Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I was laid off from a college I worked at and I am glad.  I knew it was coming and I am not the least bit upset by it.

I filed for unemployment the day after I was laid off. 

Has anyone ever collected unemployment and if so, how much do you usually get?

NICE! enjoy it dude!  :beer:

i got laid off in 2002. i was working at Arthur Andersen. even billed some hours to Enron. i knew we were done in late February, but didn't get laid off until the first week of April.

i think i was getting about $1,600 cash every month. which was great with the Mrs. working full-time back then. i went golfing 3 times a week. and in mid-april of that year, the temp was up in the 90's for a day or two which is unheard of (i was living in South Jersey at the time). i spent two days on the beach and hit the casinos in AC at night. in freakin April!

i wasn't even looking for a job. that was right around the time they extended benefits to 9 months. i was figuring i'd start looking for a job in august/september and have my whole summer off. but then one of my old bosses worked out a deal with a consulting firm. they bought our practice of about 10 people. i couldn't turn down the offer. got back to work around June 1. that was a fun 2 months!

I hear ya.

I was very glad they let me go to "cut costs" as it was extremely slow and boring at that place as well as it wasn't run professionally and so for them to lay me off was a blessing.

I thought I'd hook up with a few temp agencies and see what happens.  I don't really need to work right now so I am not worried by it.   I am curious as to how much they will pay out though. 

I think it varies from state to state. In New York, they work out your average salary over the last year and then you get 50% of that up to a maximum of $405/week.

Thanks for that info.

Yeah, U get about half of what u were making.

If you do not have taxes taken out of your unemployment check, Uncle Sam will be collecting on his share of it on your 09 taxes!!

I do believe you also have to have made weekly attempts in looking for work. They are also able to provide you with programs and so on that are sometimes helpful in getting job placement. :)

not always, there is a maximum amount you get I believe.

I would say get a job, off the books, on the side so you can collect unemployment AND bring money in on the side (tax free).  best of both worlds :)

The amount you get depends on the state you live in.  NY and NJ are on the high end.  I think the max weekly benefit in NY is around 531 now.

Yeah, they give you an option to either have them taken out or you file them yourself.  And you have to keep a job search log with the responses you get from potential employers like interviews, etc.



Not sure what Florida's is but I looked around on the web and it said $275 a week, but that was from 2004-2006.

I got approved for collecting $275 a week and it's good for an entire year  ;D

That's not too shabby. I know in MN I think the higest you can get is $349 and my Dad got approved for $346 a week. He's never been unemployed, and has been working since he was like 13. He's almost 47 and this is the first time he's ever really had off. I don't consider his heart attack a day off. lol.

Go to Vegas, that is what I did when I found myself unemployed for a bit! ;D

Is that what you were doing in Vegas? You went to party with Axl!! I can't think of a better way to kill free time lol!!

Finding a job in LV can be a tough gig.

Haha, yup!  I spent all my unemployment cash on gambling!  I paid into that fund so why not!  They even gave me a debit card to collect, I wonder if they noticed all the withdrawls at the Hard Rock! :hihi:



I would never live in Vegas, I just meant I was unemployed around the time that GNR were playing back in 2006 so I took a nice vacation paid for by NY state! ;D

I got laid a few times at my job and loved it.

It never ends. :hihi:

the thread was begging it  :hihi:

Priceless Bandita!! I would have done the same 8)

I was laid off 4 times in a period of 4 years after 9/11. I work in Marketing and of course those are the first budgets to go. It was great fun at first, especially during the summer. But then, I started to get bored and with no money, couldn't really do anything. Sure I got unemployment but when you own a house and have kiddies, it all goes towards the mortgage. And that's when I really started to drink. I was bored, depressed that I couldn't find a job after four months of going on countless interviews and putting on the fake bullshit face and just bullshitting constantly. I was so sick of interviews after the fourth lay-off, I seriously was tempted to go in to my next interview and just tell it like it is - can you work as a team player - hell yeah I can if the team is buying booze otherwise I don't really care for assholes or kiss asses - what do you do to relieve stress - smoke joints and drink and masturbate - wouldn't you just love to go on a job interview once in your life and tell the truth??????

Glad you are loving it! Enjoy while you can - but remember and this is from my friends who have been laid off recently - it is taking an average of six to eight months to get another job - and nothing something that you will love - and they started the minute they were let go. So, if you think you're going to party and live the relaxed life and then get a job, that job might not be so easy to get when you are ready.

I know what you mean.  I had an interview today and had to sit there and smile and answer questions.  I think I was too overqualified for the postion though. 

It's been one week today since I got laid off.  Maybe I'll win the lottery tonight ;D

Seriously, at this point in time, I am already over the interview process and I've only been on one.

The secret to interviewing is just not to be nervous.  Talk to the interviewer normally which I know can be hard if you really need the job but looking desperate is never the right course.


Damn skippy!!!! ;D

Agreed, the best interviews are the ones you do when you don't really want the job!  No pressure and your true self shines through.  Life's crazy that way.   :)

Alright, who is ready to get back to work?

Get out of your jammies already!

 :rofl:

I just went back to work and I am ready for a vacation already!

I'm working like a five dollar whore on a Friday night and loving it.

I can take that two ways but seeing as how you post a lot, where do you find the time since you are so busy whoring?

Then seriously take some time off dude - your attitude will show in the interviews especially if you start going on them and start getting aggravated with the bullshit they put you through. I did that the first time I was laid off - I told my husband, man I have been working since I was 14, would it bother him if I took at least six weeks off and did not look for a job? And this was right after 9/11 when companies started layoffs. He was cool with it cause he knew I needed a break.

Then one of the other times, I looked for like five months, went on countless interviews, got so pissed that I started calling the people who contacted me and asked them why another candidate was chosen - and they all came back with well this person has one more qualification than you do - I gave up and didn't look for a month. I just could not stomach going on another interview just to be rejected for overqualification, money bracket, distance, experience in certain industries, etc.

If I ever win the lottery - I'd love to setup interviews and just streak naked through the office when my appointment time comes knowing I don't have to worry about money. It's a fantasy that will probably never come true or I'll be like 80 when it happens and probably take out the whole office with my swinging sagging boobs!

I actually got a call about a job about 2 months ago and was flabbergasted by what the woman said on my voicemail.  Mind you this is supposed to be an HR person working for a very major water company.

She went through her whole message about having my resume, yadda yadda and at the end of the call she says:  "I really need you to call me back and tell me how much money you want because if you want too much we aren't even going to bother to bring you in for an interview!"

I can't believe she would phrase it this way and leave it on a voice message.  I work in HR and would NEVER speak that way to a potential hire!

Needless to say, I never called her back.  I would not have wanted to work there knowing that lady was managing the HR office.

I was offered a job with a Resort Managment company.  I just have to go in tomorrow and meet one other person. 

I also applied to be a flight attendant with Delta Airlines.  I made it all the way through to where they will fly me to Atlanta for a face to face interview. :beer:

Well since I re registered in 04, I have an average post count of 8.65/day, which isn't really outrageous. This time last year I was working nearly non stop, up to 16 hours a day and still posted on a few different forums, while reading various real estate, automotive, financial and political articles. (On a side note a lot of people don't know this about me, but my middle name is "posta", which is derived from the latin word postawhori, meaning "he whose hair defies gravity, and posts way too often.")

See coffee thread for more details.

 ::)suddenly I have the urge to dye my hair.. ;)