Not much time to blog this morning. I have my daughters every Thursday so it's my morning to get them up and off to school. I LOVE Friday mornings even if it's hectic. I would do this every day if I could. I want to do this every day.
In fact, I told a couple people last week that losing a job is nothing compared with going through my divorce. I lost having my daughters every day. That still hurts. The one thing that kept me at the Register Star these past three years was the fact I had four weeks of vacation and could take it in the summer and spend lots of time with them. This summer alone, we went to St. Louis, Lake Michigan, Lake Geneva, Williamsburg, Va., and Washington D.C.
Plus, I had a flexible schedule and can pick them up from school every day. Every day I get at least 20 to 30 minutes with them. I don't feel disconnected at all.
The one time I've gotten emotional during this period was when one of the people I was meeting with said it was going to be hard for me to negotiate even two weeks of vacation and leaving every day at 3 p.m. for an hour -- even if I delayed my lunch -- would be frowned upon. I might be able to work in something where I did it twice a week.
I realized that I think but hearing it hurt. When I told my 15-year-old summers were going to change, she got emotional.
Again I know I can't totally control those things if I start with a new company, but it does have me thinking about a couple of options where I'd have control over my schedule. I'm going to begin looking into those options today.
I have no meetings today other than morning breakfast with Karen, lunch with the 12-year-old at 1:15 p.m., pick the girls up at 3:30 p.m. and then run the scoreboard at Jefferson football tonight. I LOVE that part-time gig. Even if I won the lotto tomorrow -- which is a joke, I don't play -- I'd keep the Jefferson job.
And the Reds beat the Cubs -- despite Jorge Soler, run Billy Hamilton run -- so all is right in my world.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Thursday, August 28, 2014
And on the seventh day ...
I decided to go golfing.
Yesterday was a full, fun day. Breakfast at Aunt Mary's on East State to let another person I talked to know I was no longer at the Register Star. Then the 9 a.m. meeting, which was more intriguing than I thought it would be. I'm definitely not closing that door. Then a swing by Alpine Bank to let management there know what had happened. Lunch at Greenfire with another person I was seeking advice from and sounding out. Then a trip to the Rockford chamber of commerce for a meeting. A drop in to the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Then a trip to the library for some alterations on a resume that I had to resend.
Finally, I picked girls up from school, sent out a couple of emails to set meetings up for next week, had dinner at Karen's and went to a sales presentation at night.
Home at 8:30 p.m.
It was exciting and sobering at the same time. I'm going down two parallel tracks. There's an opening right now that several believe I'm qualified for and yesterday I had three different people pledging to make calls to lobby on my behalf or actually do it right in front of me. When you do one thing for so long you start to wonder if you can do anything else. Yesterday, everyone I met with said they believed I could thrive in this role. I'm moving as quickly as possible on this one.
The other track, perhaps a move into banking, is going to take many more meetings to see what level I should start at and which organization would be best for me. No one has said I couldn't do it, it's just that my lack of experience and financial background makes me more of a risk. I get that. I wouldn't want to jump in and drown.
The chamber trip opened my eyes to a couple of other opportunities. At every stop, I went through the obligatory "what happened" story. I know I'm going to get that for a long time. Everyone is shocked that I'm no longer at the paper. During the recession, when I would talk to companies or people who'd been let go, I'd react the same way. They'd tell they weren't shocked. They could see the train coming. I feel the same way. I'm not really shocked. At a couple of the meetings we were reminiscing about some of the larger projects I was able to launch and maintain for several years until space, staffing became an issue -- creating an economic scorecard, producing a quarterly real estate map, tracking bank solvency and public company earnings. I look at those projects now as preparation for the next career.
Today, I'm golfing with a former co-worker. We've played hundreds of rounds together and talked through thousands of story ideas. Today, the talk likely will be on what's next. I have to convince him there's life after journalism. I had several ex-journalists tell me the same thing, but you don't really know until you get out there.
When the round is over I have three phone calls to make, hopefully setting up more meetings for next week, and then a couple of days to master the unemployment system before hitting the ground running on Monday.
