Lost my job, so gotta lose some rockets *sigh*

[KenECoyote]

Hey Everyone!

I gotta say, you guys are TERRIFIC! I honestly just came in to list stuff and normally I'm the positive one (was part of the regional "Sunshine Committee" at work lol), but all the outpouring of kind thoughts and good intentions are AMAZING.

Please don't feel any need to bid up or buy to help my situation...I was a past big Ebay seller, so this is old hat to me. Also I'm totally fine with letting go of some really cool rocket like the SHR since someone else can likely do it more justice than me letting it sit in my closet.

*UPDATE* - I've spoken to yet another lawyer and he thinks I have a good case for wrongful termination, but we'll see. Part of me wants to let go of the toxicity, but another part hates letting some "baddies" get away with some of the crap I went through.
*UPDATE2* - I did a search on Monster.com for my job position (which is very niche in a niche industry) and lo and behold...a company I worked at prior (the only one haha) popped up with a position almost the same as I had left! OMG! Now it's not a done deal, but given I used to work there, now have a lot more experience, and I believe I left on good terms, I think I have an amazing shot at getting the job. I'm normally not one who believes in prayer and positive vibes, but this is just an unbelievable opportunity...wish me luck!

THANK YOU!!!


Best,
Ken

 

[FMarvinS]

Ken,

I may have some marketing position leads for you, I'll send you a P.M. shortly.

Fred

 

[Onebadhawk]

Ken,
I flew with you for years..
You have always been the nicest man in the world..
You certainly shouldn't be so surprised that your vib gets out and picked up and returned..

But I guess that's just part of you,, lol..

It'd sure be great to see you at the field again, even if just to say hello..

Prayers for you Ken..

Teddy

 

[Ez2cDave]

I'll be listing it under "wunder_buyer" and tonight (10PM EST) I plan to list a Sheri's Hot Rocket Shuttle as well as some of my TLP kits to start. I REALLY wanted to build the SHR shuttle, but wasn't sure if I could do it justice. Once I get a sense for the TLP pricing, I may start listing some of them on the Yard Sale.

Ken,

I'm interested in your TLP "TYPE 30" kit.

Dave F.

 

[Mushtang]

$712 for the Shuttle. Well done!! That's more than I expected!!

 

[KenECoyote]

$712 for the Shuttle. Well done!! That's more than I expected!!

Thanks! I used to sell collectibles on eBay, so I know some auctions for hard to find items can get pretty high. However there is always unpredictability since it depends a lot on whether at least two people really want the item.
Decades ago I actually sold a static car model kit for over $800 and I've sold some Legos and RC car kits for around that as well.
Maybe there's also the elements of Covid (life is short!) as well as government relief money driving up some collectibles.
Regardless, I've corresponded a bit with the winner and the kit is going to a very good home, so I'm happy for both of us and also appreciative of the fantastic support here.
Thanks everyone!

*Update: I'm still awaiting word from the potential job lead...sounds very promising, but I may not have enough experience in one key area and I should have another interview coming up. I may have an inside advantage since I was the one who actually hired the person who is now a partner at the firm! However who knows if there are any bad opinions - I try hard to be a good person and good to everyone, but I'm horrible with politics...too honest maybe? Life isn't boring!

 

[crossfire]

Anyone see winning bid on SHR Shuttle?

 

[Mushtang]

Anyone see winning bid on SHR Shuttle?

Look two posts above yours.

 

[KenECoyote]

I'm still awaiting word from the potential job lead...sounds very promising...

 

[jqavins]

Hey Everyone!

I gotta say, you guys are TERRIFIC! I honestly just came in to list stuff and normally I'm the positive one (was part of the regional "Sunshine Committee" at work lol), but all the outpouring of kind thoughts and good intentions are AMAZING.

Ya gotta give it to get it. You've given plenty.

