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I finally got laid! Laid off!

#21
Remy: I hope you are good. I hope you are a complete musician in every respect.

Please understand that I wish you nothing but success. In some ways, doing music full-time is liberating because you no longer have to live the double life of the weekend warrior but you will have no money. There are no gigs.

I went to what I would describe as a second-tier music school (not the best of the best, but still very good) and did the pro musician thing for a couple years before realizing that the lifestyle was not for me. I had a life that was almost entirely stress-free, except for financial concerns...in my best year I made $18,000. Brutal. The only reason I wasn't homeless was because I lived in my mom's basement.

I get that you will be receiving severance so you're not really out of work. I know a great musician who is a retired businessman and independantly wealthy and has a lot of freedom to gig and jam as much as he wants, so as long as your wife is OK with your nighthawk lifestyle take advantage of this opportunity. Go to jams (the best ones are Sunday though Wednesday nights). Go to gigs. Take all the gigs you can. Have a Summer of Remy. But at the end of the day unless you are disciplined enough to develop massive skills in every aspect of musicianship (performance, playing, composing, arranging, production, recording) you should probably start looking for a job ASAP.
 
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#23
It amazes me how some people are able to live with such high ethics because they have never had those ethics tested.

I was wrongfully laid off a couple years due to corporate BS games. Absolutely nothing to do with performance, only that I had been promoted due to skill and thus made more than less skilled people at the company. This meant I had a target on my back.

I paid into that unemployment consistently for almost 20 years! That's right-they take it out of your salary every check here in 'Merica.

it is NOT a free hand-out.

Also, the USA is in a recession, regardless of what anyone says: inflation is up, salaries are down if you can even find a comparable job to what you were laid off from.

Full time musician? May not pay much less than working at Home Depot anyhow.
If OP wants to use his severance, or Unemployment Benefits if they can't find a COMPARABLE job to the one he lost, go for it!
 
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#24
PortlandBass77 said:
I would go for it, but actually spend some of the time looking for a full time job (unless you want to be a full time :bassist:), so that way at the end of the unemployment insurance period you aren't scrambling and wind up with a job you hate and pays $.
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I've had a job every single day since the summer of high school freshman year until this week. For most of the time between then and now, it's been two jobs. I have no idea how to be unemployed. I suppose I will have to learn :)

Nine months is a long time. I'm sure some opportunity will present itself.
 
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#25
I'm rooting for you. Give it your all and if it doesn't work out at least you'll never wonder. As someone who has had a lot of trouble finding his niche in life and feels good about the potential of his current band mates.. I'm making a run at it myself. Have nothing to lose. Just a bunch of nice gear and fans to gain.
 
#28
I've been laid off through no fault of my own, and found myself in almost the same situation about 10 years ago. The one thing I learned is that the longer you wait to look for work in your chosen field, the harder it will be to find a new job in that field. I focused a little too hard on music on the side 10 years ago and wasn't aggressively pursuing a new QA job for about 6 months. I got stuck out of work for 2.5 years as a result, not by choice. And I wound up taking a not so great job just because I was desperate at that point. HR people can be pretty unforgiving depending on the industry, in software if you haven't worked in the past 6 months to a year you are useless to them.
 
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#29
Not sure the laws in your state, but in many states if you have to sign a release to get the severance, you are entitled to full unemployment right away.

General rule is you have to be ready, willing and able to work, and conduct a good faith job search... good faith. Not take a vacation.

Keep a log of your search. They can audit you, and you should have a record of all contacts made - phone calls, resumes mailed, emailed, etc.
 
#30
lfmn16 said:
Unemployment compensation is meant to help meet your expenses until you get your next job, the expectation being that you are actually looking for a job. Unemployment is not meant to give you a nine month vacation. People who take advantage of the system are the reason that Congress is reluctant to extend benefits to people who are actually looking for a job but can't find one.

Sorry but there is nothing ethical about using your unemployment benefits to fund an extended vacation and or career as a full time musician. Also, any money you make is required to be reported and your unemployment benefits will be reduced accordingly.
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It's unemployment INSURANCE. It is not an unearned benefit. There is nothing at all unethical about the OP taking advantage of what's available to him.
 
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#32
Remyd said:
I think "taking advantage of the system" is a oversimplified (and wrong) statement. Unemployment insurance is an insurance policy (sort of), into which I (and probably you too) have been paying for over 20 years without a single dime of return. It's insurance for THIS EXACT SITUATION and there are rules, just like any other insurance coverage. If I set my own car on fire, my car insurance won't pay for it. If I don't use my unemployment period to look for a job (according to the rules) I won't be paid for it. If I make some additional money, the payments will be reduced as per the rules.