And the Reds beat the Cubs yesterday -- despite Jorge Soler -- so all is right in my world.
Yesterday was a full, fun day. Breakfast at Aunt Mary's on East State to let another person I talked to know I was no longer at the Register Star. Then the 9 a.m. meeting, which was more intriguing than I thought it would be. I'm definitely not closing that door. Then a swing by Alpine Bank to let management there know what had happened. Lunch at Greenfire with another person I was seeking advice from and sounding out. Then a trip to the Rockford chamber of commerce for a meeting. A drop in to the Rockford Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Then a trip to the library for some alterations on a resume that I had to resend.
Finally, I picked girls up from school, sent out a couple of emails to set meetings up for next week, had dinner at Karen's and went to a sales presentation at night.
Home at 8:30 p.m.
It was exciting and sobering at the same time. I'm going down two parallel tracks. There's an opening right now that several believe I'm qualified for and yesterday I had three different people pledging to make calls to lobby on my behalf or actually do it right in front of me. When you do one thing for so long you start to wonder if you can do anything else. Yesterday, everyone I met with said they believed I could thrive in this role. I'm moving as quickly as possible on this one.
The other track, perhaps a move into banking, is going to take many more meetings to see what level I should start at and which organization would be best for me. No one has said I couldn't do it, it's just that my lack of experience and financial background makes me more of a risk. I get that. I wouldn't want to jump in and drown.
The chamber trip opened my eyes to a couple of other opportunities. At every stop, I went through the obligatory "what happened" story. I know I'm going to get that for a long time. Everyone is shocked that I'm no longer at the paper. During the recession, when I would talk to companies or people who'd been let go, I'd react the same way. They'd tell they weren't shocked. They could see the train coming. I feel the same way. I'm not really shocked. At a couple of the meetings we were reminiscing about some of the larger projects I was able to launch and maintain for several years until space, staffing became an issue -- creating an economic scorecard, producing a quarterly real estate map, tracking bank solvency and public company earnings. I look at those projects now as preparation for the next career.
Today, I'm golfing with a former co-worker. We've played hundreds of rounds together and talked through thousands of story ideas. Today, the talk likely will be on what's next. I have to convince him there's life after journalism. I had several ex-journalists tell me the same thing, but you don't really know until you get out there.
When the round is over I have three phone calls to make, hopefully setting up more meetings for next week, and then a couple of days to master the unemployment system before hitting the ground running on Monday.
And the Reds beat the Cubs yesterday -- despite Jorge Soler -- so all is right in my world.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
First one down
I have had a couple of people advise me to take it easy at the start of the job search. I see the reasoning and don't disagree, but I feel like the clock is ticking.
I have goals for the winter and next summer -- especially getting in a trip to New York City so my girls can see a Broadway play -- and that'll be difficult to do if this drags on for a while.
And I realize it might. Former WREX TV anchor man Eric Wilson announced this week that he took a position with Rock Valley College. Eric was out of work for seven months. I wonder how many solid offers he received before settling on that one. Or was that best thing out there? Seven months is a long time.
Yesterday's lunch meeting went well. I wanted him to say something along the lines, "hell yes, we want you. Come by the office and let's start talking money."
Instead, it was more of a strategy session. The organization doesn't have an opening right now. How could we convince the powers that be to create one for me? That in itself is encouraging.
I also made another phone call on another opportunity and was encouraged by someone who would be one of the deciders to apply for a position that I originally thought I wouldn't be qualified for. So last night I updated my resume -- which didn't need much updating from when I created it in 2013 -- created a cover letter and sent them in. I like my references. I have really good references.
I continue to get messages from people who have just found out what happened last week. It reminds me of an athlete who suffers a major injury. At first, there's this tremendous outpouring of sympathy from coaches, fans and teammates. Then, after a few days, weeks, people move on and the athlete has to go through rehabilitation alone.
Right now, I'm still in the outpouring of sympathy stage. I know soon enough I'll get into the rehabilitation stage where it's just me and how badly I want to get into a new career.
