Re: Laid Off.......
 

I have a couple of nephews and nieces that opted out of the medical field even though they had the grades. They said that primarily it was because of the national health care agenda that is being touted. They don't think they can get their costs back if this happens.

I don't want to get political, but I believe that the "change" may have been what a lot of us are afraid of. I and a few friends are thinking of taking our 401k tax deferred savings out because of talk of taxing them next year. No reason to have them in tax deferred accounts if that happens. And that's what a lot of financial firms use for loans, etc.

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RIF... I hate that friggin acronym...Reduction In Force, to me it's a term used by big corps so they won't look so bad. I guess I'm a little bitter because I received my "Release Letter" stating that I will be RIFed in September '09. What Tinlid said really hits home for me, as I'm in that 50's group, making it extra tough for me to find a replacement job. A little old to be looked at fairly by employers and way too young to retire.

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At my last unit we hired a guy who was 56 years old...don't rule out government employment...

http://www.usajobs.gov/

My father in law is a carpenter in NE Ohio and he's feeling the pinch right now too. It makes me wonder if I should ever get out of the military...

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[QUOTE=68gmsee;2972818]I have a couple of nephews and nieces that opted out of the medical field even though they had the grades. They said that primarily it was because of the national health care agenda that is being touted. They don't think they can get their costs back if this happens. QUOTE]

I have been in the medical field for almost 17 years. Never had a reduction in pay, never worried about losing my job. Far and away the most "recession proof" jobs you can get. Just have to have the stomach for it.

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i know whats ya.ll are goin through.....was laid off from a job on Dec 14th 07, didnt get another job until May 08, laid off from that on Sept. 11 and now have nothing again.

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I agree. I have couple of sisters that were nurses and nieces and nephews in medical fields but I was referring to 8 years from now... With the cost of schooling skyrocketing (I heard medical school debts into the 250K plus) and not knowing which direction we're going with health care, it's getting iffy for some.

Some change is good, but not knowing is the catalyst behind all of this turmoil.

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I've been dreading the wrong day... I should have been dreading Thrusdays...

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I Sure Hope that Don't Mean what i think it Mean's..........

Rick

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So sorry for everyone with the laid off notices. I've been there and know the feeling. My father lived through the depression of 1929--he was 25 with a wife and child. Many people learned back then that the only safe employment was via government jobs--low pay but good benefits and no lay offs. Today, NO industry is safe. Education can be helpful but it is still a crap shoot as many high tech jobs went overseas. If anyone thinks the Media has been creating the problem---you need to get out and drive through the country side and see all the small manufacturing plants closed down---thousands of business gone with good paying jobs!! All because of corporate greed based on short term business goals---maximum profit NOW.
Employee value and loyality is all BS today. I worked for IBM for 32 years and they laid me off in 95' and hired me back in 97' when they realized their spinoff idea was costing them millions---I got rehired to help fix the problem they created which was kind of cool. Now retired and slowly loosing the ability to fix and play with trucks they way I used to---I realize that going back to a full time job is beyond my physical abilities. Just got notice that my health insurance for my wife and I will be $888. a month and that supposely includes $7000. that IBM pays annualy---hummmmm. My retirement planning never included this kind of expense!!
So how do YOU handle lay offs and support YOUR family---YOU realize that YOU may have to relocate to where there are jobs!! YOU change careers to one that has a better future---no overseas job transfers ie. railroads, oil fields, trades (electrician, painter, handy man, plumber helper, semi truck driver, construction, HVAC, military, etc.) Tell everyone you know you are looking for work---and be willing to WORK HARD but also be quick to WORK SMART but never assume an employer is loyal as that concept is long gone. Self employment can be very interesting ( I have a guy coming in tomorrow to do some tile work for me--he gets $5.50 per square foot plus material) How many 12x12 tiles could you install in an hour and how much did you last job pay you per hour??? Huck

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It does. I'm just another additon to a very long list of unemployed engineers in greenville.

Where the hell is my companies federal bailout money? The owner completely cut off his own salary months ago and cut every employees hours to 36 (even the high ups.) I wasn't the only one. They had to let 4 of us go.

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Agreed...I am not talking about going to med school to become an MD. All of the docs I work for and with said if they had to do it all over again (and in this day and age) they would go the RN route, RT, Resp Tech, etc. Doctors do not make nearly what they used to. Community college is peanuts, and you will be debt free upon completion of your schooling. The demand for RN's and ancillary hospital staff will never cease. As the population continues to grow and age, the demand only gets greater; it is inevitable. If the government decides to socialize healthcare (I hope they don't), then we all work for the government and still maintain our job security. When I started, I was hired in the midst of the early 90's recession. I had no problem getting a job. Even today, I have job postings in my department and can never seem to keep it filled with enough staff.

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well i was let go today from my job..i worked in aerospace as a CMM operator/inspector and unfortunately i only have alittle over a year of experience and all the aerospace companies around here are laying off and cutting hrs. i was just about to purchase a house too. back to the drawing board for me i guess, goodluck to everyone else who has lost their job! good looking start to a truck by the way! least yours is running!

