Mike Yoskovitz

I'm the creator and founder of IGotNewsForYou.com. I thought of the idea years ago, and even dabbled with trying to make it happen a few times, but never had the time to get it off the ground. Until now. And why is it a reality now? Cause I lost my job in the middle of 2005 and now I have the time...too much time, maybe. I had mentioned the idea to my son, and, being the opportunistic, entrepreneurial bugger that he is, he told me that I had to pursue the idea once and for all, no matter what. This kid of mine was always pretty smart, but he had now developed a fierce, entrepreneurial spirit as well. In any case, I’ve always worked for large companies, and I thought my last position as a senior IT Director could be my last. Surprise!

So now I find myself looking for an IT management job (unlike my son, I’ve gotten used to the regular paychecks, pension plans, health benefits, diversified co-worker environment, etc. etc. that a large organization can provide) and trying to adjust to a life so completely different to what I have experienced for the past 25 years.

So I told my son, sure, I can get involved in IgotNewsForYou.com but only on a volunteer, very part-time basis...after all, besides looking for “real work”, I now play bridge, curl, snowshoe, read, play guitar, socialize (I do a whole lot except earn a real living). And being the project-oriented sort that I am, I’ve given myself a deadline – September 2006 – if I don’t have a position by then, I might just get into IGotNewsForYou full-time or buy a rocking chair for the front porch. So I roped in a few associates including my brother, son and a good friend, and set them to the task of making IGotNewsForYou a reality.

My personal history is a long and sordid one. Alright, more long than sordid, but I've gone through a number of careers, spanning a number of industries including: construction, education, retail, tech support, information technology and more. I've always been enamored with the Internet and the possibilities it provides for streamlining business operations and improving people's lives at work. But since my position was eliminated, I’m looking for another opportunity to help other people out. Of course my son wants me to become filthy rich and mock my former employers. Alright, maybe not, but he really wants me to be a successful entrepreneur (of course, he might just be afraid that I’m spending whatever is left of his inheritance).

Ah well, I really hope people enjoy IGotNewsForYou.com. I really hope we can provide something of value, and give people some laughs.

With this blog, I hope to talk about the challenges of what the employment industry euphemistically calls "career transition", volunteering my experience to launch a new business, facing the possibility of forced retirement from the workforce, being constantly underfoot at home, having no place to go in the morning and adopting all kinds of hobbies and sports, just to maintain some activity level.

There are tons of 20 and 30-something entrepreneurs, but I have a much different perspective as I creep into my late 50s and early 60s.