Back to the job search

After a small detour as I raced to finish my required home repairs, I'm now throwing myself back at the job search.

This computer isn't making it easy. I will almost certainly buy a new one this week. That's an expense I would rather not have right now, but it's the cost of doing business - or finding business to do. Here's a summary of my situation:

- I was good at my old job, and I liked it, at least when there was work to be done. Hell, I helped to invent the job, or at least defined it after others had worked out the rough outlines. There is one other company in this area that actually does the same thing. I have submitted a résumé there, and will follow-up soon, but I'm thinking that the prospects there are not so good. Maybe the DVD industry is suffering worse than I thought.

- At one point in my career I was intensely involved with Continuous Improvement. I was a Statistical Process Control Coordinator for years, helping departments monitor and understand process variation, to know when to act and when not to act. In the last few years many companies have lazily and foolishly turned over this sort of work to computers, which may or may not be programmed to apply the proven rules for avoiding ignoring signals and avoiding reacting to noise. There is a local company that is looking for a Continuous Improvement "Champion". This job was brought to my attention some time ago by a friend. I applied for it a while ago, but am still waiting to hear anything from the company. (The job is still open, according to their website.)

- I have considered becoming a teacher, and many people who know me - including those who are teachers - are encouraging me to pursue this. However, teaching requires certification, which would involve taking several semesters of classes during which time I would not be able to work full-time. I don't think I can survive on a part-time income, especially if I am also dealing with the expense of additional classes. There is such a thing as "emergency certification", a program whereby a school district can hire a person qualified in a subject who does not yet have official teaching certification. I am being told that there is great demand for people knowledgeable of Physics. I have sent a letter to the local superintendent of schools, the Big Cheese in the local school district, but have heard nothing.

(One drawback to trying to get into teaching right now: there are numerous school districts going out on strike locally. I don't want to be called in to work as a strike-breaker. I object to that personally, and such a thing would probably negatively affect my long-term teaching prospects.)

- Northeastern Pennsylvania is host to one nuclear power plant, in Berwick. We are also seeing several wind farms pop up along mountain ridges. I would rather see this area deal with the problems associated with wind-driven generators (I prefer to call them "windmills") than with the problems associated with nuclear power plants. I have contacted one of the two companies that I know is operating a wind farm locally, but their website does not indicate any jobs that fit my talents, knowledge, and skills.

- Then there's everything else. I haven't ruled anything out, including taking a job with my old employer if one becomes available.

So that's where I stand. Computer permitting, I will continue my search today and into the future, but I have a feeling this computer will not allow me to do very much today. I'm amazed I've been able to type all this in one sitting!