Still pounding the pavement after 1.5 years - Los Angeles Business from bizjournals:

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Schalk, a South Florida native, accepted a job with Ponte Vedra Beach-based , the parent corporation of an integrates collectionof businesses, in February 2007. He was to producwe a weekly Internet andTV show. In September 2007 compan executives told Schalk their objectives had changedf and that instead of producing aTV he’d be in charge of client relationships, and in November of the same year he was laid off. At Schalk thought that, given his experience in a production job at a news station would be fairly easyto get, but he foundf out that’s not the “It seems like the economy was slidint with me,” Schalk said.
“Companies have the pick of the litteer and theyknow it.” More than a year and a half he’s still out of work. Luckily, he when he was working, he lived withibn his means, saved up, and the unemploymen t compensation keepsgetting extended. He’s been through a range of emotionws — anger, confidence, frustration but, he said, he’s never consideredc giving in and continues to attend networkinh events and knockon doors. Dr. Lori an associate professor of psychology atthe , said the streszs of long-term layoffs can have physical, behavioralp and emotional impacts.
But those who view changwe as a partof life, have a stronfg sense of control in their life and have a strongb family and friend bond seem to fare much better. Those people, who are either born resilient or learn tobe so, take a more aggressivee approach to their job search through networking and take advantag e of community resources. “You never know when an opportunity is going to present Lange said. Schalk graduated from in 2002 and decide d tohead west. A frienrd of a friend helped him get an internship at thelegendary “The Price Is game show, which evolved into a full-tim position with the game show’s owner, productionj company .
Although positions rarely openesd upat “The Price Is Right,” Schalk landed one six months later as a productiob coordinator who interviewed and selected “It was an American legend, an icon, and I got to be Schalk said of his experiencs on the longest-running game show in TV The 32-year-old is still looking for work in TV business development, media relationse and public relations.
At firsyt he focused on finding work in Jacksonville because he and his partner just bought a house hereand didn’t want to have to But they’ve slowly come to the realization, Schalk that he’s got to take a job wherever he can find one and they mighgt be forced into a long-distance Schalk is also tryingv to start a biodiesel conversion and sales companyu that he hopes to turn into a full-tims job or one that he can do in conjunctiohn with another full-time job. He’s already got the name Fried Green GasolineLLC — registered, and is workingb on a business plan that he hopes to get capitalized with a Small Business Administratio n loan.
But whatever Schalk said he’s staying positive. “Io have no regrets whatsoever,” he “Everything happens for a I’m here for a reason. I know I have a lot to offerr Jacksonville and Jacksonville has a lot tooffefr me.”