A community of 30,000 US Transcriptionist serving Medical Transcription Industry

Once and for all - there are no jobs! - Quit asking why!

Posted: Dec 20, 2009

On almost every thread somebody mentions their finances are in dire straights. And on almost every thread somebody whose life is just peachy demands to know why they "let" their finances get shaky and why they didn't just "get another job before things got so bad". We are not sitting around just wringing our hands, as is so often implied. Many of us have been applying, constantly, for months; with more entering the job search every day, the competition gets harder and harder. Whether we are seeking work in this field or in other directions, the competition is overwhelming. Those of you who have not applied for work recently have no clue how bad it is, the few responses we actually get pay even less than we're making now (7 cpl for IC, or less!!!). We try, we test, we fill out applications, and every paycheck watch things slip-sliding further away despite our best efforts. Many of you have no clue what its like to have NO working husband or other support system in place to cover you when a "bad income week" turns into many weeks, then months. So stop asking the smug, self-assured question as to why we don't JUST find another job. You might as well ask why don't we JUST go live in the Bahamas and drink pina coladas all day - if we COULD, we WOULD!

Some of us have been exactly in the same spot - Answering

[ In Reply To ..]
I fell into the category of not having a husband working, you see he had end stage kidney disease and eventually died. Before he died I took care of not only him, but a daughter in college and 2 grandchildren that all lived at my home so I think that was about 5 in the family total so everything was left up to me. I worked more than 1 job, had 2 full time going most all the time. I never ever just waited for the work force to change, I had more than just myself and/or a husband to see after. This is know as get up and go, something I think others lack sometimes.

Nobody is "just waiting" for the work force to change - Quit asking why!

[ In Reply To ..]
How, exactly, does ACTIVELY and constantly applying for work somehow translate as "just waiting"? How, exactly, did you absorb from my prior post that I "lack get up and go"? People like you are exactly who I addressed this thread to. Now that you are done patting yourself on the back REALLY hard, would you answer the following question: Did you do it during a recession and an identical job market that we have today? No, the farther back in time your scenario was, I'm quite certain there were more jobs (that had not yet been outsourced/VR'd)and they all paid higher. As special as you think you are, I've worked 2 jobs myself in the past and certainly intend to do so as soon as I get one. Bonus question: Why did you "let" yourself get in the circumstancs of being the sole support of a family of 5? I could also sit here in my armchair and judge your life and say it looks like there were a few lazy people in your gene pool, as well.

Lazy people, their parents were killed in an accident - OMG

[ In Reply To ..]
The husband in kidney failure, the grandkids had no parents. You seem to be very touchy and by the way, never said YOU lacked get up and go. Please read the post correctly. You really should be ashamed for your statements about lazy people in my life.

Nowhere did your post mention their parents were dead - Stop asking why!

[ In Reply To ..]
Although I'm not surprised you would attribute psychic abilities to me. And of course you didn't get a cent of insurance money or welfare or financial help from the kid's other granparents, did you? Speaking of shame, I would think that the college student would have been capable of at least a PT job, to help her double-job mum and dying daddy and orphaned nieces/nephews. Come to think of it, I've actually known people who worked FT while going to college, or put their college on hold to help their family. But they weren't lazy....

You have issues and that is all I can say - OMG

[ In Reply To ..]
You just came here to argue and not gonna happen today. I do not owe you or anyone else the reason why the children were there and basically, you know as much as when this thread was started. I understand why you are having such a tough time. Gone to sing Christmas carols.

There are jobs out there. I tested and applied - to 4 MTSOs in 2 weeks.

[ In Reply To ..]
I am only looking for part-time. Two offered me jobs. The other two said they were looking for full-time only and would keep my app on file if I changed my mind. I am a CMT but don't know if that really makes any difference these days. I have 10 years' experience. I have heard some not so good things about the company in Calif that offered me a job -- they are sounding more and more like MQ, at least from some of the things I see on the postings here. So went with the other one, a smaller company. Yes, the pay is only 8 cpl but they are not sending work out of the country and have only about 25% ESL dictators. I will should easily be able to make up with the easier dictation what I have been losing with more cpl at MQ and 98% ESL docs.
This time I did my search and testing all on my own. A few years ago I went through Transcription Matchmaker and they were fantastic. They found great jobs with smaller companies for a few former co-workers of mine who had also lost their in-house jobs due to outsourcing.
But in general I think we need to be prepared for fewer cents per line from now on.. the competition with the big MTSOs because of cheap outsourcing is getting fierce and the smaller companies are trying to survive.

