My job at Mass.Gov, as manager of the Massachusetts Recovery website, ended on September 30. I have hesitated to blog about it here for two reasons: 1) I do not want to "burn any bridges," by writing negatively about an experience that did not work out for me and 2) I need to honor the standard contractor confidentiality agreement I was asked to sign before I was told my contract would not be renewed.

The job was not a good fit. The people at Mass.Gov are doing great things and the Governor's Office in particular is embracing social media and interactive communications as part of an engagement strategy that will positively change the way our government works. They--the full time staff--are laying the groundwork for the future that will be adopted gradually as leaders responsible for results see the value in these tools.

But it was an awkward situation for me. First of all, while I worked for Mass.Gov, my real "customer" was the Massachusetts Recovery Office--an oversight agency that was in the process of being formed. My position was a contract job--and contract jobs have to be renewed every 90 days, so technically, I was not fired--the contract was just not renewed for me. I should have had no expectation of automatic continued employment. But I never thought of it as a just a contract job.

My leaving was not for performance reasons--in fact I was told repeatedly that I had accomplished a lot, my work was appreciated, but the Recovery Office wanted a more junior person for this particular role--to focus on just posting content to the web site. The requirements of the role changed significantly over the course of a few months--and I wanted my role to be more expansive than it was.

I'm sure for many, my presence was a mystery. How could someone with my experience be happy managing a web site? Some people felt I was "overqualified." But I saw the job as an opportunity that fit into a larger vision of how I thought I could do something good for others while developing relationships with influential people in state government. I canceled a final round of interviews with another company because I saw the potential of this role to allow me to make a significant contribution by using my talents in communication, technology, and social media to help economic recovery.

I think that ambitious attitude wasn't perceived as altruistically as I'd like. I don't know really. I felt as though there was something wrong about me. I didn't understand why people did not want to take advantage of what I thought I was offering.

I had similar frustrations years ago working for a legislative committee staff in Washington State. The role was non-partisan--a summer internship in 1992--but I was most definitely identifiable as a Democrat when I attended the 1992 Democratic National Convention as an alternate delegate for Paul Tsongas. I was careful to separate those things--as careful as I was to separate my own personal blogging from my work with mass.gov--but I think there is just a fundamental conflict that makes bureaucrats and staff uncomfortable. When people did not assign me projects...I sought them out. People were polite but non-responsive. I created projects and tried to find work to do. I remember creating study of all 50 states welfare reform initiatives. When the summer ended...no followup, no explanations, no invitation back.

What have I learned? I think I will never be comfortable sitting in the chairs behind the people at the conference table. I was not patient enough for that when I was in my 20s; why would I want that in my 40s? I need to work and make money--we all do. But for the things I want to do with my life, I need to just do them and not look for someone to hire me. I would rather serve as an official in my town than be the Governor's chief of staff. I would rather see a single bike lane painted in my town...or a crosswalk improved...and have a neighbor thank me for doing something that matters to them--than draft "the solution" to health care reform.

So now I focus on what next...and fill out my work search log and file my weekly claim.

to be continued...

I still get nervous when it's my turn to speak at a meeting. When I organize and lead meetings, I still feel like the novice upstart. I still assume there are older people who know better, and I wonder if they will take me seriously.

Then I realize I am 43 years old, and I recall what I thought of 43-year olds when I was 12. I thought they had it all figured out. They were my parents, my parents' friends, the leaders in the community, etc. Sometimes I thought they had it figured out WRONG, but it never occurred to me that those "old" people felt the same feelings--when they were chairing a town committee or standing up to speak in front of a couple hundred people--that I still feel. It is a surreal experience to consider what I would have thought of myself.

We are all still kids in many ways. We don't have it figured out. When we start something new, we are just as nervous as the first time we had to stand up in front of the class. When I talk to people about topics that I have a lot of knowledge about...the reality is, I am still hoping people don't figure out I'm a phony or something. I don't think it ever goes away.