I've had one bad experience with this sort of thing, and a good friend had his. Mine was a legitimate lay-off at the location I was working. There was lots of warning and a lot of people found positions elsewhere within the corporation. But the head of HR for our location didn't like me and went out of his way to sabotage my efforts to do the same. I had a position all but locked in, that would have been good for me, for my new division, and even for the division that was laying me off due to working on a common project, but that anal abyss just wouldn't have it.

My friend wrote an email to a colleague with a joke that was - well - not kind to their supervisor. She forwarded it to a lot of people, and they were both fired. And wouldn't you know it, two weeks later there were lay-offs. The total headcount was reduced by N, and the company paid it's share of the unemployment insurance on N-2.

Good luck on the old company new job.

 

[Ez2cDave]

Thanks! I used to sell collectibles on eBay, so I know some auctions for hard to find items can get pretty high. However there is always unpredictability since it depends a lot on whether at least two people really want the item.

Will you be listing the rest of those kits, shown in the pics on eBay ?

I'm interested in the TYPE 30.

Dave F.

 

[KenECoyote]

Will you be listing the rest of those kits, shown in the pics on eBay ?

I'm interested in the TYPE 30.

Dave F.

Hi Dave,
Yes I plan to list more next Sunday and I can list that one. Having to communicate and track the 4 ended auctions and also pack everything correctly and carefully took up a lot of my time (one box was $50+ to ship until I cut it down 3"...then it was $9!), so I wasn't able to list more.

You and anyone else who has posted here earlier I'll provide a 10% discount if you win...just let me know your screen name.

Best,
Ken

 

[Mustang67]

Ken, I feel for you man.
I lost a 30 year career job due to lack of work and downsizing and was unemployed for the better part of a year. I had a great severance package and was able to collect as well after the severance ran out. I now have a job I love and am happier than I've been in ages.
Stay positive and things will work out for you.

Walmart was the lead in the consolidation effort. Amazon took it to another level and then some. Streamlining, automation, consolidation, efficiency. At the end of day it's how much of the market share can we grab and take control of.

At one time there was Circuit City, Best buy, Radio Shack, Walmart. As of recent Best buy has laid of 5,000 people https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/business/best-buy-store-closures-workers/index.html
and beginning to close some stores. Mall's will likely be a part of our history over the next decade.

The day Walmart begins to close stores...... Well you get the concept.

Cisco, HPE, NetApp, Sun Microsystems, Dell have all lost significant market share due to the cloud. It's all about consolidation unfortunately.

 

[Ez2cDave]

You and anyone else who has posted here earlier I'll provide a 10% discount if you win...just let me know your screen name.

Best,
Ken

Will do . . . Thanks !

Dave F.

 

[jqavins]

I just looked at the items you've sold, and I've gotta say HOLY COW! I mean, they're cool kits and all, and sure the price can go up when they're OOP, but HOLY COW, they're just model rocket kits. You sell five items (including that LEGO set) and make over $1400? HOLY COW!

 

[Peartree]

Cisco, HPE, NetApp, Sun Microsystems, Dell have all lost significant market share due to the cloud. It's all about consolidation unfortunately.

To be fair, a ton of the damage done to Dell was self-inflicted. They used to be the "go to" vendor for a lot of us because of their absolutely stellar customer responsiveness and service but more recently, that was the source of most customer complaints. I bought several successive computers from Dell, but their prices crept up until you were paying a premium to get a Dell. As long as the premium wasn't a lot, many customers stayed loyal to them because of their outstanding customer service, but when that went, it was easy to justify going with the lowest bidder.

Anyway... sorry to the OP for the off topic rant.

 

[jqavins]

To be fair, a ton of the damage done to Dell was self-inflicted.... but when [good service] went, it was easy to justify going with the lowest bidder.

At my job, the previous "generation" of computers (just before my time) was Dell, and now we have HPs.

Anyway... sorry to the OP for the off topic rant.

Me too.

 

[heada]

Desktops/laptops/(consumer market) is VASTLY different than server/enterprise market.