Its nice to know that some people are finding work - Quit asking why!

[ In Reply To ..]
I hope that more of us will find the work we are seeking. Care to post company names? Maybe the job you didn't take will still be open.

seems the money these days is in opening an MT school, eh? - crabapplesandtrees

[ In Reply To ..]
by the way, no message.

Don't I know it, I posted yesterday here & some/sm - thank you!

[ In Reply To ..]
peachy person said the very same thing to me? I don't routinely post about how awful my situation is, but with the holiday coming, I am so anxious and stressed I made the mistake of posting. Immediately I was made to feel like I'm not doing enough to help myself.

Ignore those people. They're insecure, - morally bankrupt losers who - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
have to make their own pathetic little lives seem important by putting down everyone else.

You are so right, like the person saying people lazy and they - died in an accident, can you believe that?

[ In Reply To ..]
I could not believe what I read. I guess that person saying something about a person being lazy because they did not have their kids did not stop to think for a minute could be something else and sure enough, it was. I am amazed at people who assume.

Assume people can read minds much? - that info not in first post

[ In Reply To ..]
Plenty of deadbeat parents dump their kids on their own parents to raise while they go in and out of parties and jail, many more than die off blamelessly.
That whole post sounded fictional...dying hubby, college student (big deal-self imposed unemployment is nothing to brag on), and (later revealed orphan) grandbabies, yet the heroic MT survived by working 2 jobs. Like nobody else has ever taken care of family members. Then she accuses anybody that doesn't do the same of not having any "get up and go". Revealing in her second post the fact that the grandbabies were orphaned tainted her story, because she most certainly drew SSI benefits for them and so all her income did not come from her own efforts. Gee, if we all had a government check rolling in every month, we'd get our bills paid too. I am amazed she thought we'd buy her tall tale of holier-than-thou martyrdom.

to OP - wondering

[ In Reply To ..]
no jobs or no jobs making the money you want to make? I hope you are not sitting around with no job because you can't find one making what you want to make.

There are plenty of MT jobs out there, but the pay stinks. That being said, I would be working for the lower pay rather than not working. Matter of fact I am. That being said, I took a job with a company that has no ESLs, plenty of work,, does not bother me, very nice folks, respect my skills etc. You know what? I make just as much per hour as I did making 9.5 cpl fighting with ESLs, no/low work, listening to grouchy MTSOs.

Don't exclude the lower paying MTSOs. You might find out you like it. BTW, I am not a newbie either, I have 33 years experience and had to do what I had to do. Do I agree with the low wages? OF COURSE NOT! Do I need to work and make money? YES.

I think too many MTs out there are just tossing the lower paying MTSOs by the wayside. I am finding out that some of them are not so bad to work for. Lots of times when you get in and prove yourself, you get more money too. Better lower wages than no wages.

Thanks for your reply - OP

[ In Reply To ..]
No, I'm not sitting around. I work FT, but recently my wages were cut in half and my company promises to cut them more in the future. My primary left and I'm stuck with multiple picky little secondaries with some really crappy ESL that I'm losing money typing. So I'm looking for something better, hopefully will find it before I lose everything.

I'm not a wage snob either. I only make 7.5 where I'm at. I work all the OT I can get, constantly add to my expander, and used to make a good living, even for that chicken feed cpl. But things have changed, now there's no work/low work/crap work with doom in the future, and I'm having to choose between bills and food. This is a disheartening time of year to be broke.

So I'm seeking either FT employee status (and would then go PT at my current company), or PT IC, because I don't mind working 12 hour days. Maybe I'll get lucky soon. I found a few more places this week to apply to.

Happy holidays.

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