I am at my wits end, and desperate. I have a CCS, and have been a coder for over 15 years, and had 5 years experience in general HIM before that, and I can’t get a coding job. It has never been this difficult to get a position before, not even close; I have always gotten hired by the first company that interviews me, now I can’t even get an interview. I am on indeed.com; glassdoor.com; and linkedin. I have sent out over 30 resumes, have edited each one to fit the key words in the job description that apply to my qualifications and experience, and still nothing.

I had worked for KFORCE for close to five years as a remote coder, and loved KFORCE so much that I was planning to stay with them until I retired. They were taken over by Himagine, which was not KFORCE. It was okay, at first, you know the way take overs are, you just sort of hope everything will be the same, well… it wasn’t.

While being on the bench waiting for a new assignment with Himagine; I spent my time working on my dream of being a children’s book illustrator and writer. Once the pause in new work from Himagine became indefinite, and prior earnings were not disbursed; I became disheartened with the organization’s governance. It was with profound disappointment, that on April 16, 2017, I relinquished my well-established professional service to Himagine. It has, unfortunately become evident that supporting oneself while pursuing the dream of becoming a successful children’s book illustrator and writer can be problematic. Hence, I began anew, searching for work in my profession as an experienced, well qualified, Certified Coder.

Being employed by other people most of my adult life, I was unaware of just how difficult it would be to get back into the coding world again after trying to support myself with my artwork. It has never been difficult to secure a position as a coder until taking this time off to pursue my other love. I have been keeping current with industry changes via the AHIMA Journal and website, as well as the CMS and AAPC websites, and regular use of ICD-10, and CPT practice manuals and CEU webinars. I am also studying for my CIRRC certification.

So, as you can surmise, I did not leave Himagine under good terms. They owed me over $ 2,500.00, and refused to pay it. I had been on the bench for almost a year, I was living off of my savings and what I was making with my art. When I asked them about the unpaid earnings, they refused to pay it. They said that they didn’t have to because of the state I lived in! I informed them that KFORCE always payed it out when you were on the bench for an extended period of time, and that I had never had them refuse because of the "state I lived in". They said that I could have my lawyer call them…? What, I can’t afford a lawyer; i resigned. So, things did not end well.

I don’t know if it is because of the amount of time I have not been employed as a coder, or because I am getting unfavorable information from Himagine, but I cannot get a job.

Can ANYONE help me?

Thanks so much for reading this, I know it was long. Palsy