Shit sucks

[Saga]

So I get a call from my mom yesterday afternoon, she'd been let go without any warning. It was all of a sudden. She was the director of marketing at her company, and it turns out the company wanted to take more of an advocacy route over a marketing one and nixed marketing positions across the board. Needless to say my whole family is pretty fucking mad with that, and my mom was like "Well, lots of people are under the same umbrella." Yeah well it's pretty fucking gay to be standing under it. I'm a) worried about her, and b) worried if we'll be able to afford my last year at college next year. And on top of that, I don't even get the advocacy/marketing thing. Why would you do a broad slash of marketing positions in favor of more advocacy? Isn't marketing a big part of uh, any business?

I know people say, "oh man, the economy sucks" but I didn't really see how, on a personal level, until yesterday. But I went out and got good and drunk last night, and the way shit is shaping up today I might do it again.

So yeah, anyone else get axed recently?

[Guitarman]

2 people in my family will lose their jobs this year. I've been unemployed for over a year. Last job i applied for, i got as far as the interview; i ended up losing it. When i called back (i wasnt told i didnt get it,so i was checking), she said "don't feel too bad, i had to go over 2000 applications). Finding work is like winning the fucking lottery.

[zoobernut]

My wife was laid of twice from two different jobs within a 3 month span. She got laid off then found another job and then was laid off again. It really sucks but you just gotta do the best you can to help out.

You can help your mother by doing whatever you can to ease the financial burden on her from your college and stuff. If she doesn't have to worry about you that is one less stress in her life.

[antihero]

laid off from fedex in february, shit sucks

[Kang]

My dad was temporarily laid off on Tuesday (13 week layoff). His company made tubing for Ford and other car companies. The auto recession really hit them hard and they were trying to get out of making steel tubing for the auto industry and instead do it for infrastructure, but they didn't get much business.

This recession really does suck. I'm done my college program in two weeks so hopefully I can find a full-time job to help my dad out.

[Saga]

Yeah, I'm trying to be as supportive as I can. I'm staying in Boston for the summer, I've got free housing and I'll be working three different jobs, on top of a nice $2000-3000 stipend for one of the positions I have. So I should be pretty self-sustaining. I'm just worried about this last year of school.

[0ni0n]

3 of my friends got laid off recently, one of which was an attorney making $160,000 a year, that's like $80 an hour. She's been actively looking since and will get an offer from a local law firm soon, but she probably won't be making as much as before.

If your family doesn't have the money to fund your education, i would suggest you take out loans to finish up. this economy is already horrible for college graduates, without a degree would be unbearable. Also, it's kind of redundant, knowing people helps you getting a job, a lot.

[volcanicweather]

I have a close friend who I've known for a long time who's having a lot of trouble. He's a smart guy with an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, so he not flipping burgers. He had a really good job but simply put he was performing too well and got a pay increase, which turned out to bite him in the ass when his company had to make cuts; as he was one of the first to go because he made more than people with more work experience than he had.

Shortly after losing his job, he found out his girlfriend (a grad student at the U of MN) is pregnant and they are keeping it. He's only 24. So he's pretty much stuck in the Minneapolis area, which isn't exactly a booming aerospace/engineering market. He's had a few interviews but none have worked out and he's getting frustrated and losing motivation. On top of this, his pregnant girlfriend is now living with him in a small 1 bedroom apartment and is having major moods swings and is becoming very controlling because of "the pregnancy". They're moving to a larger house in a month but he just feels dejected. His girlfriend makes him lists of things to do, makes him help with her schoolwork, and even comes up with crazy rules; i.e. she feels he spends too much time on the computer (he's a staff reviewer for a major music website, his reviews count towards metacritic) so at their new house she's banning him from using computers in their living room.

I hung out with him the other day because a friend of ours is in town for a few days and he just seemed really down... he had a very authoritative father and it's as if his girlfriend is now assuming this role... I feel really bad for him.

[0ni0n]

I have a close friend who I've known for a long time who's having a lot of trouble. He's a smart guy with an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, so he not flipping burgers. He had a really good job but simply put he was performing too well and got a pay increase, which turned out to bite him in the ass when his company had to make cuts; as he was one of the first to go because he made more than people with more work experience than he had.

Shortly after losing his job, he found out his girlfriend (a grad student at the U of MN) is pregnant and they are keeping it. He's only 24. So he's pretty much stuck in the Minneapolis area, which isn't exactly a booming aerospace/engineering market. He's had a few interviews but none have worked out and he's getting frustrated and losing motivation. On top of this, his pregnant girlfriend is now living with him in a small 1 bedroom apartment and is having major moods swings and is becoming very controlling because of "the pregnancy". They're moving to a larger house in a month but he just feels dejected. His girlfriend makes him lists of things to do, makes him help with her schoolwork, and even comes up with crazy rules; i.e. she feels he spends too much time on the computer (he's a staff reviewer for a major music website, his reviews count towards metacritic) so at their new house she's banning him from using computers in their living room.

I hung out with him the other day because a friend of ours is in town for a few days and he just seemed really down... he had a very authoritative father and it's as if his girlfriend is now assuming this role... I feel really bad for him.

That sucks. Put up the tyche signal and hope you can get some help for your friend.

