I feel ya brother. Just hang in there and something will come up. I lost my job in January of last year. Became re-employed in a new career in May but then work pretty much stopped at the end of Sept. so I'm not searching again and/or waiting on my company to pick up some work.

I also know what it is like to have a wife with cancer (my wife has throat cancer currently). Just know that the Aggie network will pay off you just gotta give it time. Let everyone get their budgets approved for 2018 and I garuntee you'll get some calls. Work this board hard is all I can say. I applied for anywhere from 50 to 100 jobs per day last year and didn't get a single call. Only calls I got came from this board so hang in there. Maybe post a resume.

Just know you arent alone and I promise the Aggie network is alive and well. Just give it time to work it's magic.

I teared up as I read this because I'm yet to have an interaction with someone who gets that they just don't get it.

Ags, sometimes the aggie network doesn't do "jobs".
It's not just a static entity or a superficial thing. This thread is a pretty good example of the aggie network doing its thing.

My first job came from a tsip. A really great one. I met another tsip that became a good friend and through him I found my second job. Having been in oil and gas and losing my full time job over 1 year ago, I've gotten several leads and advice through this board that have finally resulted in contract work. Indeed, the Aggie Network is a funny thing. It works, just not how you want it to when you want it to. Such is life. Hang in there, Ag.

Sounds like you've been through a lot off the field. Hang in there.

However... let me clue you in about something I've been associated with all of my life - The Oil Business.

Oil is a commodity business. All that matters is the price of a barrel of oil. It doesn't matter if its from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Alaska or wherever.

When the price of oil is high - i.e. $100/bbl, the industry booms and there are plenty of jobs.
When the price of oil is low - i.e. under $30/bbl. the industry grinds to a halt and it's very difficult for anybody to find work. Everybody gets laid off.

Oil comes out of the ground or the ocean floor wherever they find it. And that "wherever" ain't The Woodlands.

One of the most important things my father ever told me is "ya gotta go where the work is". In his case, that was Puerto Rico, Alaska, Saudia Arabia 2x, Indonesia, etc.

One of my best friends is a PETE grad from the mid-1990s and he's enjoyed a great run but the past two years have been a rough time for him.

I'm also close to a recent PETE grad who graduated at the top of his class and got a job working offshore in a part of the world that I have no desire to travel to (see earlier advice from my dad). I think a lot of PETE grads from the past 5-10 years assumed that they'd all have cushy office jobs in Houston making beaucoups dollars. The reality is when that commodity price bottoms out, jobs dry up. When it tops out - which might never happen again, jobs will be plentiful.

And with respect to the Aggie Network working/not-working, this thread/post is an example of the Aggie Network working for you.

From 1974 to 1986, my family enjoyed a wild ride on the back of the price of a barrel of oil. Your time will come. But... "Ya gotta go where the work is" when that time comes. And that might be Southeast Asia, it might be offshore in the Gulf of Mexico or the North Sea or it could even be in Africa.

I'm so sorry to hear of your troubles. Your post speaks to me, as I have been feeling similarly lately. I don't have the awful cancer to deal with, but I feel like I have just had crap luck when it comes to jobs ever since graduating and I can't think of a single time where the Aggie Network has come through with a big break for me. Like you said, it's frustrating to see so many others have so much success and for it to seem "easy" for them. Meanwhile I feel like all I've faced in my career is layoffs and contract positions that don't pan out. Contract positions that are all but sure things to go permanent, and then the rug gets pulled out from under you. Or layoffs in an industry that doesn't typically fall victim to a down economy, but my job got sent elsewhere anyway. No luck on the former student career center website, networking with Aggies on LinkedIn, job Network here on texags...haven't had that big break from the Aggie Network that everyone talks about.

It's tough. You're not alone. I just have to keep the faith that something will work out. Everything I've gotten and every job I've had (even if they did last) were because I earned them. Not because they were given to me. Don't get me wrong...it'd be nice for a connected Ag to reach their hand out to me. But through all my struggles I can still say I've been able to do it on my own.

