kjhall28 thanks for your response.  Every little bit helps.  I really want to go back to school and get an MBA.  So many of my friends and former classmates have gotten advanced degrees and I feel left behind not getting past a bachelors.  I'm scared to seriously pursue it because something may come up and I may end up unemployed and in debt with student loans/tuition costs.  It is so hard out there right now.  Both of my parents (who are deceased) never had this kind of problem while I was growing up.  It seems like long term employment (30+ years) just seems non existent now.  I know a couple of other guys who started working for themselves as home inspectors and are doing quite well, and I seriously thought about doing the same thing and even got a home inspection certification from a reputable company but after doing it for a while quickly realized that wasn't something I wanted to do long term.  I still want to have my own business, just not doing home inspections.  I read some of the other comments in other threads and honestly, I get decent responses from my resume and even interviews, but job offers are just so hard to come by, although recent experience has been a little bit better.  I just haven't gotten an email or a phone call in a peculiarly long time.

Any more comments and questions from others are greatly welcomed.  I just need to sort out some things in my life and find my niche or some good idea for a sole proprietorship business venture. 

The world of work has changed.  It is rare now to find people that have been employed by the same place for 20, 30, 40 years.  Heck, 10 years is noteworthy.

If you're interested in your own business, have a look at www.sba.gov.  I can't tell you what kind of business you should be doing, but when you know, then go to www.score.org.  They can help you work out a business plan, maketing plan, etc.  Keep in mind, however, that working for yourself is a series of finding the next gig.  So, if doing contract work is wearing on you, this might feel very similar.  On the other side, you'd be reaping all the reward and putting all the effort into building for yourself instead of someone else, so that may feel quite different.

Also, try a career counselor.  Your local university or community college should have one or try the phone book.  They can do testing to see where your skills, interests and abilities lie and suggest a number of fields and related careers.  Don't look at an MBA.  More schooling is not going to solve this problem.  You should only get an MBA when you know exactly how it will benefit you.  Otherwise, you'll be the best educated guy working at Home Depot.

All the best!

Tess

Tess, that is very good advice and I do appreciate it.  I have definitely put the MBA on hold for now.  Maybe even indefinitely.  During the course of my struggle I actually have done several of the things you suggested, taking one of those on line tests to find my skill set and talking with a career counselor.  The only REAL help she provided though, was just an outlet to talk to about my frustrations and emailing other opportunities that I didn't know about.  I will definitely look at the two hyperlinks that you provided and see what becomes of them, what do I have to lose?  This interaction with you all on this message board really helps a lot.  Thanks again for your inputs and comments.  Other and more comments are still greatly appreciated.  I am seriously getting tired of the monotony(sp) of this job search and am in serious desperation of a different and more effective routine.

I have also been contemplating going back to school for something, maybe  in the medical field.  That is the only career field around here that seems to be thriving.  But going back to get an MBA is not something I would consider.  Like you said, the cost of tuition, books, etc. and then what guarantee is there that you will actually find a good job?  There are thousands of people, and I know of quite a few personally, who have earned there Masters Degree and they cannot find a job. They are working in entry level positions just to get by.  I'm certainly not trying to discourage you on seeking the degree though.  It's just how I feel - the cost and effort just doesn't seem worth it.  I wouldn't qualify for enough financial aid to do it anyway, since I'm not a single mother on welfare or a minority.  Sorry, but here it seems that's really the only way people qualify to get the necessary financial assistance for a college education.

I live in Michigan by the way and if the rest of the country isn't aware, the economy here is one of the worst!  We have had so many companies shut down, downsize or pick up and move to Mexico....That's another story.  I think our unemployment rate is the highest in the country.  If it's not, someone needs to correct the statistics!   Well anyway, good luck.  I seem to be venting my frustrations on this board!

kjhall28:

I hear you.  I think that is one of the best things about this board.  Just venting frustrations.  At least here you have a lot of people who will listen.  The engineering profession sucks all of a sudden.  The reasons I went into this field is because of the high starting salaries without a masters degree and the relative ease (at one time anyway) of finding work even in a recession.  That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.  I have heard of people looking for engineering jobs for YEARS and to no avail.  A lot of times I just find myself looking for work as a Business Analyst or a Project Manager.  I am waiting to see if I am selected for the second round of interviews with a company I am currently interviewing with and kind of suspect that I won't be.  Even though the interviewer said himself that "he was impressed and that I interviewed well".  Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about a place to live or acquiring a lot of debt any time soon.  That only intensifies the anxiety already felt under these circumstances.  Any more comments and helpful suggestions are still welcomed.

I can also sympathize with your plight. I spent nearly 20 years in Radio broadcasting and have been unable to find anything in that field since 1999. True, consolidation and other factors now limit the opportunities that Radio once had, but it still gets frustrating when you hear some (obviously) new kid on the air sounding very unprofessional, and wonder, "Why can't I get a job?" Probably because the new kid will work for six bucks an hour!

I have been with a household goods moving company for the past few years and enjoyed most of what I did (operations), but after my boss started asking me to do some things that were, shall we say, not above board, I decided it was time to leave. So far I have applied to over 100 jobs (online and in person) and have only heard back from one (Sorry Charlie, only good tasting tuna get to work at OUR company!) So, the hunt goes on.

It is helpful to have a support system, though, and the folks on these message boards seem ready to always lend some support, advice, or just a shoulder to cry on. Good luck in your search!

EJKorvette:

Thanks for your support.  It means so much at a time like this.  I hear a lot of people say that they apply for jobs in person....how are you doing this?  Are you just outright going through the door and leaving resumes and/or asking to speak to hiring managers face to face? Is that pretty effective?  It always seemed to me to be a little tenacious.  Anyway, I have my resume posted at Monster, Careerbuilder, Dice, JobsinLogistics, Hotjobs and several others and I constantly go back and renew my resumes to keep it at the top of the heap and I haven't gotten a single phone call or email all week.  What is going on?

Does anyone have any other ideas for networking?  Or any other creative ways to job hunt? I milked all I know how to do for what they are worth and am fresh out of ideas.  Any further ideas comments and suggestions are always welcomed.  I am about at wits end and don't know what else to do.