Today's agenda is pretty full. I'm stopping by a restaurant in the morning to talk to an old friend who is pretty well connected. Then it's off to see about what what me be essentially a sales position. I'll be honest. I don't think I'm a salesman. It's hard for me to ask anyone for money having spent so many years budgeting every penny. I've always been one who connected people. If someone has a need, I know people who can help. I also shouldn't prejudge the job. I really like the person running the office. At the very least, it's another option.
Then it's another lunch meeting at 11:30 a.m., a meeting with the chamber president for a couple of things at 1:30 p.m. I might have time to stop in another office downtown before having to pick the girls up at 3:30 p.m. from school.
Tonight I really should read up on all the unemployment rules, get what's expected of me down, and then start researching the Affordable Care Act. My insurance runs out at the end of the month.
I have goals for the winter and next summer -- especially getting in a trip to New York City so my girls can see a Broadway play -- and that'll be difficult to do if this drags on for a while.
And I realize it might. Former WREX TV anchor man Eric Wilson announced this week that he took a position with Rock Valley College. Eric was out of work for seven months. I wonder how many solid offers he received before settling on that one. Or was that best thing out there? Seven months is a long time.
Yesterday's lunch meeting went well. I wanted him to say something along the lines, "hell yes, we want you. Come by the office and let's start talking money."
Instead, it was more of a strategy session. The organization doesn't have an opening right now. How could we convince the powers that be to create one for me? That in itself is encouraging.
I also made another phone call on another opportunity and was encouraged by someone who would be one of the deciders to apply for a position that I originally thought I wouldn't be qualified for. So last night I updated my resume -- which didn't need much updating from when I created it in 2013 -- created a cover letter and sent them in. I like my references. I have really good references.
I continue to get messages from people who have just found out what happened last week. It reminds me of an athlete who suffers a major injury. At first, there's this tremendous outpouring of sympathy from coaches, fans and teammates. Then, after a few days, weeks, people move on and the athlete has to go through rehabilitation alone.
Right now, I'm still in the outpouring of sympathy stage. I know soon enough I'll get into the rehabilitation stage where it's just me and how badly I want to get into a new career.
Today's agenda is pretty full. I'm stopping by a restaurant in the morning to talk to an old friend who is pretty well connected. Then it's off to see about what what me be essentially a sales position. I'll be honest. I don't think I'm a salesman. It's hard for me to ask anyone for money having spent so many years budgeting every penny. I've always been one who connected people. If someone has a need, I know people who can help. I also shouldn't prejudge the job. I really like the person running the office. At the very least, it's another option.
Then it's another lunch meeting at 11:30 a.m., a meeting with the chamber president for a couple of things at 1:30 p.m. I might have time to stop in another office downtown before having to pick the girls up at 3:30 p.m. from school.
Tonight I really should read up on all the unemployment rules, get what's expected of me down, and then start researching the Affordable Care Act. My insurance runs out at the end of the month.
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
OK, now I'm nervous
Monday's tasks went well. I signed up for unemployment and found out it will be out 55 percent of what I was making -- big sigh -- and I still have a telephone interview before I'm approved. That remains scary. Unemployment is the difference between being able to make a reasoned decision on the direction I want to go or taking the first thing I can find.
A friend in the legal field then helped me prepare some child support documents and I was done with all the big stuff by 11:30 a.m.
The rest of the day was doing some research on an intriguing opening as well as making some phone calls to see if I was qualified for it.
I picked Hannah and Emma up from school, had dinner at Karen's and then ... cleaned out my desk.
Some of the gang was there, including Dave Shultz, who started at the Register Star in 1962, seven years before I was born, and still outlasted me.
For the most part I wasn't sad. I was a little choked up at the end because it was night and I remember all the times I'd come in to do extra research or get caught up on a story or in 2009 and 2010 because simply I missed my family and I didn't want to be by myself. I'd spend hours swapping stories with Dave or just sitting staring out at the river.
