Hello from the Red Stick

[Bnason]

Hello, my name is Brandon. I'm 27 years old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I've been out of work for a year now.

I graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering. I went to work for a company out of state working on oil & gas refineries. After 2 years there I was laid off and had to move back home. I very much disliked what I was doing and do not want to work in that field any more. However, where I currently am (B.R., LA) I'm just not sure what I can do.

In college I focused on electronics and robotics. I've build a number of fully autonomous robotic vehicles, for example, a 4 wheeled vehicle, a 2 wheeled balancing vehicle and a 4 rotor helicopter. Programming and designing hardware are what I love to do but I do not want to move across the country and leave my family and friends behind.

I do not know how to move forward currently. I've been looking for any kind of company related to my interests but am unable to come up with much. If anyone has any specific advice or even any general words of wisdom that will help me start thinking in a different way to figure something out I would be incredibly grateful.

[JodiVee]

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It seems like you are a very talented, knowledgeable individual and any company should be happy to have you. If you're continuously applying for work and not getting a response, consider going back to school for further qualifications. And if that doesn't help, you may want to consider relocating. I understand that you don't want to leave family and friends behind, but it comes down to this: a) be unemployed, but remain close to your loved ones or b) be employed, and make new friends. In either case, just keep sending out your resume, and network as much as you can.