I am not familiar with where your son lives and his field of work. Rotti had a good point in finding his niche in this job market. If he is out on unemployment is he able to take courses to advance his knowledge in his field? Times like this can be a great opportunity to reflect on one's career, see what the market is for jobs in demand. I hope he can find strength to rise up over this and come out on the other side stronger. It is a bump (or pothole) in the road of life and he needs to stay positive, network, and keep the goal in mind. We will send him a prayer and we hope he can find some good out of this. I know you will be there solid for him. You are a great dad to look for words from others.
I browsed your cabin thread, and he definitely has lots of God-given talent! I have a tough time building a Lincoln log cabin! Stinny
Stinny, Where does he live (Maine or somewhere else?), and what does he do for work normally/basic background...? I may be able to send him in the right direction for work.... You can PM me if you like.
I will say this: My whole life can be laughably considered a day late and a dollar short. When I was dirt poor and wasn't sure where my next meal or the rent was coming from, and needed a loan, interest rates were sky high. Later when I had accumulated some, and could afford to save for retirement and other expenses, interest rates tanked. That's just one example, I won't go into it all. BUT-- I have come to believe that every single hard luck incident in my life happened for a reason. I won't go into some the the personal hardships here, but I will say that a higher power has guided me at all times. For example, I was so desperate for a decent job when I was stuck in one that was literally forcing me to siphon off my savings just to pay normal bills, I would have settled for anything with a raise. At the same time, my father was losing his mind, and I had to accept that fact that I either had to quit my job and go on welfare to take care of him, or sell my house in order to pay for a nursing home (it isn't easy to get elder care in this state). My interviews yielded nothing. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Dad got sick, and died in the hospital just a few minutes after I got him settled in, at one a.m. on my birthday. Within days, I had another interview come up. I thought about cancelling it, as I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and knew I couldn't get through it in a professional manner. I decided to go. I was a wreck, but managed to complete it without crying. A week later I was hired. That job turned out to be the best job I have ever had. Not only am I able to save my money again, the working conditions are fantastic, the people are great, and it is really stress free. If I had been hired by any of the other jobs that passed me up, I don't think I would be nearly as happy. There are some things that either happen or don't happen, and we think we have missed the boat. Except sometimes the boat we missed might have been the Titanic.
Wow... once again, this group of firewood hoarders has offered some very inspiring and thoughtful messages. I really appreciate every one. Thanks a whole lot folks!!!
Stinny here is my biased opinion. I just checked the Maine website for radon licensing requirements. I highly recommend looking into this. He could take the 5 day course and become a registered contractor. the industry is real estate driven. He can get into the business for minimal money and grow it to something very profitable. It is an excellent one man show or can grow it into a million dollar business. he seems too have the basic background to be successful. the systems are 4 inch pvc pipe, does not get much more straight forward.
Wow. Great offer.. Great members here!! Stinny, thoughts and prayers will be coming from Ohio. I'm am sure your son can and will find something with the type of talent he has to build that Cabin. He possess so many skills to have accomplished that. I am sure something great will come his way! Karma has a way of always helping out the good guys! Tell him to keep his chin up, his feet on the ground, and his eyes on the prize!
HMMMM. Successful environmental consultant with a biased opinion. Too bad I am not younger, I would grab that opinion and run with it. NICE advice friend!
I was the fall guy, got chitcanned, for a piece of equipment failing to automatically actuate when a steam turbine shutdown one night just a couple years into my career. ~23-24yo and 3 months earlier my manager(incompetent a-hole) told me I couldn't interview for the supervisor positions they had created because I didn't have the requisite 5yrs experience on my resume.... During the firing process the same manager that told me I couldn't interview for the supervisor job told me I was the most experienced guy on the crew and should have known better. Yeah the guy that was my supervisor got a letter in his file, the guy that was actually responsible for the equipment failing to operate got a few days off w/o pay and I got was served up on the silver platter... ~2months later I took a job with another power company in Virginia and my first day on the job the production manager took me out to lunch. He asked during lunch about the incompetent a-hole manager that got me fired from the last plant(who was apparently looking for work as well) - I just said nothing nice to say don't say anything - and his resume went in the shredder
Hey Stinny, Don't know what your son's former job was, but that cabin build says something to me, as I have grown up a carpenter in a family of carpenters. But now I design transformers, and our shop floor is looking for a detail oriented person to replace our final assembly guy who puts the finishing touches on our product. Yeah, it's in Virginia, the Blue Ridge mtns, but he could work with us in one snap of the fingers! Got a spare room here, just 4 miles from the factory! At the least, he's your son. And of what I've read in the few short months here as a member + your cabin build thread- I believe he'll do well, no matter what! Eric VW PS- we have a fella workin here who's from Maine!