Some interesting stuff in the desk:
* Lots of my old tax and income records. Basically, the entire financial history of my failed marriage. No reason to keep that.
* All of my awards at the Register Star. There were a few even though I didn't like applying for them. It seemed like busy work and with my family here I wasn't going anywhere. One time, Doug Gass entered stuff for me because I didn't submit anything and I won a state award. Ironically, I won employee of the month once in 2013 and an "Unsung Hero Award" in March 2014. I'd forgotten I'd won that last one. I have an interesting history with March. Some other time.
* Lots of pictures of my daughters. The saddest thing from this past Thursday was telling them I didn't work at the Register Star anymore. That's all they've ever known. As kids, they'd run around finding all the creepy places in the building. My oldest daughter said she didn't go through a single year in school where at least one teacher didn't recognize my name as a writer or remember seeing me on TV as part of the WREX partnership. In my years at the Register Star I met two U.S. Senators, Johnny Bench, my baseball hero growing up, and spoke with Barack Obama for an hour when he was running for the U.S. Senate. I talked on the telephone with Warren Buffet. The girls grew up listening to those stories.
* Ticket stubs from nine of the 10 straight Cincinnati Reds opening day games I attended with Tony Garcia. Surprisingly, the one I was missing was the last one, 2011 against the Brewers. What I have from that game is a picture of my name and Tony's name on the scoreboard for having come to 10 straight openers.
* I took home trophies of Register Star championships in softball and basketball. The golden era of Newshound softball started in 1997. I'll leave it at that.
* And some important stuff. I found my birth certificate and my Last Will and Testament witnessed by Wally Haas and Brian Leaf.
And that was it.
Today, I got up in time for Brian Leaf's spin class. I'm off to get my hair cut soon and pick up a couple of items for crock pot chicken. I have to watch my spending so there won't be too many restaurants unless it's business related.
At noon, I have the first of several meetings set up and this is an important one. It's with a professional I really respect and would love to learn from. I don't have real experience in anything other than journalism so I'm going to need a good mentor.
I was encouraged last night when another business owner I'd talk to occasionally said he'd "sound out" people for a couple of other opportunities.
In the afternoon, I have to get a bevy of items off to the organization that has that intriguing opening. The Register Star let me get back into the computer system to retrieve family photos and some personal files. That included two different resumes. Deep down, I knew this time was coming for me. I'd been somewhat quietly preparing for a while.
Last note. Dorothy Schneider of the Register Star was assigned to watch over me last night. It was awkward because Dorothy was my intern years ago and in the end had to sit through my termination meeting. When she first started full time at the Register Star she told me how excited she was to work with me again. But by then I was sensing my time in the industry was winding down. Times change. People change. The industry changed. I wish we'd worked together 10 years ago. I wish Dorothy well.
A friend in the legal field then helped me prepare some child support documents and I was done with all the big stuff by 11:30 a.m.
The rest of the day was doing some research on an intriguing opening as well as making some phone calls to see if I was qualified for it.
I picked Hannah and Emma up from school, had dinner at Karen's and then ... cleaned out my desk.
Some of the gang was there, including Dave Shultz, who started at the Register Star in 1962, seven years before I was born, and still outlasted me.
For the most part I wasn't sad. I was a little choked up at the end because it was night and I remember all the times I'd come in to do extra research or get caught up on a story or in 2009 and 2010 because simply I missed my family and I didn't want to be by myself. I'd spend hours swapping stories with Dave or just sitting staring out at the river.
Some interesting stuff in the desk:
* Lots of my old tax and income records. Basically, the entire financial history of my failed marriage. No reason to keep that.
* All of my awards at the Register Star. There were a few even though I didn't like applying for them. It seemed like busy work and with my family here I wasn't going anywhere. One time, Doug Gass entered stuff for me because I didn't submit anything and I won a state award. Ironically, I won employee of the month once in 2013 and an "Unsung Hero Award" in March 2014. I'd forgotten I'd won that last one. I have an interesting history with March. Some other time.
