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I want to be back downtown

Budgie Frisket

By Budgie Frisket
in Grand Rapids Coffee House

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starrfish Whistle-Stop

starrfish

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WOW! I could have started this topic...I just started a new job which also happens to be in BFE - technical mailing address is Caledonia...I'm waaaaay over the commute already. I loved being able to scoot home at lunch or meet friends for lunch and actually have a full hour instead of having to factor in drive times. Where are all the people on the Beltline going anyway? I'm such a city girl!

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blueradon Hamlet

blueradon

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I work in Cascade/Spaulding (or as I say, sprawlding) area...have to drive from Greenville...imagine MY communte home...given the fact I left 15 min early it took me approx 1 hour 45 min to get home...usually takes me 40 min on a nice average day.

I'm looking for a new job anyways, part time sucks! :wacko:

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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Can your skills be applied to start you're own business? Why not apply your skills and take control of your destiny? Fill the void your employer has left. You can work with your current employer for the mean time, while building your business part-time. I'm sure you can base it in downtown :)...

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Greedo Whistle-Stop

Greedo

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I live in Holland. And drive into GR every day for work. Driving sucks, but I work downtown which rocks-hardcore-abs.

When I lived in Chicago I had a 40 minute commute on the L, so I've spent most of my career traveling into the office. At least that was on the train, and I could read my book.

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michaelskis Hamlet

michaelskis

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An hour fifteen? I wish. I left to head home around 7pm and rolled into GR about 8:30ish. But it is something that I will need to deal with for a bit yet. I too would like a job in downtown so I could just walk, but it is going to have to wait for a little while anyways, since I am not looking for another government job. I have contacts at a few places, so who knows what my future will hold.

I agree that if you have enough experience and there is room for one more competitor with in that particular market, there are few things better than owning our own business!

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Veloise City

Veloise

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Budge asked for reasons...

1) "City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style..."

2) Street performers

3) Conversations with other pedestrians, drivers, my UPS guy, former city buddies, da po-lice...

4) Olive Express (I take a vacation day Friday and again on Monday. Guess where I will be found!!)

5) Display windows like Little Bohemia's and the luggage store

6) Interesting sidewalk textures

7) Sidewalks

8) Tall buildings

9) Interesting architecture compiled over many decades, instead of the homogenized plastic sign late 20thC sprawlmart can-be-found-anywhere mediocrity. (Greater Houston looks the same as Grandville as Effingham as Memphis as Carbondale.)

10) Density benefiting many. One pass with the snowplow helps thousands of folks. (Yep, I too was motoring in it yesterday.)

11) Main library is the coolest in the system.

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blueradon Hamlet

blueradon

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Budge asked for reasons...

1) "City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style..."

2) Street performers

3) Conversations with other pedestrians, drivers, my UPS guy, former city buddies, da po-lice...

4) Olive Express (I take a vacation day Friday and again on Monday. Guess where I will be found!!)

5) Display windows like Little Bohemia's and the luggage store

6) Interesting sidewalk textures

7) Sidewalks

8) Tall buildings

9) Interesting architecture compiled over many decades, instead of the homogenized plastic sign late 20thC sprawlmart can-be-found-anywhere mediocrity. (Greater Houston looks the same as Grandville as Effingham as Memphis as Carbondale.)

10) Density benefiting many. One pass with the snowplow helps thousands of folks. (Yep, I too was motoring in it yesterday.)

11) Main library is the coolest in the system.

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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I live at Cherry & James and work in Cascade. It took an hour to get home when we had the snow storms the other night. I would love to work downtown again - be able to walk, ride the bike or take the bus to work. It would save so much in gas, time and wear and tear on the car. Cascade was the CFO's idea and none of us live here. We moved the office a year ago and I lobbied hard for office space on Cherry St. There are only 3 of us in GR and tons of small offices to be had. My co-workers were afraid they would be mugged walking to and from their cars!? It looks like our business will be closing and I will be unemployed soon so I will be looking hard for a downtown job and have re-enrolled at Ferris downtown to finally get my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems. The job market has changed so much over the past few years that I decided I needed to take the plunge and the risk of student loans. I am hopeful that the degree will open doors/opportunities and that I will be able to significantly increase my salary so that over the years it will pay for itself many times over. According to the data from the US Dept of Labor stats it seems like a reasonable expectation. I'm not looking to live better than I do now, just looking for more financial security, the ability to sock away a substantial emergency fund, retirement fund and would like to be able to buy a 1-bedroom condo for myself and Miss Kitty either in the Hill or downtown and have it paid for by the time I retire.

