Chin up

As you may have surmised by my last post, I am indeed out of work right now. I have not NOT had a job since 2002, so this latest development is a little disconcerting to me and my family to say the least.

While I have high confidence in myself and my ability to cultivate work, I was not as sanguine about the current employment landscape. As I initiated my search for work, I was initially struck by how anemic the local tech market appears right now. Given that less than rosy first assessment it could be easy to become quickly discouraged, but that is not the case with me in the least. In fact, I am bolstered on a daily basis by one fact above all else; my personal social network is healthy and on fire!!

Let me clarify. Last time I was out of work, social media was a nascent technology and had not become part of everyday life. There was no Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn back then. This was a time when the Internet was used primarily for email and browsing and cell phones were used for making calls. Put plainly, it was the dark ages where one had to actually make face to face contact with people. During this time, it was easier to feel isolated and alone, especially if all of you were a tad bit introverted to begin with.

So to say that the game has changed just might be the understatement of the decade. Let me expound on this point. Friday I posted a blog titled "God is a DJ" which outlined my thoughts and feelings about being laid off from a company I helped birth. Since that time, I have been the humble benefactor of many well wishes, accolades for my time at Kynetx and surprisingly enough, bonafide job leads. All of which were delivered under the auspice of social media (e.g. Twitter, FaceBook etc).

The net effect this has had on me has been quite amazing and unexpected. During a time when absolutely no one (save one Steve Fulling) would blame me for being a little maudlin, I find myself almost ebullient. All of this positive energy was "pushed" to me, rather than requiring me to go "pull" it, as I had to in 2002. What a difference a scant nine years makes...

So, with a firm grasp on this new "push" paradigm I find myself operating in, I am finding it rather easy at this juncture to keep a "chin up" attitude, thanks in large part to my amazing social graph.

In closing, I would be remise if I did not take the opportunity to publicly thank all of those who have posted, tweeted and otherwise made their feelings and thoughts known to me. You humble and honor me with your kind words of support and willingness to lend aide. I am truly a lucky and blessed man to have such great friends and loved ones.