* Lots of pictures of my daughters. The saddest thing from this past Thursday was telling them I didn't work at the Register Star anymore. That's all they've ever known. As kids, they'd run around finding all the creepy places in the building. My oldest daughter said she didn't go through a single year in school where at least one teacher didn't recognize my name as a writer or remember seeing me on TV as part of the WREX partnership. In my years at the Register Star I met two U.S. Senators, Johnny Bench, my baseball hero growing up, and spoke with Barack Obama for an hour when he was running for the U.S. Senate. I talked on the telephone with Warren Buffet. The girls grew up listening to those stories.
* Ticket stubs from nine of the 10 straight Cincinnati Reds opening day games I attended with Tony Garcia. Surprisingly, the one I was missing was the last one, 2011 against the Brewers. What I have from that game is a picture of my name and Tony's name on the scoreboard for having come to 10 straight openers.
* I took home trophies of Register Star championships in softball and basketball. The golden era of Newshound softball started in 1997. I'll leave it at that.
* And some important stuff. I found my birth certificate and my Last Will and Testament witnessed by Wally Haas and Brian Leaf.
And that was it.
Today, I got up in time for Brian Leaf's spin class. I'm off to get my hair cut soon and pick up a couple of items for crock pot chicken. I have to watch my spending so there won't be too many restaurants unless it's business related.
At noon, I have the first of several meetings set up and this is an important one. It's with a professional I really respect and would love to learn from. I don't have real experience in anything other than journalism so I'm going to need a good mentor.
I was encouraged last night when another business owner I'd talk to occasionally said he'd "sound out" people for a couple of other opportunities.
In the afternoon, I have to get a bevy of items off to the organization that has that intriguing opening. The Register Star let me get back into the computer system to retrieve family photos and some personal files. That included two different resumes. Deep down, I knew this time was coming for me. I'd been somewhat quietly preparing for a while.
Last note. Dorothy Schneider of the Register Star was assigned to watch over me last night. It was awkward because Dorothy was my intern years ago and in the end had to sit through my termination meeting. When she first started full time at the Register Star she told me how excited she was to work with me again. But by then I was sensing my time in the industry was winding down. Times change. People change. The industry changed. I wish we'd worked together 10 years ago. I wish Dorothy well.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Hey, hey unemployment day
Up bright and early -- well, not early enough for Brian Leaf's 6 a.m. spin class -- to go downtown for my initial unemployment filing.
This is actually the most nerve wracking thing so far. I've read through the paperwork given to me by the Register Star and looked online. I'm not assured I'll be approved. The state could deny it and if it does, depending upon how long it takes to settle into something else, I'll have to burn through my savings.
I've been told by several who have received unemployment that I shouldn't worry and the Register Star's one concession was that they won't fight it. Still, I worry.
After that I have to get over to court to ask for a reduction in child support. A friend of mine who is a family law attorney hopefully is going to run me through the process. I set today aside to finish those two things.
Yesterday, I went to see "The Giver" and it was pretty good, but my mind wandered. Who else do I call? When? How many people should I see per week? That kind of stuff.
There's 401(k) stuff that has to be taken care of as well and then tonight I go in and clean out my old desk. Dave Shultz, who had been working at the Register Star 34 years when I got hired, will be there tonight. He outlasted yet another person! It will be tough to say goodbye. There were lots and lots of nights I'd go in to get caught up or get ahead and Dave would be there and he'd start telling me stories.
It will be the people I worked with that I will miss most. I tried on a couple of occasions to reach Jeff Kolkey yesterday. He was there when I was "taken away" and I want to let him know I will be fine and that we should watch the Mayweather-Maidena fight on Sept. 13.
A great thing about the digital age though is that it is much, much easier to stay connected when circumstances change. Yesterday, Tony Garcia, a former RRStarer, asked me to draft his fantasy football team for him since I "have nothing to do right now."
Tony is a Chicago Bears fan, which meant I drafted no Chicago Bears players. I did get him A.J. Green from my team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bengals defense. The only reason I didn't stick him with Andy Dalton was because someone drafted him ahead of guys like Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger. I was shocked.