But the excitement of learning doesn't go away either. We are forever young in that when confronted by new experiences, we are like kids again, learning by experience, making mistakes, and figuring out enough to get through today's challenge. As long as the challenges never end, we keep repeating the cycle, and while there is some discomfort in those feelings, there is also the thrill of learning something new and discovering that we can.

I'm too young to write advice on how not to get old, but I believe finding those moments of uncertainty in our lives--and embracing them, not fearing them--is how we stay young.

I'm tired of hearing people complain that so many don't read newspapers or vote or participate in their communities. The belief that Americans have become apathetic, complacent conformists is accepted as conventional wisdom, when, in fact, I believe it is about to reverse and correct in a dramatic fashion. I would go so far as to say the death of newspapers and disengagement of traditional forms of participation is more a recognition that those forms are irrelevant to people today and that the impulse to participate drives people to more effective channels. We're mourning the death of the irrelevant while new forms are flourishing.

But first, let's look at the real symptoms of change.

Robert Putnam considered the decline of community in his book Bowling Alone and concluded that generational change and television were largely responsible for a decline in civic engagement, colorfully metaphorized by the decline of bowling leagues. The key "surprise" in his book was the illustration that decline in civic participation was only slighty due to the usual supects of work/sprawl/lifestyle--my own assessment that the reason I was not more involved in my community was that the schedule of commuting and working in Boston left me no time to be "present" in my community...but I was wrong. The biggest factor in the decline of "involvement" was simply the passing of generations...the fact that a large group of people--boomers--replaced the "greatest generation" as they moved through life stages, and these boomers had different lifestyles.

My law professor, David Skover, taught a media seminar while writing a book, the Death of Discourse, where he expanded on the media theories of Marshal McLuhan, and more recently Neil Postman, to illustrate that our consumption of passive media, like television, was fundamentally changing the way we think. Al Gore picked up on this thread in his book The Assault on Reason where he bemoaned the decline of civility in conversation and the increasing impossibility of rational argument in a culturally-politicized world.

Doom and gloom. We're all going stupid and irrational. How many more seasons of Survivor could there be?

But other things are happening that change the world.

• Our work lives have broken down traditional models of compartmentalization...we live and work in a "bursty, always on" style that is frustrating to navigate, but "better" in many ways once we figure out how to manage the transitions. Richard Florida developed a whole economic development worldview around the idea that the changing nature of work--the fact that more and more of us are engaged in "creative class" type work activities is changing the way we live.
• A massive cohort of collaborative, optimistic young people is entering the workforce. Generation Y, the NetGen, whatever you want to call them, represent a massive generational change that, consistent with Putnam's theories, has to exert a big impact on our society.
• The medium is changing. Television was the medium that was diagnosed as having changed us so profoundly. Not even 10 years ago, we sat and stared and watched the drivel that was beamed to us from mass media producers and we consumed a steady diet of mind-numbing idiocy that anesthetized us to our dissatisfaction. But it began to fade...and the volume was turned up until we are now served an unbelievable diet of violent obscenity that is necessary to waken our dulled senses. But increasingly, we are tuning out. In a time of transition, it is hard to see the edge of change, but instead of wondering how far they can go, we should be wondering why they have had to go so far to hold our attention. The answer is that it is failing because we need something better.

The new medium is collaborative and participatory. The new medium is expressed in terms of "social media" and a society of publishers...where people turn off their televisions to go write a blog. In a time of transition, some things seem ridiculous...how can updating my Facebook status be more socially-responsible than sitting down to read the New York Times? But it WILL be this and more...and it will change us all...but that is a post for another day...

There is a great article in the Globe today about the Charles River Wheelmen and their Saturday Morning Fitness Ride in Needham. The weekly ride has proceeded uninterrupted for 617 weekends, including a few during blizzard conditions.

Read more »

UPDATE, 6/15/2009
Please consult the Mass.Gov website for improved information regarding unemployment benefits.

