Are you fearful of losing your job?

[kentuck]

And if you do, are you optimistic that you will find another? A lot of companies are laying off and do you wonder if you might not be next? I realize this is not a topic most people want to think about, let alone want to talk about. But, I wonder how many DUers fear that they may lose their jobs in the next 2-6 months? And would health coverage be a major concern if that were to happen?

I think this is a major part of the unease and apprehension in the country at this time. We are hoping that these feelings will subside after George W Bush leaves the White House. But will they? We are hoping that things will be much better with the new and intelligent leader in the White House. But will they?

Today is the first day of the new year. We have to keep believing...

[billyoc]

1. No. I can always find work.

Not always in this country, but I can always find something. :hi:

[Stephanie]

2. are you still down at the WTC?

i'm working right there, at the World Financial Center. So weird to walk by all the tourists gawking at the pit every morning.

[billyoc]

9. Hi, Stephanie! No, I asked to be laid off to do campaign work with the AFL-CIO.

I might go back there at the end of January. :hi:

[Stephanie]

14. Good for you!

:hi:

[kentuck]

3. Good day, billy..

:hi:

[billyoc]

12. Happy New Year!

:hi:

[kentuck]

17. ..~...

peace

[FarLeftRage]

4. No...

Because I lost my job last October and it doesn't look like I will be working anytime soon...

[drmeow]

5. Fortunately

My job is secure for a while (a few years) as long as the Federal government does not completely self-destruct (research scientist on a federal grant) and my partner's job is relatively secure (tenured college professor). Even if I lost my job, we could live on one salary (as long was we don't have hyper inflation). Right now I'm actually working on spending money - partly cause there are things I need to take care of and partly cause I want to inject $$ into the economy and as someone with a relatively secure future, I can do so. We're putting solar panels on our house, I want to paint the whole thing, and convert my grass to desert landscaping. I'm going shopping with a friend tomorrow :). I've always been frugal so spending more isn't really going to make that much of a difference but I'm definitely actively NOT cutting back. I'm also increasing my charitable contributions.

[bigwillq]

6. Yes.

There is a meeting in a few weeks to see if our company will be sold or not. Not sure what that means for our jobs if it is sold. Wait and see.

[valerief]

7. Yes! No! Yes! (To answer your first three questions.)

I can't NOT think about it. Our company has publicly announced MORE layoffs were coming up in Q1 '09. Not just the contractors (they've gotten their holiday pink slips) but the FTEs.

The only jobs left are those smuggling heroin out of Afghanistan for the U.S., right? Wait, that's what Blackwater does.

Nope, no jobs.

I wonder if there are any that pay with the Amero.

[OhioChick]

8. Tech field....

Hell yeah I'm scared shitless about losing my job......there's not much out there so I'm not all that optimistic about the future.

[Greyhound]

40. I don't know who to feel sorrier for, those of us that Clinton fucked

and still haven't recovered, or the new grads looking at a ton of debt and $10 to $12 p/hr jobs.

I'm trying like hell to just get anything right now, but my emphasis is to get as far away from IT as I can.

Luck to us all.

[applegrove]

10. I'm more worried the businesses I work for will suffer tough times. These are people

who work very long hours and very hard. I wouldn't want either business to go under. Of course I don't want to get laid off but I don't have a family to support and the like. Plus I'm on disability. So my concern is for people who are more dependant on work or a business than I am.

[leftofthedial]

11. I wish I had on eot be fearful of losing.

[kentuck]

16. Good luck, leftofthedial...

Through all the tough times we will try to keep our heads in the right place. Best of luck...

[leftofthedial]

21. thanks!

I have another part-time temporary work-my-ass-off for little pay gig starting next week. It is supposed to last a few months...

It will pay my mortgage anyway.

[Hekate]

13. Yes. No. Or rather, Mr. H is, since I'm retired.....

We've talked about this reality off and on. He's a professor at a community college in California, and unless a miracle occurs he'll be working for free come February. He doesn't want to admit it, but at his age finding a new job in the tech sector will be pretty hard. Health care? Don't know. COBRA is very expensive, but we are both uninsurable on the open market, so we'd have to go with COBRA.

We've always saved, so we could tide ourselves over until Social Security if we had to. It's not optimal, but it's not disastrous either.

God willing, as Mr. H is wont to say.

How about yourself?

Hekate

[lostnotforgotten]

15. Yes - Always!

eom

[leftyclimber]

18. I'm worried research funding in my field is going to dry up

I have a year and a half to go on my Ph.D., and my department is scrambling for funding. My program coordinator was nearly in tears the last time I talked to him about the situation. We're bouncing from contract to contract right now (which on a continuing resolution is both ugly and dangerous) and there's no saying what next year will bring. It's not looking good right now.