Tony needed a representative because he relocated to Las Vegas after the newspaper let him go. We don't talk every day anymore, but we keep in touch and with FaceBook I can find out what he's doing. I want to figure out ways to hang out with old journalism friends.
This is actually the most nerve wracking thing so far. I've read through the paperwork given to me by the Register Star and looked online. I'm not assured I'll be approved. The state could deny it and if it does, depending upon how long it takes to settle into something else, I'll have to burn through my savings.
I've been told by several who have received unemployment that I shouldn't worry and the Register Star's one concession was that they won't fight it. Still, I worry.
After that I have to get over to court to ask for a reduction in child support. A friend of mine who is a family law attorney hopefully is going to run me through the process. I set today aside to finish those two things.
Yesterday, I went to see "The Giver" and it was pretty good, but my mind wandered. Who else do I call? When? How many people should I see per week? That kind of stuff.
There's 401(k) stuff that has to be taken care of as well and then tonight I go in and clean out my old desk. Dave Shultz, who had been working at the Register Star 34 years when I got hired, will be there tonight. He outlasted yet another person! It will be tough to say goodbye. There were lots and lots of nights I'd go in to get caught up or get ahead and Dave would be there and he'd start telling me stories.
It will be the people I worked with that I will miss most. I tried on a couple of occasions to reach Jeff Kolkey yesterday. He was there when I was "taken away" and I want to let him know I will be fine and that we should watch the Mayweather-Maidena fight on Sept. 13.
A great thing about the digital age though is that it is much, much easier to stay connected when circumstances change. Yesterday, Tony Garcia, a former RRStarer, asked me to draft his fantasy football team for him since I "have nothing to do right now."
Tony is a Chicago Bears fan, which meant I drafted no Chicago Bears players. I did get him A.J. Green from my team, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bengals defense. The only reason I didn't stick him with Andy Dalton was because someone drafted him ahead of guys like Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger. I was shocked.
Tony needed a representative because he relocated to Las Vegas after the newspaper let him go. We don't talk every day anymore, but we keep in touch and with FaceBook I can find out what he's doing. I want to figure out ways to hang out with old journalism friends.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
And here we go
It wasn't until I was 22 and had enough credits to graduate from Northern Illinois University that I settled on a career. I was a political science major simply because I wanted an easy degree and really what careers are out there for political science majors?
In high school, I'd written for a small weekly newspaper and that was fun so Eureka, that's what I'll do. I went back to NIU for a summer of writing for the school newspaper, took a bunch of journalism classes in the fall for a minor -- which I fell short of anyway because of a dispute with a professor -- and then jumped into the working world.
It took me a year to get a full-time sports reporting job in Beloit, Wis. After nearly four years there I was hired by a much larger newspaper in Rockford, Illinois -- and that's where I stayed for nearly 18 years. Then I was terminated this past Thursday.
The first 12 years there were great. The last six were a struggle. I know the industry isn't done contracting.
I can go over that stuff again later depending upon how long this blog lasts. Now, it's time to find a new career.
It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting here realizing I've spent almost zero time by myself the past couple of years. To keep my income up as the years of no raises rolled on I've worked at running races putting up barricades, donated gallons and gallons of plasma, wrote a water quality blog and done the books for my sister's small business in Minnesota, ran the scoreboard for Jefferson High School football and basketball, umpired hundreds of baseball games, worked the grave yard shift at UPS and even tried to run a basketball league.
So now there's a little time to clean and get organized. I'll have mornings to go to spin class -- no basketball though, insurance ends at end of month.
I can't do this long. Unemployment starts Monday. I still have child support to pay. There will be expenses.
I hope I don't have to do this long. I have informal meetings set up with people in the banking industry on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've always been good with numbers. Banking is an industry that won't be eliminated -- for the most part -- by technology.
Friday, I posted on my FaceBook page that my career at the Register Star was over and more than 115 people posted well wishes and shock and outrage. It means I did do some good work and I kept the work place, especially before the recession, fun.
