I’m Drawing a Line in the Sand

First, let me say, I am a native born Texan, so using such an euphemism is ingrained into my DNA and apropos. I was born and raised in Abilene out in West Texas (yeah, it’s actually a separate place–especially in state-of-mind), it’s a big, little town, home to oil and ranching, cotton farming and vineyards, and friendly-to-the-extreme, God-fearin’, hard workin’, honest, my word-is-my-bond and my handshake-is-my-signature folks. It’s a huge place out there where you can drive thirty miles on a US highwayand meet one car (only) in the middle of the day; where if you come up behind a farmer/rancher driving a little slower than the posted 70 mph speed limit and certainly slower than your interpretation of that same limit, which is probably closer to 80 mph, he’ll pull onto the shoulder so you can pass safely without having to change lanes into the on-coming traffic; where we spend most of Sunday in church no matter what denomination or faith you are and we take high school football as a second religion. It’s also a place where the term Yankee isn’t meant to refer to a NY baseball team, it’s a term for someone from “up North” and someone we have a hard time understanding (not just in language) but how they think and live; so sometimes it’s a derisive term, but mostly it’s just a description. The old joke in Texas is that a Yankee is someone that lives up North, a damn Yankee is a person that comes from up North to visit, and a G-damn Yankee is someone from up north that comes down to Texas and STAYS!  BTW (in full disclosure), I’m married to one of those and she’s a real nice lady, and fortunately has lived in Texas for over 20 years so has been naturalized as a Texas citizen.

Now, all that said, I’m also an American. I served my country in the US Navy riding a submarine and have lived in many of states through my Navy days and since. Since, 9/11, I tear up and get a lump in my throat EVERY time I hear the National Anthem, and would have gladly served again in the military after if they’d had me (too old now). And what’s going on in this country right now tears my loyalties. I cannot speak to all Texans’, West or the remainder of the state (about half), politics; I can only speak to mine and y’all know what that is–just so you know, yesterday DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano confirmed (stood by the Departments assessment) that I am a frakkin’ right-wing extremist radical inclined to become a violent militia member because I am anti-abortion, anti-illegal immigration, anti-massive government and socialist spending and any number of other criteria that was listed in the assessment.

So, to the three extremist issues that are burning up the blogs

I’m Looking for a Job, Agent or Publisher–Perhaps all Three

Okay, folks, it’s my blog and I’m indulging myself.  No surprise to most that visit here, I am unemployed and looking for a job.

I am a resourceful and experienced high-tech electronics sales professional.

That said, how did I become such? Hard hands-on work my entire career, from my Naval service as an Electronics Technician (Forward) on submarines in ESM (Electronics Surveillance Measures) and Radar; through my Field Engineering in Nevada as part of the Electronic Warfare Range project for the Joint Chiefs of Staff where I more or less portrayed a Brigadier General in the Russian Army Missile Corps; to private high voltage power distribution equipment installation, testing and servicing in the Houston area; then into the Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry installing, on-site engineering and working on Ion Implanters and CVD process equipment.

I was fortunate enough to be hired for a multiple discipline joint venture pricinpaled by a major Japanese firm to be the primary American technical interface with the foreign engineers and startup service manager for a variety of manufacturing equipment including, again, an Ion Implanter, as well as other products. This experience was so important in that I worked with different cultures, but also carried both a tool box and briefcase. I sucessfully made the first large capital sale for the company to a major semiconductor manufacturer.

As with all things at that time, there were many difficulties in dealing with Japan monetarily and the venture died a quick death. Once again, fortune smiled and I moved into full time sales with a leading Printed Circuit Board manufacturing equipment company forcasting and selling CNC Drillers, Driller/Routers, CAD systems and Photoplotters; from there I was recruited to another, and instrumental to the manufacturing of PCBs, selling their CAD and Photoplotters. Eventually, as many others before me, I formed my own representation firm, taking on products and capital equipment primarily in both Semiconductor and PCB manufacturing industries, although I called on a number of others.

I the recent past, in order to stay close to home (capital equipment sales are demanding and require considerable travel) and raise my youngest son, I sold residential and light commercial HVAC, as well as engineered system solutions and developed geo-thermal plans.

