I left my job a month ago. It just wasn't working out. I wish I could have stayed, because employment is kinda nice. Helps pay the bills and all. Sometimes I get to buy myself something useful. Helps pay for coffee too.
My free time has allowed me to finish and clean up two projects from college that I've been meaning to revisit for years. So that's good. The next part of my plan to re-employment is to finish a magazine and new website. With these two, I'll feel confident to begin my design tour: visiting friends and looking for design jobs within their cities. I heard somewhere that 80% of jobs begotten are not advertised. I want to see if I can tap into this market by calling up local firms and asking if they might take 10 minutes out of their busy schedules to look at my portfolio. No mention of needing a job, just getting my name out there. It's not likely that any place I visit will be hiring, but... maybe they will know someone who is. Maybe they'll have need in a few months. Maybe they could use a freelancer or an intern. Who knows?
My previous job search involved sending resumes out all over the country, but I rarely followed up on them. I can see why a company in Oregon might not jump to call back a neophyte designer in Iowa. Location is important, and that's why I'm planning this trip. Being able to meet with people up-front and personal makes a lot of difference. The last job I got was only 2.5 hours away from where I grew up, no big deal to drive there. But it wasn't what I wanted to do. I want to be hired for my creative abilities, not because I know some programs. We'll see if I can pull that off in the next few months.
If not, hello Starbucks!