[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by scarabchuck

Selling the house isn't an option, well unless a short sale is agreed on. I owe about $45k more than it's worth.

I'm really hoping the UIA thing will be worked out... I mean I've been steadily employed since 1996 so I just don't get it. No severance package either.. I've been a contractor for the past 3 years.

Paycuts I can deal with, as long as I'm working. I lost $40k in the last year. And I heard that the remainder of our staff got hit with a $10 an hour paycut... not 10% but $10 !! Sad thing is I still would have taken it over unemployment.
I'd like to just take a break from looking, but when I do I feel more hopeless than normal.. I spend between 3-5 hours a day online networking with people in the business and recruiters. Maybe I should take a break , the doom and gloom is overwhelming.

I'm enrolled in a class thru one of the major engineering service providers that is working on retraining automotive design/engineers into other fields like petrochemicals, bio-chemicals and nuclear. That's a start but again it doens't happen for another month , then 8 weeks of class and then possible placement, but it is mandatory to move out of state. I going to pursue it but again it sounds like another industry that is a stressfull rollercoaster ride. I'm trying this "NWLB" program and maybe I can get into one of the "green" technologies. If that works it will be 2 years minimum before I'm back in the workforce. It just doens't seem like anything is going to happen in a short time. I'm usually a pretty positive person but this is really going to be tough.

The big question is at what time does a person pull the shute on thier mortgage, CC's and other things like that ? When do you start liquidating all your assets ? I'm probably good for a year but what after that ? It takes a year to foreclose, that's 12 months of payments.. that's pretty decent walking money. Who knows.... these are sure trying times.

Halliburton here in Duncan, Oklahoma and in Texas are always recruiting new employees with free training.

[daddythreepointoh]

Well, just 5 days short of my 1 year anniversary, I was laid off last week on Friday the 13th. Yippee!

Welcome to Michigan.

[xlabel]

Originally Posted by daddythreepointoh

Well, just 5 days short of my 1 year anniversary, I was laid off last week on Friday the 13th. Yippee!

Welcome to Michigan.

Oh My, today marks 1 month for me. I don't know if I can deal with 11 more months of this.

I pretty much have spots worn into the sofa and recliner and I no longer need a TV guide.

[Bideshi]

I'm very sorry to hear of your misfortune. Soon 25% to 30% of Americans will be in the same situation, though that's little comfort.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by Bideshi

I'm very sorry to hear of your misfortune. Soon 25% to 30% of Americans will be in the same situation, though that's little comfort.

I hope you're wrong. 10+% is killing us now. If it goes to 25% there will be no recovery. We'll just limp along with 75% of the people doing ok and the rest starving.

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by xlabel

Oh My, today marks 1 month for me. I don't know if I can deal with 11 more months of this.

I pretty much have spots worn into the sofa and recliner and I no longer need a TV guide.

Hang in there. This is a bad time of year to be unemployed. Michigan winters can be depressing when you're working. Spring is coming and, hopefully, change. I'm hoping the reports that we'll bottom this summer are true so we can start a recovery.

[Crustedfilth]

Originally Posted by Ivorytickler

I hope you're wrong. 10+% is killing us now. If it goes to 25% there will be no recovery. We'll just limp along with 75% of the people doing ok and the rest starving.

I won't starve nor will I freeze to death.

[tjay]

first off, i'm sorry about your situation. at least you were somewhat prepared. but i know the sense of desperation can really wear on you, and not knowing what to do. i feel bad for everyone in these situations.

reading these posts it makes me wonder.....professionals like engineers and designers who went to school and are used to a certain lifestyle and job security, what scares you the most? is it having to give up your material posessions? or is it not being able to do what you enjoy because the field is dying? is it just wanting to have a job, no matter what it is? i'm just curious....

[scarabchuck]

Thanks for all the replies and some of the job suggestions. I myself have come up on one month of being laid off. I'm doing everything I can to not go stir crazy. I'm up at 6:00am , have some coffee and then spend a good 3-5 hours online networking with people I know in the proffession, looking for positions and applying to them , then clean the house, do laundry , do any other chores that need to be done, and then start dinner. I think I am going to limit my job searching down to maybe 2 times a week though. Doing it every day and either not finding anything or getting no feedback is becoming pretty discouraging. I'm just trying to keep a positive attitude and stay busy. In my opinion we haven't hit bottom yet, hopefully by the end of this year we will and things might start turning around. I'm just trying to stay positive and busy, I don't want to become the depressed couch potatoe.

Tjay,
To answer your questions, at least for my situation. It never was about the money. Now back at the begining of my career I was in school for an Auto body design and Die design degree. Well unfortunatley these were not really needed years ago. Once I got my foot in the door and started learning more at work (and getting paid for it) than at school , I ended up never finishing the programs.
Now money in the begining was really not there , I took a $2 an hour paycut to leave my Robotic's technician job to start as a Blueprint runner. Eventually I worked my way out onto the drafting board , learning as much as I could from anyone. One statement I was told by an "old timer" sticks with me to this day. He said "don't worry on the money, focus on the work and the money will follow". Now this guy was at the top of his game back then and I looked up to him. I've stuck by those words and they have proven to be true all these years.
Sure this career has provided me with a pretty good lifestyle, I chose the moderate house , lot's of toy's route instead of a huge house. I've been seeing this coming for years now so the toy's that aren't paid off have been sold off. Sure I'll miss them but I had my fun, time to move on. Life changes. What scares me the most is basically seeing the end of my career, something I really loved to do. I have met some really great people and really had fun working with them thru these years. Sure in the past 5-6 years things have really changed, offshoring , H1-B visa's etc have really added a tremendous amount of stress to the job but it's still basically the same job that I've always enjoyed doing. We get paid very well so you just roll your sleeves up and do your thing. I'd say up til the end of last year to now 75% of the really good design engineers were still employed. There has always been a lot of fat in this proffesion, as there is in many others but now all that fat has been cut away and really good people are getting laid off. One thing that made me feel good was I got feedback from a lot of other people in the industry and they were shocked that I was on the street. I was just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So here I am at the age of 40 , unemployed, seeing 17 years of a career I loved going down the drain. I know I'll have to retrain into something new, which is scary.. will I like it, will it last, will it pay ? Those are the big questions. I've kind of excepted the fact that I'll make a third of what I used to and there is the possiblitiy that I won't like my job. Those are things I will just have to deal with. Roll with it, keep a positive attitude and who know's things might just work out for the best. I hope I've answered some of your questions.