Unemployed Again

“Well...I am not unemployed in the literal sense, only in the practical sense.

I have been self-employed for over 10 years and I have done well. I have been doing contract work for large companies, information systems work--analysis, design, some programming. Most contracts are at least a couple of months in duration. So when I don't have a project, it is like being "un"employed.

The last several years, the marketplace has deteriorated. It is MUCH harder to find work, and the rates have dropped significantly. The last time I was between projects was the worst--three months of no revenue.

This morning I learned that the contract I have been on, which we were optimistic was going to last through December of 2004, was cancelled as of tomorrow. As in, my last day is tomorrow.

So this is quite a blow.

Part of my problem is that, because of a major spending problem in my family, we are deeply in debt despite my income having been very good, esp. over the past three years.

Looking at the bright side, I have been pursuing another career (loan officer/mortgage originator) which I had hoped to do part time for a while to get my feet wet. I have taken a couple of classes, I have done a lot of reading and talked to a number of people in the industry.

My plan was to do that work when I am in between contracts, plus part time when I have work. Now, I guess it is time to work fulltime at this new business, while continuing to look for work in the old business.

So wish me luck...and, if you know anyone who is house-shopping, please consider sending them my way. I will get them a good deal and it will be a huge help to me in my current situation. Also if you or anyone you know has a mortgage that you didn't refinance over the past two years, please call me about that also.

(Sorry...didn't mean to turn this into an advertisement.)”

“Good Luck Fritz..I know first hand the fears that you face..all will be well.”

“Sorry to hearn that. It would have to suck. Keep looking something will come about. At least you dont hate your job.”

“good luck, i wish you the best. if i get around to buying a house, i'll keep you in mind.”

“Wow, what a shock for you Fritz!
Good luck!”

“that does sound scary, Fritz! but at least you have a plan...i'm sure it will all work out for you. i wish you luck!”

“Fritz, you kind a in the same boat as me... (well almost) I wish you luck!!!”

“Guess you're just going to have to sell your a$$ on the street. Good thing you've kept in shape by bp'ing. LOL!

It'll all work out.”

“I was a loan officer for about 5 years Fritz. If you are with the right company and work hard, you can make gobs of money. It can be morally debilitating, but you have a good compass.

Chin up!”

“Fritz...

Sorry to hear about your financial troubles. Bummer! But you're a resourceful person and I believe you'll eventually find your way. Keep the right attitude too. I know you will.”

“Hang in there Fritz. Do what you must to get by and keep working toward your goal(s).”

“Best of luck Fritz. You're a good guy, and I can tell from hiking with you that you have a terrific work ethic, and am confident you'll succeed.”

“...oh yeah. It's been ~13 years but any if you need any advice feel free to email me.”

“good luck fritz.”

“You and your family hang in there, Fritz. I think things will work out well for you. Good luck.”

“Fritz, I know we spoke about some work you did for the company I'm with now. If you need help keeping an eye on job openings, let me know.

insider info.... sssshhhh!”

“Every time I see this thread title I think of the song "drunk and lonesome again" by Southern Culture on the Skids.”

“Fritz- Sorry to hear that. At least you've got a plan. Sometimes these things may put a few bumps in the road, but in the long haul, they're nothing more than a good thing. I hope the loan officer/mortgage originator thing works out well for you. Chin up and keep a positive outlook.”

“Fritz you have my sympathy. Lucky for you the mortgage business is booming. Best of luck!”

“Good luck, hope all works out well for you.”

“...very expensive to live there Fritz. I lived in Murray back in '96 with an LDS lady. The cost of living is ridiculous! I hope you get work SOON!!!”

“Do you have a background in Pick programing?”

“I feel for ya buddy.
I just got out of that situation. Hang in there and call on all of your contacts.

If anything comes my way I'll try to ship you some.”

“And as we know - cats always land on their feet.

I enjoyed chatting with you on the trail 'cuz we do some of the same work.

You've got mail (Fritz).”

“Get a freaking McJob!”

“Tara!
Be nice!
(hehehee!)”