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Manufacturing plants still have to have people buying thier goods. just because a larger company can make 'em cheaper, you still need to have people willing to buy the product, and people are going to buy someplace they can get a product cheaper. why? because that means more money for the family, etc.... maybe because they bought their good cheaper, they can save enough money to buy a house.

There's way to many different things in play in the growing global economy. People just target the big corps becasue they make an easy target.

The media has essentially scared people into not spending money, which then forces companies to lay-off or close down because their not bringing in any money. Then with less employeed workers, there's less money to spend, and more companies fail, etc....

see the pattern.

I'm blessed with a decent job still, and I've not curtailed my spending at all. and I try to keep my business local to help out the local economy.....

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I agree... We the people have more power than we think we have! Look at the gas prices... Everyone cut down on unnecessary driving and look what's happened. People stop buying suv's or big trucks and GM and Ford are in trouble. And, when we are scared into believing there's going to be a depression type economy, we stop spending and start cutting costs. Without the flow of money all sorts of businesses feel the pinch not just big corporations.

It trickles up, too.

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Amen. We all know that age discrimination is taboo, right? So, you fill out a job ap and have to list your former employers. For me, the one at the top of the list took up 27 years. The second one took 3 years. Prior to that, military. It didn't take a mathematician to figure out what age group I was part of. I also didn't want to work the night shift, or weekends, so I took myself out of those possibilities....WallyWorld, O'Reilly's, Home Depot, etc.

The service industry was supposed to be the ticket to stable employment. But, for having a job that is supposed to enable one to ride the ups and downs of an economic roller coaster, think: pharaceuticals, auto parts and groceries. People will always get sick. Keeping their older vehicles will mean having to buy parts to keep it running, in lieu of buying new or incurring a recurring payment w/o adequate income, and they will eat. Everything else will wait until their income will support a change. Change....yeah, it's coming if it hasn't already happened at your house.

As for blaming the media for the lack of spending, I disagree. At my house, a the wallet gets the blame. Our global economy certainly gets publicized when there's a newsworthy item. My 401(k) is depleted somewhat, but I got the bulk of it into an annuity a couple years ago. The balance is in a fixed income category that still hasn't lost any money, but not made much at all. I am lucky. Many, many more are not. My house isn't paid for, due to having to refi for medical reasons, but I'm not upside down like a lot of others are. I avoided the ARM option, even though my payment is more than I wanted it to be, but I'm not having to stand in the firestorm that resetting ARM's can bring about. Yeah, the media has brought all this and many other economic issues to our front doors, but it is up to us to sort it out and see how much of the news really makes us cut back. Like Bob Dylan sang, "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing". For me, it's only necessary to reach and grab the wallet and see what is left.

...If only I had the finances to have to depend on the news to tell me how I am doing.....

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Big corps have lost their loyalty to the USA. I am being "RIFed" by a large corp, who I've worked over 20 years for, because it is moving all of it's manufacturing from the USA to Taiwan, China, & Malaysia. And this is not an isolated corporate move, it's become the standard among large corps. In the neart future, there will no longer be any manufacturing type jobs in the USA. So really I can't see how the media is influencing big corps into making htese decisions.

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If you were the CEO of a pharmaceutical company about to launch a billon dollar per year drug would you manufacture it in Ireland where revenue is taxed at 11% or USA at 35%? I can validate the actual decision made; Ireland. Same company is developing another product at labs in the US. Manufacturing will be in Austria. Target market is in the US. No wondering why manufacturing jobs are going over seas

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Well, a couple things from a Gubbmint employee's perspective:

1) I have no problems hiring 'older' people. It usually means they are looking towards retirement, which means they aren't too likely to job hop. I just hired a guy that's pushing 50, if he's not there already. I've gone through 7 'young' people in the last 2 1/2 years, and I'm sick of constantly training people that are looking at me as a stepping stone. The guy I just hired just got 'riffed' after 23 years at Motorola. I'm glad to have him. Picked him over about 20 well qualified young people.

2) Government jobs aren't all fun and games. I'm a county slave. I have WAY more work than I can possibly get done. I get paid MUCH lower than I can get paid in the private sector. After 10 years here, I'm almost up to the pay I was making at my previous job. Why did I leave? I wanted to get out of the 'big city'. I almost left about a year back, but I just didn't feel right about the job, even though it payed a LOT. They were a mortgage company and have handed out thousands of layoffs. The ONLY plus of having a gov't job and being there for 10 years is the stability. Right now, that's worth a lot.

3) Government jobs aren't recession/depression proof. In fact, we are implementing a hiring freeze here shortly, and they are talking aobut layoffs. If people aren't spending money, the government isn't collecting taxes. No taxes means no money. While the federal government feels they can spend money when they don't have it, smaller governments can't.

4) If you want a truly recession/depression proof job, go into the legal field. That's the company I left to come work for the gubbmint. Any time a recession hit, our business BOOMED. People get sue happy when they have no money. Become a lawyer, paralegal, a legal secretary, something to do with law. My biggest bonus at the law firm came the year the country was going through a big recession.

5) That pickup is nice! You have some very sweet vehicles. I hope things turn around for you (and the others that have lost their jobs) and you don't have to sell it.