Prayers for you that life starts to turn around and you can find your happiness again.

I'm sorry that networking hasn't worked out for you yet. Just know that by keeping at it you're maximizing the number of opportunities you will get. It's still up to you to make that opportunity turn in to a job.

I will say that through TexAgs and the Aggie Network I got the interview that turned into my first job after school, got another aggie an interview (and he got the job) for that same company, and I've gotten at least one other person an interview. I've also passed on probably a half dozen resumes from this website.

I'm only saying all of this to let you know that people will try and you will get more opportunities through the Aggie Network than you would have without it. They don't all turn in to job offers, but eventually one will. Keep at it.

2nd time I've seen it on this thread. Not picking on you but why do you assume others have had it 'easy'? That's not exactly fair to others.

PETE '11 here. Was laid off for a year and finally made a jump to something completely different. I sell lighting now, and thought what the hell am I going to do. But I had a wife to provide for and a home. Don't regret it one bit and I am having a blast and realized most people don't make 6 figures right off the bat like I did and changed my lifestyle and we are doing fine. Find a career in something else if need be and try to go back once it picks back up if you aren't satisfied. No shame in it. T&P for you and your wife btw, can't imagine being in that situation. Good luck and stay positive (this was a very hard concept for me)

Hang in there. Network, network, network. Attend SPE meetings. Go to the Aggie network website and look up people who graduated with a PETE degree and reach out to them.

If money is tight, I'd start by dropping the TA sub.

My difficulty at times typically rests with the fact that the Aggie Network is largely focused on a small number of industries, of which I am not a part.

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Mean while it seems like every one of your friends are just floating through life with great things happening constantly.

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you gotta a) stop thinking this way and b) realize this just ain't true. Everyone has issues they deal with. Everyone. They just hide them from their facebook posts. You unfortunately are dealing with heavier issues than most. Don't let your perception of everyone else's life get you down on your abilities and career.

There are definitely some out there that might have "everything" covered - financially, spiritually, professionally, personally, etc. but I think that is the exception not the rule.

Facebook isn't real life. It's a snapshot of all the things people want you to think about them. Uninstall it if it's bothering you.

Since the thread is about the Aggie Network, I'll address it from my perspective. I never got a job because I was an Aggie. However, I did have a couple of doors open because I was an Aggie. The network opens doors that might not otherwise open. You still have to walk through them. You also have to look for the open doors. People aren't going to seek you out, you have to seek them out. Get on linked in and start looking for Aggies in places/industries you want to work. Contact them and ask if they might give you 30 minutes to talk to you about what they do. Ask them about their career path. Tell them about yourself and what you are looking for, and ask advice. Ask if they would recommend anyone to go talk to. Don't ask for a job, or a recommendation for one, etc. Don't give them a resume unless they ask for it.

I will take phone calls and meetings from Aggies that I would not otherwise take. If I can reasonably help them, I will. I've given several young Aggies pointers on their sales pitches, but I still didn't buy from them.

The Aggie Network works when you work it. When you get to your next season of life, don't forget to turn around and give the next Aggie a hand, regardless of where you are.

Folks who only follow my FB feed would believe that all I do is get drunk in the Business Lounge before long-haul International flights between Australia and the USA, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Those who really know me, know that the past decade has been a real struggle financially even though I do earn the TexAgs average $200K. Those who are in my inner circle know that my level of job satisfaction has gone from 90% to 10% within the past month. It ain't all fun and games.

As AC/DC said: IT'S A LONG WAY TO THE TOP (IF YOU WANNA ROCK 'N' ROLL)

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Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the byways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken-boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you, folks
It's harder than it looks

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll

If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll

Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Ladies do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Underpaid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band

It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock 'n' roll

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I've never been ignored when I reach out to an Aggie for professional reasons - whether a cold email or referral. I've also never been given a job solely because I was an Aggie.