HP vs HPE You get vastly different support models depending on what you buy, not just who you buy from. (I have a 24,000 core compute cluster from Dell and a 32,000 core water-cooled compute cluster from HPE)

And some of TLP kits are so highly sought after that yeah, there is a permium for them above normal OOP kits.

 

[John Kemker]

HPE used to be EDS back in the day. I was working for EDS when HP bought them. Later, they renamed EDS HPE. Evidently, they expanded the business model to include hardware, not just IT services.

 

[Hobie1dog]

Ken: you never filled us in our your employment situation.

 

[KenECoyote]

Ken: you never filled us in our your employment situation.

Hi Everyone, sorry, I had missed notification of the new post and before that I wasn't up to checking back for a while.

Update 1:
So karma does pay off and it paid me off in spades! In November of last year, I got a new job at a lower position, but paying 10% more than my old job and it was in Client Service & Sales, which I had wanted. I had been in the Operations side for decades and it always seemed that we were seen as costs vs. valuable assets. The team of 4 (EVP, VP, Director & Manager) I was hired into was great and I really liked my boss who was the VP!

Update 2:
-A few months after I was hired, the Manager announced she was leaving for a different position and I was tasked with taking over her work and client. No prob.
-About 3 months after that, the Director announced she was leaving. I was tasked with taking over her work and clients. Somewhat of a problem since she did a LOT of work. I was still able to cover.
-A month after that, the VP (my boss) announced he was leaving too. This was tough since I liked him a lot and he did a lot of work and had great vision. Guess what? I was tasked with taking over his work because the VP didn't know anything about the systems. That was crazy tough, but I managed to do it. Additionally, we suddenly got some big clients signed.
-A month or so later I was doing all the major work of my former team and delivering 2 days earlier than before. I asked for a promotion (ok, I kinda lightly demanded lol) and after a bunch of red tape was promoted up two levels and given a 10% raise.

Update 3:
A few months ago it was announced that our firm would be partnering with another firm which was recently purchased by a private equity company...well, that firm is the old firm I used to work for! What are the chances? lol



TLDR: Got a new better paying job last Nov, then promoted up two spots and raise, then new company will be combining with the old company that fired me, so I'm back higher and paid more and missed the layoffs.

 

[KenECoyote]

Also, if anyone here bought any of my eBay kits last year, please PM me and I'll send you $50 as a token of appreciation.

Furthermore, any TRF members winning any of my future auctions will get 20% off - just message me and you got it. I only sell sporadically though.

You guys here are the best!

 

[Hobie1dog]

Hi Everyone, sorry, I had missed notification of the new post and before that I wasn't up to checking back for a while.

Update 1:
So karma does pay off and it paid me off in spades! In November of last year, I got a new job at a lower position, but paying 10% more than my old job and it was in Client Service & Sales, which I had wanted. I had been in the Operations side for decades and it always seemed that we were seen as costs vs. valuable assets. The team of 4 (EVP, VP, Director & Manager) I was hired into was great and I really liked my boss who was the VP!

Update 2:
-A few months after I was hired, the Manager announced she was leaving for a different position and I was tasked with taking over her work and client. No prob.
-About 3 months after that, the Director announced she was leaving. I was tasked with taking over her work and clients. Somewhat of a problem since she did a LOT of work. I was still able to cover.
-A month after that, the VP (my boss) announced he was leaving too. This was tough since I liked him a lot and he did a lot of work and had great vision. Guess what? I was tasked with taking over his work because the VP didn't know anything about the systems. That was crazy tough, but I managed to do it. Additionally, we suddenly got some big clients signed.
-A month or so later I was doing all the major work of my former team and delivering 2 days earlier than before. I asked for a promotion (ok, I kinda lightly demanded lol) and after a bunch of red tape was promoted up two levels and given a 10% raise.

Update 3:
A few months ago it was announced that our firm would be partnering with another firm which was recently purchased by a private equity company...well, that firm is the old firm I used to work for! What are the chances? lol



TLDR: Got a new better paying job last Nov, then promoted up two spots and raise, then new company will be combining with the old company that fired me, so I'm back higher and paid more and missed the layoffs.

so what's your new title since you were doing the upper managements jobs?

