The Career Place

The Career Place folks are great… The DUI et al is a mess… There are a bunch of services available that are not immediately obvious. Since the DUI reorganization, this is one of the few places where you can actually talk to someone. It’s worth the time to hang out, watch and talk to people.

Being unemployed blows. Thanks to The Career Place they make it a cluster#$%! of dehumanization as well. Upside: the front desk ladies are really nice. Downside: the «career counselors» are a joke, from unprofessional dress (don’t need to see anyone’s cleavage — act like it’s a real job) to not knowing what they’re doing or talking about. Last time I went some poor guy showed up at 1:45 to see unemployment with his 2 kids in tow, only to be told there «were no more appointments open» and «you have to be here at 7:45 when people start lining up.» Wow. Maybe you can meet with the career coach in the white strappy sandals. Total lack of respect for the jobseekers is mindblowing and topped only by lack of real answers.

Hey, so, I got laid off last week. One of many during the late ’08/​early ’09 recession, and we’re all in the unemployment lines.
Massachusetts added extra hours and staff to handle all the unemployment requests. I’d really heard nightmares about waiting in line for hours and hours and hours only to be turned away at closing time because the center was over-​capacity.
Thankfully this unemployment site in Woburn has its act together. I got there just as it opened, and instead of being instructed to take a number and wait all day (oh god how I wish I was exaggerating, this economy BLOWS), I was directed to a classroom full of other newly-​unemployeds. We were addressed as a group on how to start the claim process, the instructor answered our questions (so many exceptions, so much confusion), and then shown how to fill out the forms we needed to get done and sent on our way.
The process couldn’t have been more painless or quick, all things considered. I was there only an hour and a half, all my questions answered, all my paperwork done.
Thank you Woburn Career Place. But I hope I don’t have to see you guys ever again.