Reality hit me this morning when the power was cut to my apartment. It turned out to be a mistake, but it gave me a glimpse of what I might face if I don’t find a job soon.
I met Paul and Monica last night at the Adventure Cycling open house. Paul has an awesome job – he’s biked across Alaska. Some people are so lucky! I was impressed by the entire operation, especially the mapping department. As a map lover, I think making maps must be an amazing job.
Julie Huck and I talked about planning another night ride, and I’ve contacted my friend Larry. Since next Thursday is Thanksgiving, we’re considering Sunday night. That would be cool.
I recently read an AP wire article that astonished me with its inaccuracy. A study by the Milken Institute claims:
“Missoula is the number-one small city in the nation for creating and sustaining jobs… based on job and pay growth, as well as technology use.”
I had to email them my thoughts:
Job Growth: Missoula has an unbelievable unemployment rate. I know people with Master’s Degrees waiting tables, so this can’t be true. I’ve been unemployed with a computer science degree for six months, and I’m a month away from homelessness.
Pay: The claim about high pay is laughable. I’ve interviewed for IT jobs offering only $7 an hour, and most labor jobs pay $5.50. I previously worked for Sikorsky Aircraft as an Associate Software Engineer, starting at $50,000 a year. Missoula’s pay rates are among the lowest in the country.
Technology Use: Missoula is behind in technology, and any advancements are outsourced to other states and countries, leaving no local tech jobs.
I wrote to the Milken Institute for two reasons: I wish I’d been notified about a possible bug in their software, and, as someone nearly homeless, this article hit close to home. Missoula might have a clever marketing scheme, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
Boneshakerbike 
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