was this some kind of verbal agreement you concocted in your head EG? ;)

[fester8542]

Originally posted by powder
clean out for fridge??? as long as I dont get hurt?...Im on my way

I dont know man....there is a pretty good chance you might get hurt in there....its a scary place..

[eyeinfinitude]

Originally posted by asphaltcowboy
we're here to help... ;)


that'll be £2000 for the 5 minute consultation, ta :beam:
(EG: we'll split the money 60/40 in your favour ;))

I didn't make it up, you did asphalt! :P

[asphaltcowboy]

daamnit!! you and your evil mod ways! ;)

dinner time! (saved by teh lamb) :beam:

[asphaltcowboy]

w00t! just got a phonecall! spoke to this guy a few weeks ago about a potential webdesign/graphic design job that he wanted doing. he seemed to lose a bit of interest (even though i kept calling so he wouldn't forget ;)).

Anyway, he just rang me! w00t! meeting on monday!
money money here I come!

:beam::beam:

[grimdeath]

Ok heres what i do, even though i have a fulltime job i want to start my own bizness so what i do is on my dayz off of college and work i go around town with a nice collar shirt some slacks my laptop and my biz cards and offer my services to all kind of companies, youd be surprised how many small biznesses are in need of an intranet or an easier way to manage their inventory or sales report, this has got me one of the biggest and most ambicious clients in the market, which are pharmaceutical companies and one of the biggest health care firms in Puerto Rico, i had a meeting today and i have to create a quote for making a sort of html ftp for the intranet of this company so i gotta get this quote done and pray that i get the job, so dude no matter what just keep trying and trying you will eventually get where you want to you just gotta keep trying no matter how many times you fall get up and dont walk run towards your goal

Good Luck

P.S. if you cant do none of what i stated above then phils suggestion is the best option you got rotflmao ;)

[RelandR]

one word :: "Cross train" ... [ok it's two]

You mentioned that you dabbled in programming a bit but got turned off/around,
...Fact is a programmer that can design or a designer that can program are far more employable than either by themselves.
Read-read-read ( http://www.oreilly.com/ ) there's a really good book there to start up the intimidated would be programmer. You can read for free for 2 weeks (all titles) and then pay after that - (cancel if you don't have it)

In the meanwhile, if there aren't enough 'carpenter jobs' - go to work in the 'lumberyard' ... [phoneSupport, CompUSA, Bookstore...] and keep up with design on the side.

[mjULTRA]

I've got a cousin that works at a tampon factory.. I'll see if she can pull some strings.. hahaha lol!

[powder]

that is where i got laid off from though......:(

[asphaltcowboy]

Originally posted by Majeye
I've got a cousin that works at a tampon factory.. I'll see if she can pull some strings.. hahaha lol! lol Majeye, lol ;)