“Bummer Fritz...

Could you go in to more detail of what you were doing before?

I don't know if you are completely decided about the mortgage officer position but I have been taking a class in GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and if you can learn the program, ArcGIS you can make some good money doing that...(not sure if that is anything similar to what you were doing)

There is even a website for careers in GIS: Careers in GIS

Either way I wish you the best of luck....sometimes when you think you are in a mess things turn around and surprise you....it happened to us!”

“Thanks very much, everyone, for the votes of confidence.

Twinkle toes - how much you think I could get for it? ;-)

Violin - thanks for the email, the insights

Bobo - I'll call yo.

Ohio - I am not in the Salt Lake valley, I live near Philly.

bacpac - no Pick, sorry.

Coop - thanks very much for the email

tarabulljo - You have been blacklisted. Neither you, nor anyone you care about, will ever be able to borrow money again. ;-)

Adventurist - I will look into ArcGIS, thanks.”

“Hey, Fritz, debt sucks.
Keep remembering your adventure race and you'll pull through. Landscaper and I are sending you brainlaods of positive thoughts.”

“...I thought you were from Utah for some reason. Philadelphia you mean?

However I love Utah, especially the Salt Lake Valley. Very nice BUT costly!”

“By Thomas B. Edsall and Juliet Eilperin
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Some of Washington's top Republican lobbyists are counting on ties to the Bush administration, the congressional leadership and the Iraqi provisional government to turn the embattled country into a major new profit center.

"It's like a huge pot of honey that's attracting a lot of flies," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

The opportunities — and risks — of doing business in Iraq are far more varied than in traditional Washington lobbying. One alliance of Republican lobbyists, New Bridge Strategies, whose interest in Iraq has earned considerable attention because of its close ties to the Bush administration, is gearing up to seek distribution rights for major U.S. companies producing everything from grain to auto parts to shampoo.

"Getting the rights to distribute Procter & Gamble products would be a gold mine," said one New Bridge partner who requested anonymity. "One well-stocked 7-Eleven could knock out 30 Iraqi stores; a Wal-Mart could take over the country."

This group includes Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's 2000 campaign manager, and Ed Rogers and Lanny Griffith, two top political aides to Bush's father. The group also has set up a security company, Diligence-Iraq, which has hired former members of the U.S. Special Forces, New Zealand's equivalent of the Green Berets and the Iraqi military to provide protection for companies and for corporate leaders visiting the country. In a matter of months, Diligence-Iraq has begun to turn a profit, said Chief Executive Michael Miller, who for 14 years was a "covert field operations officer for the CIA, specializing in counterterrorism, counternarcotics and counterinsurgency operations," according to the company.

Republican members of Congress are highly receptive to arguments that U.S. companies should receive a big share of the business of rebuilding Iraq.

"It would be helpful for us to see how much work is being done by American companies," said Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering Jr., R-Miss. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., noted that "we've got people (U.S. companies) paying taxes" to finance the U.S. investment in Iraq.

Another lobbying firm run by former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Livingston, R-La., is representing well-placed Iraqi families seeking to form business alliances with U.S. and foreign companies interested in setting up operations in the country. The firm is exploring working with a Jordanian pharmaceutical company and an Iraqi business family to produce antibiotics for Iraq.

The Livingston Group also is working on behalf of De La Rue, a British printing and paper company that has won a contract to print some of Iraq's currency, and now seeks to produce secure travel documents for the fledgling government. Anthony "Toby" Moffett Jr., a former Democratic representative from Connecticut who works with Livingston, said his firm's first task was to "make sure the people in decision-making positions knew the severity of the problem as regards to security documentation. We had to try to convince the U.S. government they need to fix this issue sooner rather than later."




The Coalition Provisional Authority initially approached De La Rue about submitting a proposal for 500,000 secure interim travel documents, but then informed Moffett and others that the U.S. Government Printing Office would print 10,000 documents. Moffett said the Livingston Group is "making the case on the Hill and elsewhere about moving more rapidly toward a private contractor that really knows what it's doing," appealing to Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on the Commerce, Justice and State departments, and to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We're trying to get the right people to ask the right questions of the right people."