 

[KenECoyote]

so what's your new title since you were doing the upper managements jobs?

"Sales Representative II" (a Manager position)
I had asked for either Manager or Director, but really only wanted the Manager position since the Director would do a lot of traveling to meet clients and I'm happier staying at home.

 

[Hobie1dog]

great to hear

 

[KenECoyote]

great to hear

Thanks!

 

[KenECoyote]

I'll add that the unemployment investigator agreed with me and said there was no evidence that I purposely violated any company policy and I got to collect UE plus Covid relief.

Last year was the first time I had ever been unemployed in my adult life and so I got to get a taste of retirement and doing some bucket list items...it was one of the best F'ing years I ever had.

 

[Ronz Rocketz]

Hi Everyone, sorry, I had missed notification of the new post and before that I wasn't up to checking back for a while.

Update 1:
So karma does pay off and it paid me off in spades! In November of last year, I got a new job at a lower position, but paying 10% more than my old job and it was in Client Service & Sales, which I had wanted. I had been in the Operations side for decades and it always seemed that we were seen as costs vs. valuable assets. The team of 4 (EVP, VP, Director & Manager) I was hired into was great and I really liked my boss who was the VP!

Update 2:
-A few months after I was hired, the Manager announced she was leaving for a different position and I was tasked with taking over her work and client. No prob.
-About 3 months after that, the Director announced she was leaving. I was tasked with taking over her work and clients. Somewhat of a problem since she did a LOT of work. I was still able to cover.
-A month after that, the VP (my boss) announced he was leaving too. This was tough since I liked him a lot and he did a lot of work and had great vision. Guess what? I was tasked with taking over his work because the VP didn't know anything about the systems. That was crazy tough, but I managed to do it. Additionally, we suddenly got some big clients signed.
-A month or so later I was doing all the major work of my former team and delivering 2 days earlier than before. I asked for a promotion (ok, I kinda lightly demanded lol) and after a bunch of red tape was promoted up two levels and given a 10% raise.

Update 3:
A few months ago it was announced that our firm would be partnering with another firm which was recently purchased by a private equity company...well, that firm is the old firm I used to work for! What are the chances? lol

View attachment 546308

TLDR: Got a new better paying job last Nov, then promoted up two spots and raise, then new company will be combining with the old company that fired me, so I'm back higher and paid more and missed the layoffs.

I wonder if the bad managers at the old firm had heard rumors of drastic changes so tried to prove themselves valuable to the overlords. I've seen it done. Basically, shoot a couple of the prisoners so the other prisoners will stay in line. As you said, karma's a bitch.

 

[teepot]

I'll add that the unemployment investigator agreed with me and said there was no evidence that I purposely violated any company policy and I got to collect UE plus Covid relief.

Last year was the first time I had ever been unemployed in my adult life and so I got to get a taste of retirement and doing some bucket list items...it was one of the best F'ing years I ever had.


View attachment 546319

I'm happy to hear your good news. Looks like you are having fun. Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain.

 

[KenECoyote]

I wonder if the bad managers at the old firm had heard rumors of drastic changes so tried to prove themselves valuable to the overlords. I've seen it done. Basically, shoot a couple of the prisoners so the other prisoners will stay in line. As you said, karma's a bitch.

I've been through that crap before...Manager screwed up and had to cut down on overtime, but earlier told me it was fine (several times), then review time hits and he said I had too much and that he had talked to me. Went to HR about it, but they were no help. I then switched out, but that dept was the one that went from 100 to about 5.

However it wasn't the case this time. The purchase was only announced a few months ago.

Icing on the cake is that I had a bunch of Employee Stock Purchases with the old company (didn't sell them despite being so pissed... I figured wiser to keep so if they do well, I still gain) and when they got bought, my stocks closed with 33% gain. Karma has been really good to me.