I have begun my official job search with my shiny new diploma in hand. I was a little leery of LinkedIn at first, because of some bad experiences in the past with Facebook. At first I was merrily clicking away on connections in Bellingham and my chosen industry until I saw a little notice that “some people have indicated that they do not know you”. Uh oh. So I went to the web and one of the modern fountains of knowledge, YouTube. Watched a few videos on how to correctly (and politely) use LinkedIn. Following up on some current job applications, by company, then 2nd and 3rd level connections I am starting to make progress. It is almost more fun than Facebook, but that might just be that I am a lot more motivated to connect with people in companies where I want to work than with people who like the same weird pictures of kittens.
LinkedIn is an amazing tool for a job search. I was getting frustrated by the dearth of listings for computer and network support technicians in this economy. I have been going to school for the last 2 years and been fortunate enough to be working steady as an Independent Contractor for Smartech, a warranty service provider for Dell.
I was planning a cold call mailing to many of the companies in Whatcom and Skagit counties and that project moves ahead, but to be able to DO something while waiting to hear back on an application is pure gold.
So – If you saw my name on a connection request and wonder who the heck is this guy – my apologies. I am just determined to put my new degree to work at what I wanted to be when I grew up. 
systems analyst 