Career change after a layoff, where to begin? (Providence)

After 11 years as a machine operator I am thinking about moving into a different field. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. I have good customer skills and I am comfortable with spreadsheets. Did you take a pay cut?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it got easier once I kept a simple log of every call and form.