Tag: EI

Laid off software developer’s guide to the Winnipeg job search galaxy

I got laid off last Thursday, for the first time in my career. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I am sure that this will be a great opportunity to explore career options, and learn from this experience. 🙂

The first thing I did, after being escorted out of the building by the security team, was to go to the EI office on Yorke. Turns out that office moved 2 years ago, so I went to where they moved, the Service Canada location in Portage place and applied for EI.

While applying for EI, I got in touch with my boss at the job I left a month and a half ago. They haven’t yet filled my position, and they will keep me in mind along with other candidates they are considering at this time.

Over the next few days, I’ve been considering my options. I think that my preferred option would be to learn enough creative communication skills ( including graphic design and online marketing  ) to be able to build my own business around offering web & mobile software design & development services.

As part of being unemployed, I got to visit the Manitoba jobs and Skills Development Centre, where they offer a number of services, including help with job search, career consulting, trade apprenticeship, self-employment and education and skills training.

I decided to blog about my job search today. I think I would like to blog each day about my efforts, for several reasons:

  • it might help another laid off software developer in the future, to see what I did when I got laid off
  • it might be good marketing for me to show how I go about getting things done
  • it might be good proof, if proof is needed for EI reasons, that I am trying to get employment
  • it might provide a venue for those who would like to help me, to get in touch and share any info they think might be useful to my job search
  • it might produce positive results which I can’t think of up-front 😉

Thanks for reading. Please get in touch through a comment on this post or contact me in another way. I’d love to hear any information you think might be useful to me, or discuss any questions you want to discuss with me.