I'm in the running for a very small nonprofit grant to cover some of the side expenses of my dissertation research, but it's going to be tight. I know they'll keep me on over any Masters' students, but it's still going to be a squeaker to get me by.

The way public university funding is going right now (I'm in what's primarily a land-grant focused field) I'm very concerned that even if we can get another 1.5 years of funding for me to finish I'll manage to get through the diss, then have zero job openings and tons o' student loans with no way to pay them.

[lib2DaBone]

19. I already lost my job.. laid off a year ago.

Plus, I'm over 50. When you are over 50 .. no one wants to hire you because they think you will run up their insurance costs.

Anyway, the only way this thing will turn around is if we cancel NAFTA and go to a manufacture-based economy.

We must solve our health care crisis once and for all and cut our slavery to OPEC.

Simple..all it will take is a stroke of the Obama pen. We CAN afford to do this. All we need to do is re-evaluate the Billions of dollars of tax money we piss away each year to Israel, Colombia, Iraq, Pakistan, etc. Maybe spend some of this money at home?

Sadly, the RNC has said that they are going to fight Obama every step of the way on all his stimulus programs (that would be any program they deem "Socialism") i.e., if it doesn't go directly into the pockets of the Bankster/Gangsters and politicians.. then it's deemed "Socialistic".

[Manifestor_of_Light]

20. Lost mine over a decade ago.

Never found another steady job to replace it.
Decided to say "to hell with it" and retire.

[Hardrada]

22. Our jobs are non-corporate.

I sell used and rare books and my own historical writing, and my wife is an educator (public schools) so I suspect we will be OK. Also we can receive income from renting the farmland we own. So I think we will be OK. We also have a fairly stable community in the sense that there are not any big entities to lay off a lot of people. Our poor will always remain poor of course.

[Joe the Liberal]

23. No, and here's why...........

because I don't have a job and I haven't had one for the past couple of months. I'm not fearful of losing my job because I don't have one, I'm more fearful of not being able to find one in the near future.

[Lorien]

24. It's already gone

now I'm hunting for whatever I can find to keep my roof over my head.

[Stephanie]

26. Kos formed a networking site

Check it out - search is down so i'm not pulling it up but the idea was to connect Kossacks with work.

[Stephanie]

28. Here it is >

http://kossacksnetworking.ning.com/

[ProgressiveProfessor]

25. I'm not, pretty well set at this point, but worried about my daughters

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

27. Nope and my wife just got a new job making a lot more money.

[tammywammy]

29. I work at a car dealership

I think we're going to make it. We haven't had any layoffs, as opposed to some of the other dealerships that sell the same brand in the DFW area.

[madrchsod]

30. nope...decided to go on social security and maybe ssi

my wife just landed a state job with a good union and great benefits. she`ll be able to retire with a pension and medical benefits. maybe we are going to catch a break after 4 years of trying to stay above water

[47of74]

31. Not really

Right now in computer operations there isn't really anyone else that could take over the work. Even if there is I could probably get another job elsewhere in the company. And I'm single so there isn't as much to tie me down to a particular part of the country.

[IDemo]

32. Consumer electronics R&D

There have been numerous layoffs here already and they aren't done yet. I think the demand for electronics
will drop significantly next this year, and no, I'm not at all confident of finding another job.

[doc03]

33. No here's why, I work on a

job represented by a Union, I only have 14 months to retirement and even if I would get laid off I would get 85% of my pay for 2 years.

[Sultana]

34. No

Because I am going quit come February cuz I'll be overseas for a couple of months.

But I am worried about not finding a job when I come back, ugh!

[Kickin_Donkey]

35. Yes. I work in the newspaper industry ...

and newspapers are hemorrhaging jobs, hit by both the loss of ad revenue, due to the declining economy, and competition from the Internet as a news source.

Last year, my paper laid off six people, including one in my department. The Grim Reaper tapped him on the shoulder one morning, and my co-worker was gone as soon as his wife could pick him up. He was in his fifties.

Losing health coverage would be a concern, as I can't get it otherwise due to a "pre-existing condition."

[Skittles]

36. yes

and I'd be out of work for some time

[kywildcat]

37. yes-the big four are laying off at an alarming pace

[Blue_Tires]

38. i lost my job and am not that optimistic about my prospects

but this is a new year and hopefully a new way of thinking and doing

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

39. No, we are still hiring

We will be hiring atleast forty people this year and recruiting in the US, UK and Canada for some expat positions overseas.

The person really freaking out is my girlfriend in tech - she already tried to take a voluntary severence package and was turned down, so while her position is secure she really doesn't want to hang around to pick up the pieces after the bloodbath that is coming any day. It really upset her because she is the only person on her team without adult responsibilities, anyone else gets cut and that is a parent out of work and without benefits. Depending on how brutal the cuts to her department are she might just quit. She is already furious about prototype assembly being outsourced to a company in Texas that is completely incompetent.