Ok, I just got back from spending a few hours with Daniel. I got to speak with the doc. He says there is distinct improvement. Not a heck of a lot, but he believes it has turned the corner. Daniel will still need to be in the hospital for several days yet. I can say that the swelling appears to have decreased. But the skin of that leg is not a pretty sight. I am continually reminding myself that that mess is part of the process of healing. And the doc said that once the infection is beaten, the tissues are still going to have to heal and rebuild, like with a burn.
Daniel asked me to ask the hivemind for help. He desperately dreads having to go back to his job. He feels like it is killing him. But he does not know where to start on finding something better (I kinda get the feeling he might like a change of fields, too). He is hoping for ideas on how to get motivated, as well as ideas on practical steps to take. Casual searches of job postings on Craigslist and other online venues including classified ads on local newspaper websites have yielded very little, and it all seems to be contract work.
What sort of field would Daniel like to be in?
Andi, my place of work has started opening up more positions where people can work via remote access from wherever. I can take a look to see if there's anything open right now. As ND asked, what field? Something computerish, yes?
the tissues are still going to have to heal and rebuild, like with a burn.
I still have scarring from my bout of stupidity-aggravated infection. My shins look like I've been severely injured, and I sometimes catch people staring at them in horror. It took a couple of years to get the gumption to say "Fuck it, I'm wearing shorts."
But it is slowly receding. Slowly. I have a private bet with myself on whether I'll be dead before the red areas have faded, but I'll always have the round scars that look like I was in a gunfight with gnomes.
As ND asked, what field? Something computerish, yes?
He's currently a help desk guy. I think that perhaps one of the things he needs help with, is to brainstorm ideas for getting away from the tech world, while maintaining a decent level of income and benefits.
Sometimes doing similar things in different environments can be an improvement. I work for a non-profit, and IT there seems to have reasonable hours and expectations and good benefits. My department's kinda screwy (although I'm getting moved away from the more dysfunctional bits--yay!), but IT seems well run and sane. If Daniel's interested, there are usually some good non-profit job listings here: [link]
I think that perhaps one of the things he needs help with, is to brainstorm ideas for getting away from the tech world, while maintaining a decent level of income and benefits.
Some people like the book What Color Is Your Parachute? -- it's been years since I looked at it, but IIRC, one of the things it does is help the reader with figuring out things like What Do I Want To Do? and What Field Do I Want To Do It In?, etc.
I think it gets updated pretty regularly, so you may want to check the library -- he could look through it while he's recuperating.
Sometimes doing similar things in different environments can be an improvement. I work for a non-profit, and IT there seems to have reasonable hours and expectations and good benefits.
I was going to say something similar -- are you anywhere close enough to a decent-sized university to look for work there? Pay is often not great but benefits are excellent; some of the bigger unis maintain their own temp pools, which is a great way to get the uni experience you usually need in order to get a uni job (and at least half the people I know at my uni, including myself, started out as temps who eventually lucked into the right position and got offered a permanent place). And the atmosphere is, for all its frequent awfulness and dysfunction, awful and dysfunctional in a way that's much more tolerable for many people than the corporate world. Or, at least, that's been my experience. And it (or, as Sail points out, anything in the nonprofit/public sector) might also be a better, happier, less toxic atmosphere for Daniel.
Does he have disability benefits? Can he use those while he heals and figures it out?
