Ranger50
Ranger50 SuperDork
5/15/12 2:16 p.m.

Sucks in this black hole.

That is all.

HiTempguy
HiTempguy SuperDork
5/15/12 2:40 p.m.

Come to Alberta.

No, seriously. Everyone is hiring (as long as you are in construction, engineering, or the service industry).

Derick Freese
Derick Freese SuperDork
5/15/12 3:01 p.m.

I'm in a black hole of employment, here. My town just lost a major employer, a call center. There really isn't much left in this town that's not service industry. All of the construction workers used to live here, but that industry is almost gone. Hell, I started a computer repair business, and it seems like even those are all closing up shop.

Ranger50
Ranger50 SuperDork
5/15/12 3:09 p.m.

Unless you want to kill yourself in the coal mines, you have to work for nothing as pay everywhere else.

Right now, my biggest problem without disclosing to the potential employer is in 8mo, I quit to go back to nursing school.

Derick Freese
Derick Freese SuperDork
5/15/12 3:33 p.m.

As soon as we're certain where we're going to be, I'm going back to school. As it is now, we bight be relocating so my wife can find work. Right now, she has the bigger earnings potential, and I can work literally anywhere. It does suck having someone else's (lack of) job dictating what you do to.

Anti-stance
Anti-stance HalfDork
5/15/12 3:52 p.m.

I got caught out between jobs and luckily was able to pick up a job working with/for my stepmother. May turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
5/15/12 3:57 p.m.

What's your forte'?

Ranger50
Ranger50 SuperDork
5/15/12 4:25 p.m.
914Driver wrote: What's your forte'?

Jack of nearly all trades, master of a very few. In the past, I have relied on the backyard garage knowledge to fix today's complex electronically controlled rolling abortions on the road.

JohnInKansas
JohnInKansas Reader
5/15/12 5:09 p.m.

I'm thinking of joining you. I have a decent paying job as an engineer, but dislike the work environment.

Alberta's got engineering jobs, eh?

Anti-stance
Anti-stance HalfDork
5/15/12 5:29 p.m.

How does that work moving to Canada for work. Do you just get a work visa and passport?

TRoglodyte
TRoglodyte Dork
5/15/12 10:49 p.m.
Ranger50 wrote:
914Driver wrote: What's your forte'?
Jack of nearly all trades, master of a very few. In the past, I have relied on the backyard garage knowledge to fix today's complex electronically controlled rolling abortions on the road.

Service the mine machinery. Usually that happens outside the hole.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
5/15/12 10:54 p.m.

come work here...

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/ret/2987382937.html

gamby
gamby PowerDork
5/15/12 11:23 p.m.

I my wife wasn't making the money she is (i.e. good), I have no idea what would be happening now.

Continuing to lay the groundwork for a home-based biz (tennis/racquetball racquet stringing), but it's slow going. The nice part is that so few people do it and it's decent money hourly. I just need to build the clientele.

Otherwise, there's literally NOTHING out there.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
5/16/12 6:30 a.m.

It's not a career but may pay bills...... My brother did some work for his landlord in exchange for a cut in rent money. Landlord told someone, old lady on the corner asked if he would clean out her gutters.

$10/hour under the table, nothing illegal or immoral but everything is negotiable.

Just via work-of-mouth he had enough work that he could quit his job and do this full time. Cleaning out a garage, owner said "dump it". He took the roll top desk and sold it for $800. Found a bright yellow MGB once, buried in the back. Vintage Japanese fly fishing lures.

Like I said, it pays the bills. That warm fuzz sense of fullfilment? Meh.

fasted58
fasted58 UltraDork
5/16/12 8:18 a.m.

There's a niche for handyman work, especially in the elder community... and some people can't pound a nail to save their life. Plumbing repairs and water heater installs, minor electrical, mini- blinds, carpentry, painting etc.

Get yourself a cheap van or PU and tool it up. I'd leave washing walls, yard work, heavy lifting and the like to the regulars who do nothing but that... but wouldn't count it out. I started at a elderly couple's house painting one room which led to three, some plumbing work, cleaned the furnace then the garage etc. Dang, you could be there for a month w/ all the work that needed caught up.

