Aqui estan:
1. Get involved in an open-source project
It's where the most interesting and influential products are being
developed, and more importantly, many open-source projects are filled
with people who are also connected to companies that pay their
engineers. Plus, obviously, working on a development project will keep
you sharp and expand your skill set.
2. Go to start-up fairs
Wherever people are pitching new businesses, be there. They're all hiring. If not now, then soon. I am partial to the Under the Radar series (I helped start them and moderate at many of them), and there are several a year. Update:
I just talked with the organizers of the next UTR event, which focuses
on mobility startups, and they've created a special pink slip discount: $200 off admission, includes entry to the opening night reception for even more networking. There are 20 tickets at this rate.
3. Get project work
You may not have a daily gig, but you still have your skills, and there
are people who need them. Head over to a project marketplace like oDesk and pick up some work.
4. Update your profiles
Go to your pages on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
etc., and let people know you are available for new projects. While
you're at it, proactively send out notes to your trusted associates
that you are looking for work. As we say here at CNET: "duh."
5. Learn some new skills
No, I don't mean to learn Rails if
you're a Java guy. That's obvious. I mean cooking, rock climbing,
riding a motorcycle--something that you didn't have the time to do
while you were an FTE.
6. Answer some questions
Scan Friendfeed and Twitter Search
for people asking questions in your areas of expertise, hang out in
message boards on things you know stuff about. You'll see what's going
on in the industry, you might be able to help people out (always
worthwhile), and you might also land a tip for a gig.
7. Get a girlfriend or boyfriend
Don't let the fact that you have no job, per se, slow you down. You can
still earn some dough. You will have more control over your schedule.
And you can spend some of your newfound time with your new friend,
assuming this friend doesn't have his or her own 18-hour-a-day
engineering job.
8. Campaign in a swing state
Hurry up, though.
9. Take some time off
"Invest a little and travel to a
seaside town in Mexico, even if it's just a few days. Mexico is easy to
get to, it might be cheaper to live there, and lying on a beach is
certainly not a bad way to contemplate what you want to do with the
rest of your career. At the very least, you'll see people who get by on
a lot less than we make."
10. Move out of the Bay Area
Just a thought: This is a very expensive place to live, and the economy
is heavily tilted to tech. If you have other skills, you might find a
better market for them elsewhere, and it will be less expensive to
maintain your lifestyle. Plus, you can continue to do project work.
11. Buy a new rig
Yes, you're going to have to do the
obvious and odious task of taking a financial inventory and cutting
back on your expenses, but you will also need current tools to pick up
projects. You'll be more positive about working on those projects if
you're doing it on a shiny new system configured just the way you like.
12. Take pictures
Put your $1,500 dSLR to use by selling
stock-art pictures of household objects to Fotolia, ShutterStock,
iStockphoto, StockXpert, etc. "It's cheap for people to buy images
compared to the traditional stock (photo) market, but it can be
lucrative over time because images sell over and over. I've made money
without trying too hard. But quality standards are going up, so you
can't just upload any old crap. Brush up on your model releases."
13. Volunteer
"It can build new skills (like leadership), a
new portfolio. Someone capable of making their kid's Boy Scout troop
turn a profit suddenly looks a lot more proactive than the shlub who
catches up on reruns while waiting for Craigslist to pay off."
14. Start your own company
If you have some savings and can
afford to work for peanuts (or less), it's a great time to start a
company. Without the annoying distraction of a booming economy, you can
focus on building a product to solve a problem you know people will
have again when the economy loosens up. There is still funding, even,
for early-stage companies. What should you build? We leave that as an
exercise for the reader.
Fuente: cnet news
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