It's a tough thing stinny, that's for sure. Been there done that. Recession happens, you get laid off, despite the whole company getting a talk from the president that nobody is losing their jobs. Well, less than a week later, 25% of the company was shown the door. Times are a lot different for gen x and gen y people. Gone are the days of staying at a company for their entire careers. You either have to jump from job to job to try to stay ahead of the cost of living game( and maybe actually have money to retire with) or you get canned usually for no fault of the person getting canned. Being out of work is crushing to your ego. Family and friends get you through it. Eventually you land on your feet. He sounds like a great kid. Keep his spirits up. Keep him busy. What line of work is he in?
Positive thoughts and good wishes from here to your son, Stinny. I've had the rug pulled out from me by employers 6 times in my career and every time it has been, in the long run, for the better. Sometimes things seem wrong or bad but can turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Your son is obviously a go-getter, conscientous and ambitious - this won't keep him down for long. What happened is no fault whatever on him, the employment universe can be very fickle lately. He will hit the ground running after this temporary setback. A person with his talent and value won't go undiscovered for very long.
First off, I apologize for lack of participation lately.......this maple sugaring is hard work!! So I won't derail your thread here, just like so many other posts on our site I couldn't help but reading the entire thing and having a heartfelt connection to all of you, and especially your son, Stinny, and his current situation. Around 16 years ago I was a young father of one, freshly married, house and car payments, and I got laid off. Our oldest son was a medical miracle but had autism, so it was scary and tough. But prayers by my wife, family, and friends, and the Lord directed me to a wonderful job at a place I NEVER thought I'd have the opportunity to ever work. Tell him to keep his chin up, look to The Lord for guidance and direction. Keep him active, tell him to pester possible prospects with multiple calls/apps......companies like to see a REAL desire to work for them.. And as for all the words of encouragement/ideas, just goes to show why I love all you guys/gals like family. And I truly mean that. Prayers.from our house, Stinny. Keep us posted...
I am a big believer in things happen for a reason. Although those reasons may remain unclear for some time. Tell your son to keep his chin up. The forks in the road are not designed to get you lost, They are there to help you find your way.
Wow, what a great offer Eric VW, fantastic of you to make it. No doubt Good Karma will be coming your way in the future....................
Stinny, man I am sorry about that... my thoughts go out to your son. I wont claim to be any expert or anything... or claim that Ive "been there" but I also think your son will make out just fine in the end. My Dad, back in the day... worked for a long time in the corporate world for large international shipping companies. He had no college education but had worked his way up from a line worker at a telco in Brooklyn to working in the head office directing worldwide satellite communications systems for a large air freight company (this was before the internet was big). Then the early 90s recession hit and he got laid off. With no college degree, he never ever got back into the industry. What did he do? Well, like your son obviously is, my dad was also a skilled carpenter and furniture maker as a hobby, so he set out on his own as a remodeling contractor. Its been a bumpy road for him since, and honestly a struggle at times like during the housing crash... but he has always paid the house and put food on the table. managed through a rough divorce with my mom and helped put me and my sister through college along the way as well. Which is to say, your boy obviously has skills, so I'm sure he will get along. I dont know if building trades are his biz but judging by that cabin (how'd I miss that one???) he could definitely pickup side work while he looks for new opportunities in his field. From my own side... I can say working in the corporate world Ive been lucky as we have been through this many time at the company I work for. In fact we are going through a big change right now and Ive been quiet on the forum as Ive been wheeling and dealing for weeks on behalf of the people who work for me. Ive miseed the axe by a hair more times than I can count... But part of the reason I miss the axe is I make it a point to make my own luck... network, keep involved company politics as much as I hate it and not be afraid to take risks. Some of the best moves for my career have happened when I decied to take a risk on something new (one of those moves just last fall, but that's a story all to itself). And for me that s not always easy... as I am a very cautious person by nature.