BKSH & Associates, whose chairman, Charles Black Jr., played key roles in the campaigns of Bush and his father, gained valuable contacts when it represented the Iraqi National Congress, an alliance of Iraqi exiles opposed to the government of Saddam Hussein, many of whom now hold power in the provisional government set up by the United States.

Once security dangers are reduced, Black said, his firm may use its ties to prominent Iraqis to set up business operations in the country. Meanwhile, he and his partners have been advising clients on the procurement process at the Department of Defense and the U.S. Agency for International Development. One BKSH client, Fluor, has received a contract for work in Iraq from the Army Corps of Engineers.

The mobilization of the Washington lobbying community in pursuit of business in connection with Iraq was first reported by the National Journal a little more than two months ago. There are multiple ways for well-connected firms to make money in Iraq. In addition to lobbying on behalf of companies seeking a piece of what is likely to be at least a $20 billion U.S. investment in reconstruction and more in coming years, there are contracts to be won from Iraqi ministries for telecommunications, road building, food supplies and a host of services and training programs.

What one lobbyist described as "the filet" of business opportunities in Iraq would be when "an American company comes to us, asks us to find an Iraqi partner, find the capital to distribute our product, find the lawyers, and then lets us keep an interest in the business."

In addition, such U.S. companies as Bechtel and Kellogg Brown & Root, the construction group of Halliburton, which have received multimillion-dollar contracts in Iraq, have become prospective customers for suppliers and subcontractors.

Rep. James Moran, D-Va., complained that a company in his district has been having trouble making its case to win business from the Pentagon. "The indication they're getting is if they want the money they really have to go though Halliburton," he said.”

“I could use a pick programmer who is intimate with SB+.”

“Fritz: Good luck with your new career - I believe that changing careers over one's life is a good thing (curtails stagnation). You have a great personality, which will lend itself to a successful career in lending.”

“Fritz- my impression of you is that you would do well at where-ever you place your interest. You're intelligent, disciplined and together.

You're going to be successful at where you put your heart. I'm confident of that.

Blessings-”

“Good luck. For some reason I think you will be OK.”

“Wow, thanks a lot you guys for the compliments. Really does help to hear the encouragement.”

“sorry to hear about that Fritz! Like someone else wrote, I hear the same thing about loan officers. You can make a pretty decent living.

I believe things happen for a reason. Maybe it is time for you to start a new career. Good luck! Just put the same effort into looking for a job as you did in your race! You'll make out fine, I'm sure!”

“Sorry to hear about your difficulties, Fritz. I hope that these bad times set the stage for a long round of good times. Wishing you lots of good fortune!”

“Where God closes a door, he opens a window.”

“Good luck, Fritz.”

“Change has considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful, change is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful, change is encouraging because things may get better. To confident, change is inspiring because the challenge exists to make thing better.

--King Whitney, Jr.”

“I 'm taking computer courses. Mainly web design.There is ) money in that but I am being exposed to other stuff that seem promising such as digital movie editing.But who knows maybe that pays crap also.Maybe ill just learn some real trade like plumbing?But when real estate tanks so will construction.Drug dealing seems recession and obsolescence proof tho...”

“HPM is reporting to this list today. #&%!$ers won't pay.”

“explain i dont get it”

“He's out of his job. Customers won't pay their bills, and the boss took on too much pro bono work, which is done for free. His job was the first to go.”

“There's always a plan for us, we just don't see it right away. Keep the chin up!”

“She fired me cause i asked question and didnt work like adumb Mexican (sorry to oput it that way)

Working landscaping for that b1tch was a mistake!

Month later a friend of mine called up and said hey she is outa town and i am runnig the company for here we depleted her bank account because she didnt have enough business to keep us payed do do the work we were doing!!

She still owes me money”

“Sorry to hear that TB. That totally sucks.”

“Sorry to hear that HPM, treebait.
I second what techntrek said.”