I'm not sure if anyone else feels this way but this year has really taken a lot out of me. I normally don't write many things of a personal nature on either one of my websites because frankly I don't think most people want to hear about it, but I felt like I wanted to get this down since hopefully it would give me a bit of perspective seeing it on the screen. The end of the year is always extremely busy time for me. Probably the only time of the year that truly feels hard to keep up with both work and family life. But this year even with all the stress and strain I have to be grateful that I'm fortunate enough to work for a company that seems to be weathering the storm. But some of my friends haven't been so fortunate.
A friend of mine today sent me an e-mail that he had been laid off from his job at a major pharmaceuticals firm. He had been working at this company for over 34 years and found out that after December 31 he would be looking for a job and probably one of the worst economies the United States has seen in a very long time. What does a guy do in his early 50s when he has performed the same job function for 34 years in a highly specialized field? The answer is not much. His situation really got me thinking about how uneasy each one of our situations can be. He has two kids in college and a wife and he is the sole bread winner for his family so money is tight and we all know that unemployment here in the states is basically a joke. There is no way you can pay your bills at all for any period of time on the amount of money that your so-called unemployment insurance pays out to you. So his best case scenario is that his wife finds a job and his kids stop going to college cause most likely the only job he is going to get is going to be at a much lower pay rate.
I know that it is tough times and companies have to save money but what are we teaching the next generation. We are teaching them that they are expendable no matter how much time or loyalty they have given to a company. We are teaching them that they should always be looking out for themselves. And then we wind up wondering why it is so difficult for us to find a dedicated employee. It just seems like such a sad state of affairs.
My heart goes out to anyone who during this holiday season is worrying about how to pay bills rather then enjoying time with their families. I would also love to hear what your experiences have been looking for a job in this terrible market. Also if you have any tips I would love to hear them, so I can share them with my friend especially from the more mature guys who have a few grey hairs on their heads.
