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Just over two years ago my wife and I wanted to move back to Portland from Seattle.  As we all know, this was right when the economy began to take a steep downward turn.  I had graduated from college a year and half earlier and was new to the company that I was working for.  I worked as an engineer providing designs for commercial construction.  It became quickly obvious that this market was going to take a big turn for the worst.  Since I was at the bottom of the seniority totem pole it was clear that I would be laid off first.

Instead of waiting around for this to happen I decided to take action.  I updated my resume and decided to switch fields into the electric power utility field (a field that has historically been recession resistant).  I sent off several resumes and got no response.  I signed up for on online career finders and was even contacted by a “headhunter” who I met with and worked with to try to find a position.  Still there was no word from any prospective employers.  The backlog at the job I was at had shrunk to nothing, meaning that once I finished the project I was working on I would have no work left to do. 

It was time to take more decisive action.  I picked a date that I wanted to have interviews on in Portland and began to contact the companies that I had applied to.  My message was:

“I will be in Portland on XX-XX-XXXX date doing interviews.  I have been interested in your company and would like to schedule an interview with you while I am in town.”

Of all the companies that I sent this message to I received one response:

“We regret to inform you that you have been weeded out of the application process due to your lack of experience in this particular field.”

I responded:

“I have actually been wishing to transfer into this field and am interested in setting up an interview with you while I am town.”

They responded with an invite to an interview.  I made the trip down to Portland and the interview went well.  I returned to Seattle with a job interview pending my reference check.  After all the details were settled I avoided getting laid off, got a raise, and moved back to Portland!  Mission accomplished.

posted 2 years, 2 months ago
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My wife and I just moved in this past month.  The area seems like it is starting to come to life.  We are excited to see what new commercial businesses move into the area.  I think that this area has a lot of potential for growth.

As of now the venues for night life in the area have yet to be opened.  Most of the businesses close by about 9PM.  However, there is quick access to downtown and the inner eastside.  Both areas boast a wealth of restaurants, bars, and shops.

The demographic in the area is very diverse, with the age group leaning towards the later 20s/early 30s.  It will be interesting to see how the area develops in the coming years.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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The guys at Freakonomics did a story on tayloring the school system to each individual student and modeling it after the website Pandora.  This test program was done in New York.  They found that by incorporating the tools of technology they were able to focus on different students abilities, identify their strengths/weakness, and create specific learning programs that would alow the students to fill in the gaps that they were missing in their education.

The link:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio

The name of the podcast:

"How Is a Bad Radio Station Like Our Public-School System?"

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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I am currently 27 years old.  I moved out of my parents house less then a week after highschool graduation.  There was no way I was going to stay a day longer.  I had many adventures learning to survive on my own, but over the years I have figured out alot of valuable things.  I have graduated from college with a degree in engingeering, I successfully navigated the recession, and my career path is heading in a great direction.  I am married but we are waiting to have children.

I think that sometimes you have to jump in the water if you ever expect to swim.  You will hit bumps and difficulties along the way, but we have our intellect, our friends, and our family to help us as we carve our path in the world.

posted 2 years, 5 months ago
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