Job Hunt

I knew it was coming.
The small factory where I worked as systems administrator had always needed investor support. With the downturn in the economy, the investors had already seen the value of their holdings plummet. And even though most small factories don't show a profit for several years, they wanted results or else.
Or else is what they got, and they closed the facility in late January of this year. Approximately 15 people were out of a job in the worst job-seeking market in a quarter century.
Confident that, with my IT and writing skills, I would have no problem finding another job, I searched the local Help Wanted classifieds, as well as WaHM, iFreelance, Sologig and Craigslist. I started LinkedIn and Spoke entries. I asked my former boss to write a recommendation, and he did.
The local newspapers in the rural area where I live are biweekly at best. And there were entire issues without one single job listing. Snagajob, Yahoo Hot Jobs, Indeed, CareerBuilder, and even the state department of labor only offered low-level service jobs or jobs in the medical field.
On Craigslist, there were plenty of information technology jobs...if I wanted to move to Atlanta.
And although I've been a writer and editor for more than a quarter century, my portfolio isn't up to date. My last few writing jobs have been for local media about local activities.
Many of the freelance jobs seemed to request a lot of work for very little pay. I just can't get into spending an hour researching and writing an article for $5 to $10. I'm a perfectionist about my work, and although I can write about anything, research usually takes some time. And some of these jobs appeared to be posted by individuals, which usually means pay problems. Perhaps I'm being too picky, but online freelance may well be my last alternative.
So, while I update my skills and my portfolio, I decided to work with my mother, the sewing whiz, to make hats, purses and quilts to sell at local shows. The mountain hats are at left, and the fringed quilt is next to it. We have baby quilts and lap quilts and can even custom make a quilt in your chosen colors. Below are images of our work.