As many know, I've been looking for work in the Keys for over a year and am not having any success.  

During that year only one person gave me a lead but that as gone no where.  At least it was something.

Now that I lost my job of 6 years as the CTO of a publicly traded company to a 26 year old snot nosed punk with no experience of knowledge of network engineering I tripled my efforts in finding work.

So far nothing.  Not one interview.  The few recruiters that called have done nothing to place me except to jerk my chain.  The job outlook is dim at best.  And I am not only focusing on Florida, but other places in the country as well.

Under our current administration it is doubtful that anything positive will happen.  And I doubt that the contender for office will be much better for he seems to favor the wealthy and not the working stiff.

I received an email from one of my Facebook friends who told me that unless you are rich or retired you will need to work two jobs just to keep your head above water and that there is no tech work at all in the Keys.  The business there is tourism and that is that.

I spoke with another person on the phone who lives in the Keys and was told that I really should consider opening up my own computer business there.  They said that there is more work than the competition can keep up with.  And that most people run businesses out of their homes. 

Not a bad idea but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered first.  I'll post them in another blog entry.

I reached out to a successful person there to ask some questions.  First setting the ground work so I could ask the questions.  She never replied back so I am still curious about if I should open a computer business or not.  I still need to reach out to others.

Then in an email from a LinkedIn connection really put a damper on things.  I was told that their business dropped by over 50% and it was so bad that even they said you need two jobs just to survive.   The pay there is so low you have no choice but to have two jobs.  And they are seeking to leave the Keys for greener pastures.

And they told me that in the 9 years that they have lived there, they have seen so many computer businesses come and go it was like a revolving door.

Like the first person that I've been in contact with a few months back,  they said that there is no industry for a network engineer of my caliber.  There are only a few 'large' companies like the power authority and the turn over there is non existent.   I reached  out to them anyway and have not heard back.  I even contacted a TV station there for they have to be up on technology and have had no response  one way or the other.

Of course one of the biggest companies there is the U.S. Navy with the airbase in Key West.   Errr sorry, as much as I respect the USN and the rest of our military that really is not for me.  First off I am too old for that plus if I was in the Navy there would be no guarantee that I would be stationed there.

With the two comments that the pay is so low that you need two jobs to survive unless you are wealthy or retired really does not sit well with me.  Going from 6 digits to $7 an hour?  I'm just guessing at the $7, but you get the drift.

So at this point it does not look like that the Keys is the place to move to.  More food for thought.  I really would like to get some conversation going with people from there.

And here is another thought, one of the sayings I've come across is that "Key West is a drinking town with a tourist problem.". That gives me the impression that if you are not from the Keys, spend your money and then go away.  Could there be some truth to this?  I think every town has a certain section where alcohol flows like tap water so I  wouldn't pay too much attention to the first part.

A friend moved off Long Island several years ago and went upstate NY.  He opened up his own auto repair shop like what he had here on the island.  He closed up within a year.  Because he was not a local no one wanted to do business with him.  He would not be considered a local unless he lived there his entire life.


Is it possible that same line of thought is in the Keys as well?  "If you are not from there, go home"?

But looking at some of the blogs I subscribe to from people that live in Key West, they make it sound so wonderful to live there.  Even from the posts on Facebook make me yearn for living there.

I reached out to a person who writes one of the blogs twice an he never responded back.  I still subscribe to it for he makes Key West sound perfect.

I would like to live and work in the Keys and there is no question on that.  But as time passes and with no luck in getting interviews from there I have to wonder if it is nothing more than a pipe dream.  I also have to ask myself if I should give up on trying to get a job there.  Am I being foolish or what?  I would like feedback.

I will still keep playing the lottery no matter what and if I hit the big one....Let's see, I've seen some nice places on Big Pine....

'till next time