HiTempguy
HiTempguy SuperDork
5/16/12 9:20 a.m.
Anti-stance wrote: How does that work moving to Canada for work. Do you just get a work visa and passport?

You'd have to ask someone smarter than me about that (Keith might know this stuff).

As I've said before, if you have any form of education or trade certification, northern Alberta will take you and pay you $80k per year starting salary with benefits, vacation, etc. Expect to take home about $55-$60k of that. And in a lot of trade positions that are paid hourly, unlimited double time if you are unionized as they simply can't get the workers. The work isn't even that bad, and the drive to Edmonton is only 5 hours if you have to get to the big city somethin fierce.

Every service industry business (food, stores, etc) has hiring signs in the window. Doesn't matter if it is Edmonton, Red Deer, or Calgary. We need people. Hell, I just got a 12% raise!

PHeller
PHeller SuperDork
5/16/12 11:31 a.m.

I've noticed there are tons of planning jobs up in Alberta that all pay considerably better than what I'm out now...hmm...

Anti-stance
Anti-stance HalfDork
5/16/12 11:34 a.m.

Hmmm, I have been saying for a while that I want to get out of the south because I hate the heat.

Strizzo
Strizzo UberDork
5/16/12 2:06 p.m.
fasted58 wrote: There's a niche for handyman work, especially in the elder community... and some people can't pound a nail to save their life. Plumbing repairs and water heater installs, minor electrical, mini- blinds, carpentry, painting etc. Get yourself a cheap van or PU and tool it up. I'd leave washing walls, yard work, heavy lifting and the like to the regulars who do nothing but that... but wouldn't count it out. I started at a elderly couple's house painting one room which led to three, some plumbing work, cleaned the furnace then the garage etc. Dang, you could be there for a month w/ all the work that needed caught up.

couple friends of ours have a guy they call when light bulbs burn out... no E36 M3

Per Schroeder
Per Schroeder Technical Editor/Advertising Director
5/16/12 3:20 p.m.

http://www.sema.org/classifieds/positions-available

http://www.aftermarketjobs.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?displayHome=

Anti-stance
Anti-stance HalfDork
5/16/12 8:24 p.m.
Per Schroeder wrote: http://www.sema.org/classifieds/positions-available http://www.aftermarketjobs.com/ http://www.linkedin.com/jobs?displayHome=

These guys from the Sema job listings page have an awesome sense of humor. I almost want to go work there.

Product specialist ninja

Mitchell
Mitchell SuperDork
5/16/12 8:49 p.m.
Anti-stance wrote: Hmmm, I have been saying for a while that I want to get out of the south because I hate the heat.

Soon we'll hear about all of the illegal immigrants from south of the border, and realize that it's not Latin Americans, but Americans.

T.J.
T.J. PowerDork
5/16/12 8:51 p.m.

I've been job hunting since Thanksgiving, but am lucky enough to have a job in the meantime. I've had a contingent offer, contingent on the company winning a government contract. If/when that one turns into an actual offer I doubt I will take it, but I have another something in the hopper that I hope pans out this fall. We'll see how it goes.

If you have an engineering or construction background and think Alberta is too far north, come to MN and work with me. Heck, maybe you can have my job in the fall.

Anti-stance
Anti-stance HalfDork
5/16/12 9:30 p.m.
Mitchell wrote:
Anti-stance wrote: Hmmm, I have been saying for a while that I want to get out of the south because I hate the heat.
Soon we'll hear about all of the illegal immigrants from south of the border, and realize that it's not Latin Americans, but Americans.

Wait, whuuuut?

Ranger50
Ranger50 SuperDork
5/22/12 10:35 a.m.

This still sucks. Either it's work for $9/hr, this ain't the berkeleying 70's!, or nobody calls back.

You'll need to log in to post.

Our Preferred Partners
rmFZJfFAZYJCzQAhW0kIBmjS0h5OabtaQiWL6sZzjQTjBzzuNSD4iMYlBZPAueo7