UPDATE Please read my more recent posts about health care, starting with the most recent one here.

DO NOT PURCHASE ANY HEALTH INSURANCE THAT FAILS TO MEET MASSACHUSETTS MINIMUM CREDITABLE STANDARDS. The policy I described in this post originally, is not a valid policy and should not be allowed to be sold in Massachusetts. Through a legal loophole, it is technically legal to purchase, but if you purchase such a policy, the state will fine you up to $1000. If you must purchase private health insurance, go to the Massachusetts Health Connector website for more information and ensure that the policy you purchase meets those minimum standards as described in my more recent posts linked above.

No legal advice. This blog post relates my experience only. I cannot advise anyone as to their rights or help them with their situation. Please do not ask me for an opinion.

Text of original post follows...

Rachel Levy and I have both been blogging about our searches for work. If you know anyone looking for a marketing professional, please go visit her site and hire her. My blog is not only about looking for work--check out the archive to see the breadth of things I've covered in the past two years...but today, I want to talk unemployment.

The Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance website has a great deal of information, but there is very little to answer the specific questions real job seekers have and no way to actually do anything of value there. Once you have filed your initial claim, you will be able to go online to file your weekly claim. But in the beginning, there are so many simple, basic things they do not tell you. So I'm going to list what I've learned here and invite people to comment and fill in the details...

Top 7 Tips for the Unemployed in Massachusetts

My purpose here is not to tell you how to find a job. It's just about the hoops you need to jump through to get the insurance benefits you are entitled to receive while you are looking for work. I recommend you just do these things and don't get hung up on lots of questions or debates about why the system is the way it is. We have a pretty good deal in Massachusetts compared to other states, so check your attitude at the door and don't let the bureaucracy and cesspool of negativity you may encounter distract you from finding a job.

Read more »

Update:
You can now view:

• Dave Atkins interview with Tory Johnson on ABC NOW
• Susan Kang Nam talks about Salty Legs Job Club with Tory Johnson
• Madeline Laurano talks about finding her new job

Staring into a television camera for a remote interview was a surreal experience. I felt spontaneity and improvisation that is challenging to describe. I suspect, for celebrities, the feeling changes, and it becomes like just another conversation. Those who have never done it probably think it sounds terrifying. There is fear, but not terror. For me, I felt the sensation of being completely and utterly "on," with no safety net, no ability to control or plan, and an almost detached sense of hearing myself respond in the moment.

In that moment, I found my instinct and preparation ruled the day. There is not time to consider 5 seconds ago and no time to plan the next 5 seconds. There is faith that who I am will show and hope that what I've told myself is truth will reveal. But there is no analysis, there is only the moment...a moment that goes on for several minutes and then is gone.

Read more »

I had the opportunity to speak with a local reporter about my layoff and search for work. One of his questions was whether I had advice for other people.

I was hesitant. I don't have a complete success story to tell yet, but I can describe what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. I think social media gives us a far more authentic and easier way to establish and maintain a personal network.

A friend asked me if he should "post something on LinkedIn." As I've connected with people I know, I find there are plenty of people who are not on LinkedIn, many who have never heard of twitter, and few who would consider Facebook as part of a job search. So, while I do not have a ready-packaged story of how social media got me a job, I thought it would be helpful to give examples of what I'm doing, on the chance that it would give other people ideas.

Dan Schawbel wrote a great piece a few weeks ago on the real way to get a job using social media that mirrored what I'm already doing. But there is an almost overwhelming amount of such advice out there and I hope that by describing my specific case, it may help people better visualize what they can do...to see the value in these activities...

Let's start with LinkedIn. There are some great tips at ImOnLinkedInNowWhat, a blog that complements a book, but here's what I'm discovering...

At a bare minimum, joining LinkedIn will allow you to:

• put a version of your resume online so you can send people a quick link in an email like this: http://www.linkedin.com/in/daveatkins
• keep track of co-workers who may change email address/company/etc.
• give you an opportunity to have past and present co-workers write recommendations for you that show up on your profile. Not heavy duty recommendation letters, but just short positive statements...then, other people will see your profile linked in from your friend's profile.
• allow you to research people you may be interviewing with.