But the job doesn't have to be "Project Manager". It can/will be "Bassist". That's why it's ethical.



First, there was no mention of a vacation anywhere. If you think 40 honest, dedicated hours a week at anything is a vacation, you're wrong.

What if we change the word "musician" to the word "carpenter"? If I was starting a new career as an independent carpenter, it might take a couple of months to get training, tools, truck, clients, etc together during which time I would still be drawing unemployment benefits. Nobody would begrudge a carpenter that opportunity, so there's no reason that shouldn't work the other way around.
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Edit - I reread my original post and I never said anything about playing music being on vacation. I stand by my statement that if you are collecting while working as a full time musician, that is unethical.

Frankly, I hope you make being a full time musician work. I think people should follow their dreams, as I did when I was young and I love it when people can rub it in the faces of all the people telling them it is impossible to be a full time musician.
 
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#34
Remyd said:
I've had a job every single day since the summer of high school freshman year until this week. For most of the time between then and now, it's been two jobs. I have no idea how to be unemployed. I suppose I will have to learn :)

Nine months is a long time. I'm sure some opportunity will present itself.
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Don't sweat it. It took me 5 months to find a new job when I got laid off two years ago. One thing to remember- It isn't you, it's the stupid economy that was screwed up by our government laws. I am a licensed Architect and that is in demand about as much as a licensed crawdad hunter.

Because I actually expect to be paid for my experience, and the industry only wants to hire 3-5 years experience Revit runners... In most professions now, if you are in your mid-40s I believe they expect you to retire or something.

I actually flipped the script and used all my construction and design experience to become the owner's Project Manager, rather than working for the owner's Project Manager- BEST Decision I have made in a long time. I found out I was working twice as hard for less money.
 
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#35
lfmn16 said:
Unemployment compensation is meant to help meet your expenses until you get your next job, the expectation being that you are actually looking for a job. Unemployment is not meant to give you a nine month vacation. People who take advantage of the system are the reason that Congress is reluctant to extend benefits to people who are actually looking for a job but can't find one.

Sorry but there is nothing ethical about using your unemployment benefits to fund an extended vacation and or career as a full time musician. Also, any money you make is required to be reported and your unemployment benefits will be reduced accordingly.
Click to expand...

The OP was required by law to contribute to unemployment insurance. After his pay from the employer stops and while he is seeking employment and/or being retrained for a new career he is entitled to his unemployment benefits. Unlike many of the "undocumented" workers in the US (aka illegal aliens), he has worked for years "contributing" to the funds like unemployment insurance and social security. Those were earned by him as opposed to the government raiding the funds to give as perks to illegals and those who refuse to work in exchange for votes. I believe the OP should seek his dream while he can afford it. He should keep looking for other employment in the meantime because the longer you are unemployed the harder it is to find employment. It is a good idea to contact the State Unemployment folks now and see what career job training exists.

The OP should go forth and pursue his dream; but, maintain a "plan B". Sometimes the desire to life indoors and eat daily wins out over your dream job.
 
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#36
OldPlucker said:
The OP was required by law to contribute to unemployment insurance.
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Yes, many people have written this same thing, even though no one is disputing it. We are also required by law to buy auto insurance if we own and drive cars. My ONLY point is that if someone is collecting unemployment they should follow the rules associated with collecting it. In my state, you need to continue to seek a job. If you are reading anything else into my posts, you are incorrect.
 
#37
obimark said:
Don't sweat it. It took me 5 months to find a new job when I got laid off two years ago. One thing to remember- It isn't you, it's the stupid economy that was screwed up by our government laws. I am a licensed Architect and that is in demand about as much as a licensed crawdad hunter.

Because I actually expect to be paid for my experience, and the industry only wants to hire 3-5 years experience Revit runners... In most professions now, if you are in your mid-40s I believe they expect you to retire or something.
Click to expand...

I was downsized and retired. I had worked in Energy Project business development (sales). I learned from my engineer friends that as a professional that id id harder to find a job when your "unemployed" so I became an "independent consultant" while looking for work. I was getting a decent severance and I could fall back on retirement if needed. Two months later, I had done several consulting jobs and landed a job with less stress.
 
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#40
lfmn16 said:
Yes, many people have written this same thing, even though no one is disputing it. We are also required by law to buy auto insurance if we own and drive cars. My ONLY point is that if someone is collecting unemployment they should follow the rules associated with collecting it. In my state, you need to continue to seek a job. If you are reading anything else into my posts, you are incorrect.
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Agree- but the key is "suitable employment"- YOu don't go from making $110K a year like I was and supporting a wife and two kids to working part-time stock clerk at Home Depot for $5.15/ hr (which is what the great back-ass state known as Georgia calls minimum wage)
 
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