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shareholders expect returns on their capitol investments (Stocks).
if they don't see the profits they want, they usually sell their stocks, and "bad earnings" or losses posted by the big corps, or "media frenzy" about how the economy is tanking, usually trigger stock sell offs (at a loss for some), and dropping stock prices. if people see stocks dropping, then it's a bad image for the company, and people are less likely to buy their products, so sales drop, corps then counter with trying to cut costs. move stuff offshore, etc....

it's the same problem as the little guy, just on a larger scale....

it's all in the "global economy"... I fear it will downward spiral until the "standard of living" is equalized among the working class (around the world)...

and "money" is no longer backed by anything.... no gold or silver, that has universal "value" around the world...

there's unfortunately not any easy answers....

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Everything was going great last year. I had bought a donor truck with a 396 rebuilt engine and turbo 400 trans to put into my 68. I was having a ball getting ready to go full out in getting ready to swap out with the 250 6 cyl that I had sold. Then I got laid off as a design engineer after about 23years with the company. It put the truck on the back burner behind all the other necessities. Hope everything works out for everybody. Better things are ahead, let's keep our heads up.

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This is kinda scary on a couple of levels for me, my Niece just entered ASU in engineering, and I am trying to guide my math smart daughter that direction as well, but now I am wondering?? I too have a job that seems stable (education for the last 13-14 years). I hope to retire at the 20-25 year mark, we'll see. I am wondering if the guy in Tucson works for honeywell (used to be Allied Signal?? My neighbor was a corporate brown noser with them, as every move meant move lay offs he kept moving up, I wonder if he is under the knife by now?? I think it'll all wash out in the rain, but be strong, don't give in and most importantly stop spending like there is no tomorrow (I need to take my own advice under advisement here too!)

OP, nice truck, scary how the situation has fueled the thread more than the project? Hope you can keep it, it looks like a great start!

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I have been off for a week now and got a lot done on my truck.

replaced a rear wheel cylinder.

swapped carbs that I have been meaning to do, no leaks now and runs better.

Placed the vacuum line for the brake booster.

got the windshield wiper motor working.

notched one of the bed supports to clear the blazer fuel tank and put the bed on the truck.

cut a part out of one of the doors gettin ready to smooth it out.

put a piece of all-thread where the door locks go to open the door for now, shaved door handles so needed a way to open it easier.

Installed the two front brake lines and got some fluid in system.

made a trip to the parts store and ordered some lugnuts, and rear brake shoes.

did some grinding on some welds,

That was all monday..just kidding. I can get a lot done when I have an entire full free day to do it in... In the meantime , I have to polish up my resume too. I seem to have lost the cd containing the electronic copy.

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Hey man sorry about your job. I am fortunate in that I work for INA bearing, in the prototype shop, I'm a QE and we are booming. All the auto folks are doing new designs to try for better mpg and hp at the same time, interesting stuff. Anyway theres a temp co. called AeroTech in our area, (Charlotte, NC) and I think they are nation wide. I have worked with some of their people before, and they seem to have work. Maybe try them out till you find full time. Also some of the companys do hire the temp. Just a thought and good luck brother. Also its doubfull the big 3 will get the money. Congress is full of dems. and they are whining about the big 3. Basically that bailout does not fall into their perview of the socialist America that the Democrats invision for us. Wecome to the United Socialist States of America, God help us all...

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I guess this is what I miss out on by not listening to the media. Both my wife's and my job has stayed strong throughout the last several years, hers for the last eight years. Hers is more stable because she's a senior teacher, while I'm in construction.

Used to work in aviation as a mechanic for years until I got laid off one too many times and decided construction was more stable. And it has been during this time of tight times. Bought a house two years ago, another truck a year ago, got a healthy cushion in the bank, investing money elsewhere, etc. Someone said Dave Ramsey has got it nailed. I agree. Been following his concepts and we have everything we need... and more.

Granted we live in an area that has mostly been high growth for years so that helps, but honestly the only thing I've noticed is that it's harder to sell a house and that gas has gone up then gone WAY back down. Makes me feel freer to drive my truck more. :metal: Love that!

I disagree about a being in a depression much less a recession, only because a recession is defined as six or more consecutive months of negative growth. We've had no NEGATIVE growth as a nation... certain areas of course... we've only had slowed growth. The Seattle area for example has seen an average of 8-12% growth for years until these last two years when it's been somewhere between 4-8%. Nothing to be alarmed at.

Technically an economy growth of 3-4% is healthy to keep only slightly ahead of inflation. Any more or less will cause a bind somewhere. I think the media has been partly the cause of mass panic though, and things are being blown out of proportion.

Let capitalism alone to work. Start regulating it to make it more "efficient" and problems start multiplying. That's been proven the hard way by dozens of nations this century. They eventually just crash and burn and you see stuff like revolutions, dictators, etc. Not fun.

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Anyone ever heard of "REGANOMICS", it worked then a fellow by the name of "Slickwilly" got in the hen house and its been down hill ever since. Bush just inherited the problems that started in the last admin. Now with the crooks in office (on both sides) I am afraid for this country. "I'll keep my freedom, My money, and My guns, You keep the Change"