Saturday, I didn't do much. A little shopping. Visited my daughter at work. I did get a phone call from one of the people I want to talk to about changing careers. He called me from New York City, where he's visiting his son. The fact he would take time out from a trip to NYC to call me is encouraging.
Today, I updated my LinkedIn profile and accepted a bunch of invitations and sent more out. Honestly, I've been very neglectful with LinkedIn. Since I wasn't going anywhere I didn't really pay attention. Now, I need some help.
I'm 45 years old and I'm not scared about changing careers. I should have done it in 2011 or 2012 when the newspaper laid off Gary Covell. Gary was a "do everything" guy for us and we paid him well below what he was worth. For me, Gary collected all of the public records I needed to do my job well. He made perhaps one error in the six or seven years he was there. Because of Gary, I would have mountains of data to sort through, looking for interesting nuggets that could make good stories.
I have three meetings this week and I'm excited about what they could lead to. I have calls to make on a couple of other opportunities as well. I'm much luckier than many of my past colleagues who were cut during the recession. Back then there were large numbers of people being tossed aside at a time no one was hiring. I'm just one person now unemployed in an expanding economy.
The possibilities are endless.
In high school, I'd written for a small weekly newspaper and that was fun so Eureka, that's what I'll do. I went back to NIU for a summer of writing for the school newspaper, took a bunch of journalism classes in the fall for a minor -- which I fell short of anyway because of a dispute with a professor -- and then jumped into the working world.
It took me a year to get a full-time sports reporting job in Beloit, Wis. After nearly four years there I was hired by a much larger newspaper in Rockford, Illinois -- and that's where I stayed for nearly 18 years. Then I was terminated this past Thursday.
The first 12 years there were great. The last six were a struggle. I know the industry isn't done contracting.
I can go over that stuff again later depending upon how long this blog lasts. Now, it's time to find a new career.
It's Sunday morning and I'm sitting here realizing I've spent almost zero time by myself the past couple of years. To keep my income up as the years of no raises rolled on I've worked at running races putting up barricades, donated gallons and gallons of plasma, wrote a water quality blog and done the books for my sister's small business in Minnesota, ran the scoreboard for Jefferson High School football and basketball, umpired hundreds of baseball games, worked the grave yard shift at UPS and even tried to run a basketball league.
So now there's a little time to clean and get organized. I'll have mornings to go to spin class -- no basketball though, insurance ends at end of month.
I can't do this long. Unemployment starts Monday. I still have child support to pay. There will be expenses.
I hope I don't have to do this long. I have informal meetings set up with people in the banking industry on Tuesday and Wednesday. I've always been good with numbers. Banking is an industry that won't be eliminated -- for the most part -- by technology.
Friday, I posted on my FaceBook page that my career at the Register Star was over and more than 115 people posted well wishes and shock and outrage. It means I did do some good work and I kept the work place, especially before the recession, fun.
Saturday, I didn't do much. A little shopping. Visited my daughter at work. I did get a phone call from one of the people I want to talk to about changing careers. He called me from New York City, where he's visiting his son. The fact he would take time out from a trip to NYC to call me is encouraging.
Today, I updated my LinkedIn profile and accepted a bunch of invitations and sent more out. Honestly, I've been very neglectful with LinkedIn. Since I wasn't going anywhere I didn't really pay attention. Now, I need some help.
I'm 45 years old and I'm not scared about changing careers. I should have done it in 2011 or 2012 when the newspaper laid off Gary Covell. Gary was a "do everything" guy for us and we paid him well below what he was worth. For me, Gary collected all of the public records I needed to do my job well. He made perhaps one error in the six or seven years he was there. Because of Gary, I would have mountains of data to sort through, looking for interesting nuggets that could make good stories.
I have three meetings this week and I'm excited about what they could lead to. I have calls to make on a couple of other opportunities as well. I'm much luckier than many of my past colleagues who were cut during the recession. Back then there were large numbers of people being tossed aside at a time no one was hiring. I'm just one person now unemployed in an expanding economy.
The possibilities are endless.
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