Life of the Unemployed, Part 4
I had an "interview" of sorts today with a small company that ranks pretty high on the cool scale. I say "interview" because they weren't hiring at the moment, but liked my resume and background enough (and remember, I sent in the resume blind -- they never knew I existed beforehand) that they wanted a chance to sit down on talk with me.
The bad news is, obviously, no job offer.
The good news is that I am in consideration for some possible freelance projects, and if the right opening comes along, I have a shot at that as well. Of course, it could be 1-3 months if it does happen, so I still need to get out there and pound the pavement a bit. I also need to send a "thank you" note to them tomorrow, just to close out with a warm fuzzy feeling.
Other bad news: the job I applied for at Kaos Studios has been filled by someone other than me. Not too surprising, given that I have not worked on a AAA[1] game before, but still sad.
Some good news, however, is that I got my first unemployment check on Monday. Much to the shock of some politicians and pundits, I did not celebrate by rushing out and buying a Cadillac. Nor does this mean that I suddenly have lost all possible interest in looking for work, as a) The unemployment check represents about a 60% pay cut, and B) if I stop looking, I lose my ability to file a claim. Still, with the checks, I'm still thinking that I may be able to make it to October.
As for health insurance, I did some preliminary research, but need to make a final decision by the end of the week, at the latest, as I am, officially, uninsured. Yay me.
Finally, given that most Level Designer positions want to see, you know, level designs, I have dived full bore back into mods; with the "Unreal Editor for Unreal Tournament 3" (its official title), I did some online tutorials, and read a great deal about it, again, online.
(Side note: I'm getting more and more convinced that the Gen Yers have it right -- knowing specific information is not nearly as useful as knowing how to look up specific information that you don't know.)
Additionally, I've been reading up on ActionScript 3.0, and shall be diving back into that equally. I strongly suspect that for the rest of the week I will not leave the apartment, and rather spend my time testing, learning, and building projects.
Oh, also on Monday, I had a good lunch with my old boss. He's doing all right, it was good to catch up with him, and I was able to get some good comments about the perils of starting a company. I'm still not sold on the idea (raising capital just does not seem to be my thing), but it's not off the table, either.
Finally, I noticed today that I seem to be breaking out in hives or a rash of some kind. I have small little red marks over some of my left arm, and my left back and neck. I suppose it could be allergies, but I'm also wondering if the stress of this is affecting me more than I am consciously admitting. How cheerful.
[1] For those wondering, a AAA game is a game that (generally) has a lot of hype and cash behind it, and is found in retail shops, like "Halo," "Bioshock," or even "Legendary." It is not a game about free towing. (Although it could be, I suppose.)
The bad news is, obviously, no job offer.
The good news is that I am in consideration for some possible freelance projects, and if the right opening comes along, I have a shot at that as well. Of course, it could be 1-3 months if it does happen, so I still need to get out there and pound the pavement a bit. I also need to send a "thank you" note to them tomorrow, just to close out with a warm fuzzy feeling.
Other bad news: the job I applied for at Kaos Studios has been filled by someone other than me. Not too surprising, given that I have not worked on a AAA[1] game before, but still sad.
Some good news, however, is that I got my first unemployment check on Monday. Much to the shock of some politicians and pundits, I did not celebrate by rushing out and buying a Cadillac. Nor does this mean that I suddenly have lost all possible interest in looking for work, as a) The unemployment check represents about a 60% pay cut, and B) if I stop looking, I lose my ability to file a claim. Still, with the checks, I'm still thinking that I may be able to make it to October.
As for health insurance, I did some preliminary research, but need to make a final decision by the end of the week, at the latest, as I am, officially, uninsured. Yay me.
Finally, given that most Level Designer positions want to see, you know, level designs, I have dived full bore back into mods; with the "Unreal Editor for Unreal Tournament 3" (its official title), I did some online tutorials, and read a great deal about it, again, online.
(Side note: I'm getting more and more convinced that the Gen Yers have it right -- knowing specific information is not nearly as useful as knowing how to look up specific information that you don't know.)
Additionally, I've been reading up on ActionScript 3.0, and shall be diving back into that equally. I strongly suspect that for the rest of the week I will not leave the apartment, and rather spend my time testing, learning, and building projects.
Oh, also on Monday, I had a good lunch with my old boss. He's doing all right, it was good to catch up with him, and I was able to get some good comments about the perils of starting a company. I'm still not sold on the idea (raising capital just does not seem to be my thing), but it's not off the table, either.
Finally, I noticed today that I seem to be breaking out in hives or a rash of some kind. I have small little red marks over some of my left arm, and my left back and neck. I suppose it could be allergies, but I'm also wondering if the stress of this is affecting me more than I am consciously admitting. How cheerful.
[1] For those wondering, a AAA game is a game that (generally) has a lot of hype and cash behind it, and is found in retail shops, like "Halo," "Bioshock," or even "Legendary." It is not a game about free towing. (Although it could be, I suppose.)