This song has been going through my head recently, with good reason.
To summarise, it’s about a man who goes to work on Monday morning and has a meeting with his boss. And, rather than the promotion he’s been hoping for, he gets laid off.
It’s the refrain that goes through my head when I leave the office (which was once half of the garage) and have a break from what I’m doing.
Put on your slippers, turn on the TV
It’s all a part of feeling groovy
Now, in the song Smithers-Jones has worked his arse off. I doubt anyone would accuse me of that, but the overall feeling of ennui and having been disposed of is one I can understand. I’ve been feeling a bit of that myself. The worst day was when I had to call IT services to be shut off from the work system, over a month before my gardening leave ended. A few days later my email stopped, too. It did feel as if 19 years of my work life had been chucked in the skip.
Thinking rationally, it hadn’t – all the work is still there, but I’m no longer a part of it.
Job search
So I have been looking for work over the last few months, but there isn’t a lot that’s suitable.
An annoying aspect that wasn’t around when I was last looking for work (1997) is the rise of Data Science as a job. More than three-quarters of the jobs I see or am recommended for as a ‘Principal Scientist’ are actually looking for experienced data scientists. I don’t have at least two years experience in SQL, Python etc or a PhD in Large language Models. Wish I did, the pay is fantastic!
Training in Excel
I’m well into a course on Excel supplied by Reed, one of many employment websites. I’ve been using Excel for 30 years, ever since I was working at Liverpool University. We had Excel 5 (I think) and we used this to collate data from the mass spec. I also used it for my Masters as a matrix calculator to estimate isotope fractionation from spectroscopic data1.
Excel has expanded since then. Like most regular users, I was aware that there are many features that I don’t use and don’t know how to use, or even never knew existed (Format Paint, anyone?) but never had the time or impetus to investigate. But I now have the time and, yes, there are features I wish I had known about earlier that would have made some things easier.
The course also has an introduction to VBA, which I was aware of but never explored. I’d always wondered how to make Entry Forms, and now I know.
Still, this might stand me in good stead to get a job as an admin somewhere. Or I might design an Excel course and see if I can make money from that.
Applications
So far the table for applications is:
| Applied for | 13 |
| Rejections | 4 |
| Heard nothing | 9 |
It’s this last one that’s the most galling. When I was in charge of recruitment I made sure to respond to every applicant and let them know when they would expect to hear from us.
I’ve applied for jobs in London as well as more local to Horsham. I’d be willing to work for less than I was on if it means I don’t have the hour long2 commute each way. London would mean taking the train and perhaps two hours total travel, which would not be great, but at least I’m not driving.
More jobs seem to be coming, though. One I was rejected from (overqualified) was in formulation, which is what I was doing before I was laid off. Today I saw another formulation position, this one in Finsbury Park (1hr 30m by train) but I’d be spending all my wages on train fares.
So I will keep going. It’s not like I don’t have anything to do, what with the Excel training and learning Blender and, now that the weather is improving, garden and home maintenance to do.
Maybe I’ll turn the TV on and feel groovy instead.
Grim up North Heath 