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I think sometimes it is easy to envision how we want our lives to be . . . and to become so fixated on that vision . . . that we carry through w/ parts of it, w/o fully integrating every element it will take to actually make the dream a reality.
For the Messinas, it seems they wanted a different lifestyle and a beautiful new home . . . a different school arrangement for their child . . . and a new community where they felt they could put down roots. They got so caught up in the idea of it . . . they left out the crucial element - "how do we sustain ourselves as a family once we buy that house, enroll in that school, and meet the neighbors who will become our friends?"
When we are young, and I mean - very young (20s) - there is time to make some mistakes. We get "second or third chances" - we are allowed some "do-overs." But once we get into our 30s, those second chances come less often, and by our 40s, employers are expecting to see some kind of trend w/ employment and career decisions.
I have found that the people who are most successful at switching fields are usually those who have returned to school and thus can explain on their resume a shift in career direction - and any lapses in employment, as well. The other thing that seems to work - if you start your own business. I would suggest that anyone out of work figure out how to be a "consultant," if only on paper!!!
When an employer looks at a resume of a person in his 40s and sees a huge gap (lots of part time work over 2 years, for example) he/she is not going to take the time to figure out "why." There are a stack of applications sitting there!!! He/she is gonna say "NEXT" and that is the end of that.
A gap of six or eight months - even a year, depending on your field - is not so bad. It shows you were hunting for a job . . .but once it gets over a year . . . it doesn't look good. That is why one should fill in that year w/ work as a "consultant" or as CEO of your own business. Then, you can simply say, I have had my own business for a year, learned a lot, but found I would rather be working w/ a group, etc. So you are still in the job-hunting game . . .
When you decide you want to "change your life," you have to figure out how to sustain yourself while making those changes. Otherwise, you are chasing a butterfly . . . w/ no guarantee where it (and you) will eventually land.
Not even close. As a "yankee transplant", I was a successful IT consultant back home in MI and moved here for a new opportunity. Since I travel, I didn't *have* to move here to CLT. However, my wife and I were looking to relocate southward when this job offer came around. If it hadn't been Charlotte, it would have been Nashville or Knoxville, most likely.
I'm sure my story isn't unique for "yankee transplants", either. But, that wouldn't fit in with the sweeping generalizations that you seem so fond of making, would it?
I would think that a successful IT consultant would read more carefully than that. I wrote that ...
Quote:
By and large the yankee transplants who come to Charlotte aren't the cream of the crop.
In other words the Messina's of this world are far outnumber the successful yankees who come to Charlotte. Oh, and while I doubt the reasons that you say you left Michigan, I want to congratulate you for getting out while you could. It's pretty amazing that Michigan pulled off a 5 year long recession while the rest of the nation was booming.
During both "The Dot Com" stock boom and the "Real Estate" boom that we experienced a great number of people made a once in a lifetime amount of money.Came to them real easy and for the most part lent nothing to why they made this money. Really accomplished by happening to be in the right house at the right time.
In the case of the Messina's, and the question of why Paul can't find a job,one should think about whether or not he had any successes at work or a career prior to him selling his house in Queens NY at the height of the RE boom.For all we know he was never good at finding work.Maybe, this one time deal of selling his house with a "garden as big as my coffee table" fits Murphy's Law of rising to "one's level of 'in'-competence"? We don't have a clue as to their background. All we know is he got a barrel of money and THOUGHT he would move to Paridisio and live happily ever after.
Let me cash the big check for this crummy house, I'll find a job later attitude?
Whoops.
"....The best, brightest, and most driven yankees aren't the ones who are moving to Charlotte..." No, we went to Chicago first , then to Statesville, after the infamous "Blizzard of '79" that shut the city down for almost a full week. I have a picture of my then 18mo. old dwarfed by the snow drifts. We didn't see our car for about 2-3 weeks. But, we both had jobs before we got here. Things are different when you have a child/family to provide for - unless you are in a situation so horrific that there is literally no time to plan. What got me was Ms. Messina's attitude - she didn't come off well in the article. I just kept thinking if she was the one that pushed to move and did she think that she'd never have to work for monetary gain once she got here?
During both "The Dot Com" stock boom and the "Real Estate" boom that we experienced a great number of people made a once in a lifetime amount of money.Came to them real easy and for the most part lent nothing to why they made this money. Really accomplished by happening to be in the right house at the right time.
In the case of the Messina's, and the question of why Paul can't find a job,one should think about whether or not he had any successes at work or a career prior to him selling his house in Queens NY at the height of the RE boom.For all we know he was never good at finding work.Maybe, this one time deal of selling his house with a "garden as big as my coffee table" fits Murphy's Law of rising to "one's level of 'in'-competence"? We don't have a clue as to their background. All we know is he got a barrel of money and THOUGHT he would move to Paridisio and live happily ever after.
Let me cash the big check for this crummy house, I'll find a job later attitude?
Whoops.
Sorry that you missed out on the real estate boom John, as you sound jealous? How did you manage to miss it, lol? Once is more than enough for most of us transplants and the Messina's are the exception. Working for a local cable TV station didn't make him rich up north, he was probably barely hanging on. Most of us had a lot more equity in our northern homes and have no mortgage in NC, whether it's in CLT or Cary. We buy our health insurance privately for a pittance and will think about working in 20 years, when we're down to our last 100k in cash, except we'll be eligible for social security by that time. I need to go hang some garish Xmas lights or really freak out the locals by hanging garish non-Christian decorations! Have a great day!
Sorry that you missed out on the real estate boom John, as you sound jealous? How did you manage to miss it, lol? Once is more than enough for most of us transplants and the Messina's are the exception. Working for a local cable TV station didn't make him rich up north, he was probably barely hanging on. Most of us had a lot more equity in our northern homes and have no mortgage in NC, whether it's in CLT or Cary. We buy our health insurance privately for a pittance and will think about working in 20 years, when we're down to our last 100k in cash, except we'll be eligible for social security by that time. I need to go hang some garish Xmas lights or really freak out the locals by hanging garish non-Christian decorations! Have a great day!
Boy what an attitude, don't worry you don't just "freak"out the "locals". Great attitude to have though
Boy what an attitude, don't worry you don't just "freak"out the "locals". Great attitude to have though
Sorry, I don't think my wife should be ashamed that she's half Jewish, but around here, you're right, white christian displays are the way to stay safe!
Sorry, I don't think my wife should be ashamed that she's half Jewish, but around here, you're right, white christian displays are the way to stay safe!
Now, Massageman. That is preposterous. Lights on a house, trees, shrubs . . . and festive garlands on doorways and around windows . . . and wreaths in windows and candles . . . those things are NOT peculiarly Christian. They are just festive decorations. Do you think anyone would be offended seeing a beautiful Menorah in someone's window? Not hardly!!!! Your post is silly.
This thread is about finding work, not finding work . . . and the wisdom of coming here w/o a job . . .and frustration w/ moving here w/ a spouse who has a job, but then you yourself can't find one . . . I do think people have moved here assuming work is plentiful, when it just isn't.
Your post suggests that somehow people here are "freaked out" when someone isn't a WASP. That is so untrue . . . and it certainly has nothing to do w/ finding (or not finding) a job here.
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