With my son’s schooling finished, I was able to once more look at the high-tech industry, prepared to travel as required, and took a sales postion with a PCB design and manufacturer where my primary responsiblilty was to grow the market share through prospecting of new customer clients and expansion of existing.

I was successful in bringing in new customers, but timing was against us, so shortly after the progression began, orders dwindled as our military and consumer electronic manufacturing customers’ orders died with the new administration and economic crisis, and I was laid off.

Now, whether the following helps or hurts me in the search for employment, I also write in two genres of fiction, and I am looking for an agent or publisher. It seems that breaking into the published writer industry is near to impossible unless you are published first–seems like the proverbial Catch-22, doesn’t it? I had hopes that starting my blog would help, but I haven’t seen any, probably because of the limited exposure; therein lies this appeal I post today.

Regarding my writing; I started with a fantasy story, more in the Arthurian-esque line than high fantasy, such as Tolkien and others, mine is more based in human interaction with magic as the sub-story. I have completed (written & edited) the first trilogy and have at least eleven more novels in the series to write. I recently wrote my first novel in espionage/mystery/thriller (which is posted in “Pages” on the blog) dealing with a terrorist-sleeper and a submarine (if you can imagine from my background); it is currently being revised and edited, but is finished for all practical purposes.  I foresee the main character having a continuing story with at least four more novels I’m currently working. I guess I could be a prodigious writer if given the chance and from the many reviews from those  that have read my work for the last many years that I’ve shared it.

So, to recap, I am not afraid of work, I started early on pushing a lawnmower and selling GRIT (you’d have to be of an age to know about that newspaper), then making pizzas through high school; I was even a nuclear med tech (portable) before joining the Navy. I learned electronics in the best schools in the world, the US NAVY, at a time when you learned component level engineering and troubleshooting, then fixed systems aboard submarines (wihtout spare parts) and drove them as well. I tell potential employers I can work anywhere and that you can’t make me work or send me to any a worst place than a submarine. Leaving the Navy I became a field engineer and Russian general shooting down American planes (simulated of course), followed by the rest of my resume as you read above.

I am sucessful in all I do, timing of life events has been challenging throughout my life, but as a repsonible husband and father, I made the best choices and moved ahead for the betterment of myself, my family and our livlihood.

I am not scared or too old to learn new things–in fact, I thrive on new challenges and education. If I can drive a submarine, I could learn to drive a CAT; if I can sell furnaces in Texas, I can sell anything. If I can operate and ion implanter to modify the resistance of the molecular make up of a substrate then I can learn to operate just about anything with knobs, button, keys or dials.

I am verbally articulate and would love to say I am an accomplished writer, but with nothing published, except vanity here and my first novel, before I knew any better, I cannot lie and further myself without falsification.

When you meet me, I’m straightforward, no BS, even though I’m from west Texas and can deal with the best of them, I presume and know from experience that will accomplish nothing; too bad politicians haven’t learned that.

You get all my knowledge, it’s extensive across a broad range of industries and expertise in many, when you hire me. You get my undivided attention, but I won’t lie to you and tell you that work comes before my family–it doesn’t–does yours?

I’m a silver-tounged devil, but find that which you will find interesting versus what most want you to hear. I can and have make presentations from the mailroom clerks to the CEOs & Boards. I can kick clods in the field in dress shoes or boots, again, I have done both. I can drive a submarine, truck, car and ride a horse–doubt too many others can say all that. I can dress in a three-piece banker or work shirt and bluejeans to get the job done. And as I said before, you can’t make me work in or go to any worst places than I haven’t already been. BTW, finally, I am willing to relocate just about anywhere.

So, why am I unemployed?

Because I haven’t talked to the right person as yet–is that you?

Contact me by leaving a comment (your email will show to me and your comment won’t show until I approve, etc., which I won’t)or if you’d like to network and a brief desciption of the opportunity or your background and I will reply and attach my resume.

[And, please, I beg you, no BS or GRQ (get rich quick, including Grants) schemes or scams–I will report you as SPAM otherwise.]