To illustrate this last point, here's what I did recently: I saw an interesting job that seemed like it might be a good fit on Startuply.com. Before sending in a resume, I looked over the list of founders and searched for their names on LinkedIn. From viewing their public profiles, I could see that one was an MIT alum like me. Then I searched for him on twitter and started "following" him. In addition to sending my resume, I sent a message directly to this person and arranged a phone call--not necessarily to interview for the position, but to connect for networking. When I spoke with him, I had his whole resume in front of me. I also noticed another company he had founded that sounded very interesting...which led to my discovery of BlitzTime.

I did not get the job. But I did make a good connection that led to connections with more resources (see my blog post about BlitzTime). I did not see my phone interview as a defeat, but rather a step in the process. I was learning. I was expanding my knowledge and increasing the probability of finding opportunities.

There are many more uses for LinkedIn...I've only scratched the surface here...but my point is to answer the question of "why bother?" and perhaps fire up a little interest in learning more. I too had read advice about using LinkedIn, but I had to take action to start to find value. There is a certain leap of faith and comfort without concrete returns that should be a part of any job search strategy.

The best advice I can give is to stay positive. An article in US News offers 7 Reasons You Won't Get a Job in 2009, but it's worth the read to recognize some old ideas that are DOA today. Most of the things they talk about don't even make sense to me--e.g. who sends copies of "recommendation letters" to a potential employer? But two "mistakes" stood out for the value a positive perspective lends to your efforts:

1. You're using your connections to find a job. Their point is that that you don't get a job from your direct connections, so don't waste your energy there. If your friends have a job for you...you would already know. The point is to use your connections' connections...to have your friends and colleagues thinking about who they might know who could help you. So when you talk to the people you already know...you ARE NOT begging for a job. You are giving them an opportunity to help you through who THEY know. When you think of it this way, I think it removes a lot of pressure...but it does force you to think of what to tell them so they can effectively help you.
2. You see your job search as personal and private. For many people, being laid off is a personal defeat, an embarrassment. When I had to lay people off in a previous job I told them it was not the same as being fired and that they had done nothing wrong...but I think they thought it was just BS. Others got to stay, so they must have been better. Whatever. We don't have time for that kind of thinking now. I'm telling everyone who will listen that I was laid off and am looking for work. I say "looking for work" because while I did recraft my resume to empahsize my 13 years of internet technology operations experience, I am also launching an interactive media consulting business and looking for work where I can sustain myself independently.

As you can tell from the links in this post, I've spent a lot of time writing. I don't recommend people start there unless they are already doing it. I've been blogging here at DaveWrites for over 2 years and have written probably over 250 thousands words on topics as diverse as religion and economic development. It's my way of finding structure and purpose to what I feel I must do.

Landing the next gig is all about possibilities. It would be fair to criticize time spent on unproductive tasks, but in previous job searches (albeit where I was already employed and had more time luxury to wait for results), I think I limited myself by some self-analysis. In this quest, I do feel there is not enough time in the day, but I am not at all frustrated--I feel I have a million things to do and try...and of course I will adapt as I go along. The enemy of success here is to cut off possibilities by being prematurely critical. I feel that much of what I'm doing is "building a sail" or a "spreading a net." I don't know how a newspaper article about my being laid off will directly translate into opportunity...but it is all part of doing what I can do, utilizing all the tools, resources, skills, people, contacts, connections, and ideas I can to ignite a fire of interest in Dave Atkins.

This economic downturn is different from 2002, especially in the tech/internet space because of how people are responding to it. I was speaking with a reporter from TheStreet.com yesterday who was interviewing me about my layoff situation, and it struck me that perhaps my outlook is not uniquely optimistic, but shared by many others. I'm sure there is plenty of negativity to come and that we are only beginning to experience the disruption, but I know my response has been fundamentally different.

