Looking for work (again)

[Arthur Rubin]

(Apologies if this is inappropriate. It would have been in the Potpourri forum, as I don't really see anything good about it, but it's not political or religious.)

As some of the regulars know, I've been pretty much unemployed since August 2009. I had a good-paying contract position from October 2012 through mid-January 2013, but that position (and the project) was terminated.

Probably the best resume I have out there on the web is at LinkedIn. Any ideas?

[fortinbras]

No particular ideas but I wish you luck.

I myself recently went back to work. I was pushed into retirement in 2007, got a temp job in 2008, and just recently went back to work at the agency I worked for in 2008. And they really needed me! For the moment I am trying to undo 4 years of amateurish library management. Hated being inert.

I have absolutely no insight on the avionics engineering part, but one of those tax chains (HR Block, Jackson Hewitt, etc.) might be interested in you (they provide their own training). Not really steady work but between New Year's and mid-April you should be doing well. Maybe audit the tax classes at the local law school for some additional knowledge.

[webhick]

I can't resist:

Aerospace Engineer, mathematician, or tax preparer

And they say it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do your taxes.

[Arthur Rubin]

I can't resist:

Aerospace Engineer, mathematician, or tax preparer

And they say it doesn't take a rocket scientist to do your taxes.

Actually, I was thinking something like that for a slogan. Perhaps

Sometimes it does take a rocket scientist....

And, I'm afraid, although I had three more weeks work, it's on hiatus at the moment. At their request, I made a proposal for how much work the 6 subtasks would take, but I haven't heard back as to whether they want me to work on any of them. (I suggested that one of the subtasks would require a MPU specialist, and my work on that task would consist of explaining my code where needed, for conversion to a more compact representation.)

In any case, I'm still looking, although my LinkedIn page says I have contract work.

[fortinbras]

Some five years after reluctantly retiring, I am back at work as a law librarian, and very happy with it. Now I am parttime, because I am old and creaky and need to recharge on alternating days. But my wife says I am obviously in a better frame of mind and seem to be getting healthier.

[Arthur Rubin]

I considered working for a tax firm; the problem is that they generally require that you pass their test, which I don't have time to do; they pay minimum wage for new hires (even experienced ones) against commision; and, at least H&R Block, used to have an amazing non-compete agreement. When I last checked (1995), while working for them, you couldn't do anyone else's taxes, even at no charge (although you can get discounts for friends); after working for them, you couldn't do anyone's taxes for a fee who you met through the company (usually written to include friends you referred to them); and you couldn't do taxes for anyone for 4 years within 50 miles of where you did taxes for them. This last clause would probably be ruled illegal in California, but I don't want to be the test case.

I've heard horror stories about working for Liberty Tax, as well. If you have your taxes done there, keep your tax audit insurance in place!

[Arthur Rubin]

Bump. No more projects, but I get enough money from JustAnswer (now Pearl) to have to pay self-employment taxes.

[Pottapaug1938]

I've been unemployed since the end of August, except for a two-month temporary gig from mid-December to mid-February. Until the end of November, I wasn't looking very hard, because my wife was undergoing chemotherapy at the time; but even then I've found out that between my age (61), my being laid off ("there must have been something wrong with him"), being "overqualified" for many jobs, and many other excuses for screen-outs, the job search is like trying to run a marathon through a sea of molasses while holding a cement block in my arms.