I got laid...off

This a post I didn't think I would have to write but here it is. Since October 10th I have been unemployed. The contracting firm I worked for was contacted by IBM and told that they had to cut contracts by 50% immediately so IBM could save money. It was a sudden announcement and one that took me aback the minute I heard it. For the first time I have no job at all, I'm currently waiting to see if I can get some work at my old job even temporarily and I just started doing a little freelance writing for someone too. The fact I'm unemployed doesn't scare me as much as the prospect of having no income to keep myself afloat. As I've mentioned in the past my loans, bills, and a car payment are always taking a huge chunk of my earning each month. Now there is no paycheck and I don't know how long I can skirt by on just unemployment.

It's a scary time for me, usually I have a plan to keep myself going and to keep the money coming in. This time I don't. There is no plan and for once in my life everything is up in the air. Hopefully that will change sooner rather then later. I can't imagine being out of work for a long time. We shall see what happens next. Till then I'm asking my readers for support or even suggestions for work. It would be greatly appreciated by me. 

Thank you very much,

Christian G. Geisler

Time to re-brand

The new website cgeisler.net

Over the last few weeks I have been trying to figure out the next step in my life. For the longest time I wanted to try to find work in technical writing or publishing. Unfortunately that is harder to get into then I anticipated.
Without experience in either field it was getting harder and harder to find a job. So I started looking at my strengths and see what jobs existed in those areas. Within in minutes I had my answer.

Learning what you excel at!

As I sit at my desk enjoying a small glass of whiskey I find myself thinking what am I good at? What am I good at? It's a question that we all get asked at some point in our lives. Yet for many it is a difficult question to answer. I myself have always had a hard time answering it because I don't usually notice what I'm good at. That comes from being too modest about myself. When you are like that, you usually forget what makes you unique and what skills you excel at. It's only been recently that I have felt comfortable saying to others what I am good at. That is because as I have gotten older I have learned that it's okay to show off your skills. It can lead to more opportunities and even give you a chance to shine in something you never would have thought of before.

 The more I work at IBM the more I have had opportunities to use my skills in writing, computers, and problem solving. My coworkers like having input from me when it comes to new problems and sometimes I come up with a solution that works. To be included in problem solving as well as creating new ideas is something I have enjoyed while working there. It's lead to more work in areas that involve creative solutions as well as writing detailed proposals. I have to admit I missed writing technical information and it's been nice to get back into the groove again. Currently I'm working on new proposal for security upgrades and I feel like my writing has improved dramatically. It feels professional and has all the information that is needed.

Overall I feel more confident in my skill set of writing, computers, and creative solutions. I know I can talk, create, and even contribute in ways I never thought I could before. It's helped me feel more confident about myself and also I feel more confident about the work I create. It only took 25 years for me to realize what I am good at!

The mid-week in review: February 28th 2014

I know I haven't done one of these in a long time but to be honest not a lot has been going on recently. Life was in a sort of stand still state for a while. That has changed though in the last fews days. I can now say after a couple weeks of filling out paper work and interviews that I have a full time job! As of 11:00 am this morning I put in my two weeks notice and will be starting a full time position with IBM in March.

As many people know I have been looking for work since I graduated college in December of 2011, while looking for jobs I continued to work at my local computer repair shop. I didn't work long hours there but the pay was good and I liked the people I worked with. For almost seven years I have worked there. That's a long time to spend at a small part time job. In that time I learned a lot about customer service, fixing computers, and working at a small business. It had its ups and downs but overall I wouldn't trade my time here for anything in the whole world.

Looking back to when I first started working here I was new to the whole world of dealing with customers on a daily basis. It honestly scared me to be on the front lines dealing with peoples problems. Fast forward to today and I can't see not being involved on that level with people. If anything I have learned that I like helping people and seeing them be happy when I fix their problem always puts a smile on my face.

Now I will be leaving the world of small business computer repair to work for IBM fixing computers. It won't be a huge change in terms of what I will be doing on a daily basis but the one major change is I won't be interacting with customers like I do now. That will be the one thing I will honestly miss.

So thats that my new full time job will start soon and I can't wait for that to happen!

Attached at the hip: My phone and me

Something I still can't get used to after all these years is having a cell phone. I've had one of my own for a long time and it's great but I still can't handle having one. It's reached the point now where my cell phone is always with me. I can't go anywhere without it because it helps me stay connected to everyone as well as provide me a direct line to the internet at all times. There are days where I wish I didn't have a cell phone, I imagine productivity would increase dramatically without it. It has become a necessary accessory like my watch. I can't go anywhere without it and I feel like something is missing if it's not there.

Yet if I were to describe my relationship with my phone I would say it's a relationship filled with a lot of annoyances. Having it constantly around does at times make it hard to disconnect completely from the world. Even now as I'm typing this post my phone is sitting next to me waiting to send me a text or to inform me about something happening on Facebook. The phone to me at times is like a small little dog that never stops yapping at you no matter what you do. It's that little reminder that there is a lot going on in the world and you need to be paying attention to it.

Now I'm not saying that I would get rid of my phone tomorrow if I could, if I did that my life would suck so much. Not being able to communicate directly with people I care about or not being able to keep up on whats going on in the world would drive me crazy. If anything I should make time to disconnect from it more often. Like the next time I take a vacation I'm going to try and not use my phone at all unless I have to. Let it be there when I need it and not when it needs me. Even doing that for a couple days would be amazing.

My phone is a big part of my daily life, but it doesn't have to be the only big part of it. It's time to step back from the phone and let it be that part of life you don't need to cling to all day long.

The new human memory?

When I write, I usually write in either my room or in the office I work in after everyone else has gone home for the day. Both locations provide me with different atmospheres and different feels. My room is mine it's filled with things I love, memories, and items that make me smile. The office I work in is a bit bigger, filled with other peoples' computers, their lives are there right in front of me. It's like having access to the sole of someone else. Not to say I look at other peoples' data that would be wrong but, when you take away someones computer you are in a way taking away there memories. A lot of data can be stored on ones computer like, pictures of days gone by, important dates in the future, a letter from someone they care about. The computer is itself a imprint of important moments in the persons life. You take that away from them and they feel lost. 

The best thing since sliced bread? Google it!

The phrase "That's the best thing since sliced bread" is used a lot to describe something that is so amazing. It almost is used ubiquitously in conversations by everyone at some point in their lives. But, what is something that is worthy of that catch all phrase? What is something that is so much better then sliced bread?