In 2002, the website everyone I knew was following was F*ckedCompany.com. Every day, that website published "insider stories" about the unbelievably idiotic things that were going on in companies. It also served as a bellwether of discontent and early warning of impending layoffs. Companies lived in fear: "I hope we don't end up on that site!" Employees could not wait to post their stories of incompetent managers, wasteful company largess, and the doom and gloom stories of dotcom bust and failure.

I visited that site just now and, "Pud" reports, the site is "sorta [F'd]." Good. Who's got time for that kind of self-pitying crap now? I'm sure it's out there, but it is not what I'm seeing.

In 2008 I see people of all ages networking like crazy, emphasizing their positive aspects, working together to help each other, and being optimistic about the future. Maybe it is driven by Millennial enthusiasm and entrepreneurship, but I see it from my generation (X) as well as we go to networking events, join career clubs, and use social media to connect and learn.

It is early in my own quest and I'm still finishing out my time at work until the official layoff happens. But it feels like a much better world than the last time around. I tell people I see massive disruption...whole industries may be lost and millions will lose the jobs they have today. But this is the moment of change. Books like Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat described how things were going to change and Nicolas Taleb's The Black Swan warned us that the future would be unpredictable. There will not be a gradual change, an evolution in the way we live and work...instead change is coming in waves we cannot control, but must struggle to navigate as best we can. There is no time to spend worrying or wishing about what might have been. We must embrace the future and make it ours. That is what I see happening.

Ari Herzog "tagged" me to participate in this "meme"--a sort of chain letter blog of personal sharing. My instructions are to reveal 7 facts about myself that others may not know and then pass along the "favor" of this task to 7 other bloggers. What the heck. I will give it a shot:

1. Rush - Like many technical people, I was/am a Rush geek. I was listening to Signals just the other day and thinking how every song on the album, from "Subdivisions" to "New World Man," has themes you can see reflected in my writing here.

2. Go Raiders! - When we lived in California, I went to as many Oakland Raiders games as I could, drinking too much and occasionally donning face paint. Then we moved to New England. Then the Raiders kind of died. Like yesterday. Oh well. I'm rooting for the Patriots now, but maybe someday I will be able to wear my Rich Gannon jersey again with pride...

3. Pistol Team - as an undergrad at MIT, I joined the pistol team. I have not handled a firearm since moving back to Massachusetts in 2002, but I think firearm affinity is partly genetic, coming from The South as I do.

4. Smoking - I was a smoker until 2002. I quit just before I went to work for QuitNet.com, a company that uses the web and other forms of counseling to help people quit smoking. My stats: 2470 days, 6 hours, 55 minutes and 54 seconds smoke free. 24703 cigarettes not smoked. $4,940.00 and 6 months, 8 days, 16 hours of my life saved! My quit date: 3/10/2002 5:00:00 PM.

5. Gary Hart - In 1988, I took a semester off from MIT and joined Presidential candidate Gary Hart's volunteer campaign. Part of that experience included several weeks in New York City where I spent hours per day riding the subways asking people to sign petitions to get his name on the ballot.

6. Pit Bulls - In 1998, we adopted two pit bulls. Paris died recently, but Tasha is still going strong and remains a great "ambassador" for this often maligned and misunderstood breed. She is the most patient dog I can imagine as she suffers the attentions of our three kids.

7. I can't swim. Off and on, I have tried to learn but I just sink like a stone and have not figured it out beyond treading water. Someday, I have to, as I really want to do an Ironman Triathlon...

So those are my 7 facts. Now, I must tag seven people to join me and everyone else before me by following these rules:

• Link your original tagger(s) and list these rules in your post.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
• Let them know they’ve been tagged

I tag the following seven people and hope they will take up the challenge:

• Penelope Trunk
• Wendy Waters
• Pamela Slim
• Alison Driscoll
• Ann Handley
• Rebecca Thorman
• Rebecca Wells