In 1996, I had been working at G-Tech for about two and a half
years...not a bad run for someone of my caliber. The endless
driving was starting to get old, I usually racked up about a
thousand miles a week, but I still appreciated the steady job.
The value of our house in Palmdale, however, had plummeted due
to another recession, and we owed a great deal more on the house
than it was actually worth. Now, unless you plan on selling, this
is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as you can anticipate an
upward swing by the time you DO plan on selling, and it also makes
property tax more manageable.
My bride worked for the phone company. She has had that job all her
adult life, and in fact, still works there now. (I often wonder what
it must feel like to have a single stable job for that long).
Now, being very intelligent, well-educated, and very good at what
she does (whatever that is), when her company offered her a job
transfer to Texas, with a package to buy us out of our upside-down
house, along with all moving expenses, we decided that it was a
good idea. Since she was the one who had the career-type job, and
was making more money than I was, we would have been fools not to
take it.
(My bride is one of the smartest people I have ever known, and she
has worked very hard in her career). I sometimes wonder what she
could possibly see in me, and I know she loves me because she sure
as hell didn't marry me for my money!
I gave notice at G-Tech, but continued to work there while my bride
moved to Texas ahead of me to get an apartment and get settled in her
new office in Irving, a Dallas suburb. She also hooked up with
a real estate agent so we could look for a house.
I wasn't TOO worried about finding a job...I sent out slews of resume's
to various companies in Irving, Dallas, and Forth Worth hoping I could
get a job as a network engineer. As much work as I had gone through
to get my network certification, I was rather dismayed that nobody
would hire me without having experience...not even at an entry-level
job! So how do you GET experience? Work for free? I guess I was going
to have to work pretty hard at getting a job again.
So we moved to Texas in October 1996, I was 40 years old. It was
pretty depressing to have to be going through this unemployment
crap at this age...I was not a kid anymore.
Peace be with you.
You were not without a job! I suspect you were a very good househusband and THAT is a lot of work. Never underestimate the value of a supportive spouse and you certainly were one!
ReplyDeleteOf course being the scrambler you are in the job market there is no doubt that another job was lurking around the corner in Texas. I am curious what your first impressions of Texas were. I have never been but I can imagine it has to be a bit different than So. Cal. I remember the fall of house prices in the 90's. We had to wait it out too. We were lucky when we went to get our next house it was the very beginning of the upswing...so we broke even on the old house but got in with a very good price on our next one...the one I still live in today.
ReplyDeletewow! Talk about a major life change. If anything you are a survivor. You adapt and you survive.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is tough no matter what age.
ReplyDeleteI agree the older you are the more it SUCKS.
I think sometimes change is good.
Wow, she was lucky to be in so good with her job, that they helped with move and expenses. Not everyone is that fortunate.
ReplyDeletei think that when you're done with all of these, you should print them off and store them somewhere.
ReplyDeletethen when you're in your 80's you can look back and remember.
i do like these stories.
You're so lucky indeed Joe, to have a bride who's very steady in career... while you're always changing jobs...
ReplyDeletewhat a sufficient experience you had with the job winding...
Can't wait to see what your career end up.
nensa
I am very lucky to have an understanding bride, for sure.
ReplyDeletePS I love you blog page design.
ReplyDelete