[MrW]

So I get a call from my mom yesterday afternoon, she'd been let go without any warning. It was all of a sudden. She was the director of marketing at her company, and it turns out the company wanted to take more of an advocacy route over a marketing one and nixed marketing positions across the board. Needless to say my whole family is pretty fucking mad with that, and my mom was like "Well, lots of people are under the same umbrella." Yeah well it's pretty fucking gay to be standing under it. I'm a) worried about her, and b) worried if we'll be able to afford my last year at college next year. And on top of that, I don't even get the advocacy/marketing thing. Why would you do a broad slash of marketing positions in favor of more advocacy? Isn't marketing a big part of uh, any business?

I know people say, "oh man, the economy sucks" but I didn't really see how, on a personal level, until yesterday. But I went out and got good and drunk last night, and the way shit is shaping up today I might do it again.

So yeah, anyone else get axed recently?

The real world sucks, doesn't it. Although, being let go on a whim isn't right. A hasty decision isn't made with cutting an entire department. They should have given your mother some warning though.

[Dimmauk]

I'll say again, Before Bush I was laid off zero times. During Bush, I was laid off 4 times. I have also had to layoff over a hundred people, before I got laid off and the plant was closed. I hear the Strip Club business is booming ATM.

[Takedown3]

get a fucking job and pay for school yourself you lazy slob

[Sanoske]

get a fucking job and pay for school yourself you lazy slob

Constructive.

Because handling a full course load and working the kind of hours you need to pay for college bills is the easiest thing in the world, especially in an economy like this. If he's not an in-state student at a less expensive state school, or willing to be in massive debt til he's 50... then it's damn near impossible.

Making enough money is tough, period. Finding a job to give you enough hours, while working around your school schedule? Right.

[Denchi]

My dad is pretty lucky, he owns his own business as a Financial Analyst, and that business isn't going anywhere.

Too bad he still doesn't pay for shit for me.

[Saga]

My dad is pretty lucky, he owns his own business as a Financial Analyst, and that business isn't going anywhere.

Too bad he still doesn't pay for shit for me.

Pretty sure Takedown was trolling Sanoske, but I appreciate the support. I'm from GA, go to school in Boston at a small liberal arts college for writing so it's definitely not cheap. And of course now I feel guilty that I'm even going here at all. But I save my parents about 12.5k a year on tuition since I'm an RA and the school pays for my room and board. I have two jobs right now, but I'm already juggling an enormous amount especially with finals week next week.

And Denchi, she's actually been talking about starting her own business. I think that's great she wants to, but I want her to sit on it for a little while and make sure it's not just her frustration that's making her say that. Whatever she chooses myself, my brother and my dad will fully support her no matter what, but it's definitely a choice that needs to be carefully made. She's getting five months of severance and health care for all of us to boot, so hopefully that's enough time to make a decision and create a business plan if that's what she wants to do, or find another job. She's definitely got more trust issues now though, said she doesn't want her financial security to be in someone else's power. I agree with her, I just want her to be smart about whatever she decides to do.

[volcanicweather]

Pretty sure Takedown was trolling Sanoske, but I appreciate the support. I'm from GA, go to school in Boston at a small liberal arts college for writing so it's definitely not cheap. And of course now I feel guilty that I'm even going here at all. But I save my parents about 12.5k a year on tuition since I'm an RA and the school pays for my room and board. I have two jobs right now, but I'm already juggling an enormous amount especially with finals week next week.

And Denchi, she's actually been talking about starting her own business. I think that's great she wants to, but I want her to sit on it for a little while and make sure it's not just her frustration that's making her say that. Whatever she chooses myself, my brother and my dad will fully support her no matter what, but it's definitely a choice that needs to be carefully made. She's getting five months of severance and health care for all of us to boot, so hopefully that's enough time to make a decision and create a business plan if that's what she wants to do, or find another job. She's definitely got more trust issues now though, said she doesn't want her financial security to be in someone else's power. I agree with her, I just want her to be smart about whatever she decides to do.

Honestly, as someone who works in a cog of the marketing industry (research), unless she has well developed contacts in a recession-immune field (i.e. healthcare), this is probably the worst time to attempt to start your own business.

In general, marketing at the end of the day is a luxury (hence why your mom was laid off) and people simply aren't willing to pay for luxury services right now; they'd rather do as many things in-house as possible to keep people employed - this means just going with whatever gut feeling the President/CEO/etc feels like doing. A very, very stupid idea, but it keeps more people on the payroll, at least temporarily.

[Myst]

it will get worse before it gets better. but it will get better.

[Saga]

She has a ton of contacts and has done some major networking in the field she wants to go into for her business, which is clothing retail of sorts. She's always liked independent designers and small businesses and has a ton of experience in the field, and she has a good friend she'd go into business with as well. I wouldn't call clothing retail recession-proof, but I don't think it's in the shitter either.

[SephYuyX]

Dad and his side of the family own tree/landscaping business, mom is the personal assistant to the owners of the biggest ice supplier in this US and other countries, and im self employeed atm, while back in school, as a computer and network service guy.

We've all had more profits in the past few years then compared to before.

I honestly have no idea there is a recession going on, and most of the area here is the same way, no one is really having any problems.

[Correction]

it will get worse before it gets better. but it will get better.

This never makes people feel better. By virtue of their life being worse now, their future, no matter how much improved from the impending nadir, will be darkened. Having the recession threaten your education is particularly damaging.