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Budgie Frisket Burg

Budgie Frisket

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I live at Cherry & James and work in Cascade. It took an hour to get home when we had the snow storms the other night. I would love to work downtown again - be able to walk, ride the bike or take the bus to work. It would save so much in gas, time and wear and tear on the car. Cascade was the CFO's idea and none of us live here. We moved the office a year ago and I lobbied hard for office space on Cherry St. There are only 3 of us in GR and tons of small offices to be had. My co-workers were afraid they would be mugged walking to and from their cars!? It looks like our business will be closing and I will be unemployed soon so I will be looking hard for a downtown job and have re-enrolled at Ferris downtown to finally get my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems. The job market has changed so much over the past few years that I decided I needed to take the plunge and the risk of student loans. I am hopeful that the degree will open doors/opportunities and that I will be able to significantly increase my salary so that over the years it will pay for itself many times over. According to the data from the US Dept of Labor stats it seems like a reasonable expectation. I'm not looking to live better than I do now, just looking for more financial security, the ability to sock away a substantial emergency fund, retirement fund and would like to be able to buy a 1-bedroom condo for myself and Miss Kitty either in the Hill or downtown and have it paid for by the time I retire.
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Veloise City

Veloise

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I...will be looking hard for a downtown job and have re-enrolled at Ferris downtown to finally get my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Information Systems. The job market has changed so much over the past few years that I decided I needed to take the plunge and the risk of student loans. I am hopeful that the degree will open doors/opportunities and that I will be able to significantly increase my salary so that over the years it will pay for itself many times over. According to the data from the US Dept of Labor stats it seems like a reasonable expectation. ...
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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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Even if CIS is not the next hot buggy-whip vendor gig, it can't hurt to get some more additional coursework under your belt/into your mind.

What I find amazing is the statistic that nowadays a typical worker can expect to work at something like a dozen jobs (or is it more?). My parent's generation: more like one or two. At one point I had five resume versions out there.

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Rizzo City

Rizzo

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I took college ed courses in A+, CNA, CCNA, Novell, Cisco network engineering ... I was loaded with this crap. That was three years ago. Not only are those certs basically null and void I would probably have to retest or re-evaluate if I would like to aspire in that profession.

I remember my instructors telling me that if I just get an A+ cert I'd be set for life. Little did he know I knew better. Those instructors failed to provide the fact that just because you're certified and know your way around today's technology doesn't necessarily give you the walk when it comes to tomorrow's technology. They failed to provide the class with guidance in the market trends. The reason why technology is successful is because its constantly changing. When I go back to GR, its just a hunch, but I'm staying away from computers in the short-time employment outlook.

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Beavis Whistle-Stop

Beavis

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Posted
I took college ed courses in A+, CNA, CCNA, Novell, Cisco network engineering ... I was loaded with this crap. That was three years ago. Not only are those certs basically null and void I would probably have to retest or re-evaluate if I would like to aspire in that profession.

I remember my instructors telling me that if I just get an A+ cert I'd be set for life. Little did he know I knew better. Those instructors failed to provide the fact that just because you're certified and know your way around today's technology doesn't necessarily give you the walk when it comes to tomorrow's technology. They failed to provide the class with guidance in the market trends. The reason why technology is successful is because its constantly changing. When I go back to GR, its just a hunch, but I'm staying away from computers in the short-time employment outlook.

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Veloise City

Veloise

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I was told the same thing about my A+ cert back in 2000. However, all indicators point to strong employment growth in the field through at least 2014. I expect to have the Bachelors done by 2008-09 at the latest. I still think it is the smartest move I can make in order to break free of the cycle of dead-end jobs and mediocre pay.
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