TORONTO – My name is Ron Murray, I'm 34, and I live in Toronto. I've been unemployed for four months. I've never been without work before, even short term. At first the feeling was something I can't even describe.

I graduated from college with a degree in Electronic Engineering in the late 1980s. At the time there were very few jobs in the industry. Most people I knew were going to work fixing photocopiers. I knew that was not for me. I ended up at the Royal Bank and most recently I worked with Fidelity Investments in sales.

Fidelity went through a major restructuring due to a slowdown in the economy and cut about 40 people on October 30, 2001. Everyone involved was taken into a meeting with a manager and a Human Resources representative who gave us the news. At first I was shocked and upset. In my department they cut the four people with the longest tenure instead of the people who were new to the job. Many of my co-workers disappeared without saying anything. I stuck around for a few hours just talking with friends. The support I felt made me feel much better walking out the door for the last time.

Corporate loyalty is not what it used to be. In the beginning I thought I would stay with Fidelity for many years. But the company I left is not the company that hired me. I think many people start out feeling that they could spend a large part of their career with one company. But policies change, managers change and ultimately you find yourself in a completely different organization. When they implement new policies they may not match your long-term vision. Because of that, you can never predict how long you'll stay with any organization.

Ultimately it's the people that matter. Any company is only as good as its poorest manager or employee. A good manager can make a world of difference. Unfortunately, I think we've all had as many exceptionally poor managers as great ones in our careers. A manager holds a large stake in your development but you are ultimately 100 per cent responsible.

My friends feel the same. Many of them have either switched jobs recently or are actively looking. Money will keep you happy for a little while but you have to have some passion for your work. No amount of money can compensate for not being challenged or not enjoying the people you work most closely with.

I had already been planning to leave the company because I saw little chance of a future there. I had already sold my home and was looking for a change. Within a week I decided to travel to Australia and New Zealand. The planning and anticipation consumed the short period I had before I left. I actually had a feeling of relief in the end.

My two-month trip gave me a whole new outlook on my future. I came back February 6 feeling a job equal to my last would not be too difficult to find. I'm even trying to raise the bar and hold out for a better position. With recent economic news, I feel the prospects are good.

When you're job-hunting, your personal network is extremely important. Everywhere I apply I know some of the people. Studies I have read show that random résumé drops and newspaper ads are the least successful ways of finding a new job. Considering the number of résumés on the street, not only from unemployed people but others looking for a change, anyone going in cold would be lucky to even be considered.

I've been contacting headhunters as well. They're often the only way into the unadvertised job market. Most companies use them to screen out unqualified candidates. They might even replace existing employees with someone better that a headhunter finds.

I'm leaving my options wide-open in terms of location. I'm applying for jobs locally as well as in Ottawa, Calgary, Boston and Australia. I've interviewed for about five different positions and am still waiting to hear on a number of them.

I spend my days studying for Level II of the Chartered Financial Analyst exam. Lately I've been looking for a new place to live. I've been staying at a family member's place while she's away for a short time. My plan is to rent short-term for three months, write my exam and make any further decisions then. I'm thankful for the time and financial security to study but the slow pace of life is not what I'm typically used to.

My level of optimism about the future changes daily. I closely listen to news of companies expanding and downsizing, and hear from friends in the business daily who are changing companies or jobs, or those who speak highly of particular firms. I'm looking for a job with a future in a growing company. I predict in five years I'll be doing a job that may not even exist today and I would love to work for a company that's willing to get into new growth areas.