Facing unemployment
From what it seems, the place I'm currently employed is going to go out of business due to poor management. I can't say that I'm really all that surprised, I've always done my job and I've always done it well, but since my "manager" keeps trying to play "technician" and keeps breaking customers' computers, we end up losing more money than we bring in. What little money we do bring in, goes up in smoke (either marijuana or tobacco) when it SHOULD be used to pay us on time! At least I did finally get my meager $0.30/hr increase, a full 30 days after I was promised after 60 days of employment, so now I make $8.70/hr. Oh, and they cut my hours, so now I work part-time. I can't really file for unemployment, as they've been paying me under the table.
I am located in Michigan, and I'm not sure exactly what to do. I've tried applying at other computer repair stores in the area, but none of them have contacted me, and I suspect it's due to the negative reputation that my current place of employment has. My lease here ends in June, at which point I'm moving back in with my parents in Arkansas, and we've discussed the possibility of me starting a repair business out of the house. I think I'm a little young and don't have the funds to start a storefront, nor would I want to tie myself down to one location for the foreseeable future, although financial stability would be quite nice. I've created an account on LinkedIn, where I have a recommendation from one of my co-workers. I've applied to a few jobs via LinkedIn, Indeed.com, and Dice.com, as well as sending my resume to an IT recruiter here in Michigan as soon as I saw his post on a private forum, and my fingers are crossed that I will hear from him. I've also been applying to jobs here in Arkansas in the meantime, because it would be nice to have a few interviews lined up for as soon as I arrive back in town in June. I've even considered the National Guard, it appears like they have a PAID computer training program that comes with it's own share of benefits.
Since I'll only be here for the next 6 months, I don't know if it's such a good idea to start up my own business here, there is a lot of strong competition but not a lot of employment here in Michigan. I've gotten one other potential job offer from a very helpful Redditor that also visits this subreddit (I won't call you out!) for a part-time position in Texas, but ideally I'd like to find a full time position because I'm trying to save up some money to have a bright future.
In any case, r/computertechs, it would be nice to hear what some of you guys have to say, because my plans are up in the air at the moment. There is no official word yet on me being unemployed, but all signs are STRONGLY suggesting that things are headed in that direction. I.E. both of the websites for both of the stores I work at (we have multiple locations) haven't been working for MONTHS, my co-workers haven't seen our boss for WEEKS, his girlfriend is poorly managing both stores and a ton of our customers have been leaving bad reviews for both of our stores. For example, all virus removals are now OS reloads, even when an OS reload isn't necessary, that's what we're instructed to do, and I'm morally and ethically against it, but at the same time I NEED to pay my rent!!! I'm CompTIA A+ certified and have over 5 years of hands-on repair experience, so if you'd like to help me network and connect through LinkedIn, I would certainly appreciate it. If you have any helpful advice, I'm all ears.
Kind regards,
-AFireInside
Posted Dec 29, 2011, 6:23 AM UTC · edited