The Good
It's the weekend! Even on a work at home day Friday, it still feels like the weekend has begun. Bring it on. Working from home also lets me work in a row during my lunch hour. In addition, Daughters #1 and #2 will be visiting this weekend with their respective spouses. Daughter#1 is headed for a wedding in Richmond on Saturday and will be spending tonight with us. The plan is for a family luncheon tomorrow before they head on to the wedding. Daughter#2 will be here since Daughter#1 will be. We also expect The Son to put in an appearance or two as he emerges from his cave.
The Bad
Daughter#2 got the official word today that she is being laid off by the Virginia Department of Transportation or VDOT as it is known. It wasn't totally unexpected given Virginia's large budget deficit and the word had been out for some time that layoffs were coming. You can read more about it here. The layoffs were based on seniority and Daughter#2 was practically the junior employee in her area (Rockingham County). Still getting the word that you no longer have a job is a miserable experience even if you have been preparing yourself for it. She'll have a job until October and get a severance package and hiring preference for other state openings, so hopefully she won't be unemployed for long. With her lay off, both twins are now unemployed and Daughter#1 only has a part time job. You don't have to convince this family that the economy sucks. On a brighter note, The Son did have a series of interviews today so he possibly may have a job by next week. Daughter#1 has also had interviews for coaching positions for rowing in her area, including one for a university. She still has a deep love for rowing so that would work well for her.
The Ugly
My row today. We have a front coming through and a severe thunder storm warning for later today. I still thought going out for a row today over my lunch hour was a good thing. When I got to Sandy Run, the water looked a tad choppy, but I decided to man up and go out anyway. Probably not the smartest thing I've ever done. I row a single for fun and a way to relax. Rowing in windy conditions with a heavy chop does not contribute to a fun row. It was a fight all along the way with occasional respites that allowed me to settle down a bit. I was happy to get back to the dock. The fact the no one else was out should have clued me in to just pass. Live and learn.
Showing posts with label Job. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Job. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Hard Times
I'm a Government employee and proud of the fact. I feel like a do a service for my country and in return they compensate me. It's a fairly well documented fact that Government employees (at least in my line of work) receive far less in pay then their counterparts in industry. I knew this going in and have no problem with it. In return for the lower pay, I also received far greater job security than my counterparts. It's part of the reason I joined the Government. That and their very decent retirement benefit. It's a trade-off and given my personality, it has worked out well for me and for Ann as well.
Our kids did not chose to follow in our footsteps, which is fine. Everyone should feel free to chase their own dreams. But with today's economy they have begun to see the downside of working in the private sector. The Son is currently unemployed and has been for the better part of three months now. He's been living off his 401(k) from one of his previous jobs. He was shown the door with little or no warning and no severance. He has a pretty marketable degree and experience in the IT industry, but gives the impression he's content to ride out his savings before he gets serious about looking for another job. I think once he loses his condo and car he might have wished he started looking a bit harder and a lot earlier. Daughter#1 just recently became unemployed also. She probably faces the hardest task in finding a new job. she has a Communications degree and has worked as an event/travel planner. The job market in Connecticut appears to be a lot bleaker then here in the DC area. Throw in her upcoming wedding and the need to find a new apartment and her stress level is over the top. She's the most anal of the kids and will work the hardest in finding a job even if it's not exactly what she wants to do. In today's world, a job is a job. Finally there is Daughter#2. Daughter#2 still has a job. Daughter#2 works for the state of Virginia. A Government agency to be sure. A state that is facing a large budget shortfall and the Governor has called for employee cuts across the board. Her agency, VDOT, will do it by seniority. Guess who sits on the bottom of the list? She won't know for sure if she'll get the axe until later in the fall. It seems a bit unfair given she is covering an area normally handled by two people in her specialty. We're hoping for the best but fearing the worse.
When I graduated from college I wanted to work for one of the airlines. That's what I studied for in college. Unfortunately when I graduated we were in the middle of an oil embargo with the long lines at gas stations and being only able to buy gas on odd or even days depending on your licence plate ending in either an odd or even number. Needless to say, airlines weren't hiring, rather they were laying off workers. It took me about seven months to find the job/career I'm in now. I've never had to live under the threat of losing my job. Government service is looking pretty good again in these days.
Our kids did not chose to follow in our footsteps, which is fine. Everyone should feel free to chase their own dreams. But with today's economy they have begun to see the downside of working in the private sector. The Son is currently unemployed and has been for the better part of three months now. He's been living off his 401(k) from one of his previous jobs. He was shown the door with little or no warning and no severance. He has a pretty marketable degree and experience in the IT industry, but gives the impression he's content to ride out his savings before he gets serious about looking for another job. I think once he loses his condo and car he might have wished he started looking a bit harder and a lot earlier. Daughter#1 just recently became unemployed also. She probably faces the hardest task in finding a new job. she has a Communications degree and has worked as an event/travel planner. The job market in Connecticut appears to be a lot bleaker then here in the DC area. Throw in her upcoming wedding and the need to find a new apartment and her stress level is over the top. She's the most anal of the kids and will work the hardest in finding a job even if it's not exactly what she wants to do. In today's world, a job is a job. Finally there is Daughter#2. Daughter#2 still has a job. Daughter#2 works for the state of Virginia. A Government agency to be sure. A state that is facing a large budget shortfall and the Governor has called for employee cuts across the board. Her agency, VDOT, will do it by seniority. Guess who sits on the bottom of the list? She won't know for sure if she'll get the axe until later in the fall. It seems a bit unfair given she is covering an area normally handled by two people in her specialty. We're hoping for the best but fearing the worse.
When I graduated from college I wanted to work for one of the airlines. That's what I studied for in college. Unfortunately when I graduated we were in the middle of an oil embargo with the long lines at gas stations and being only able to buy gas on odd or even days depending on your licence plate ending in either an odd or even number. Needless to say, airlines weren't hiring, rather they were laying off workers. It took me about seven months to find the job/career I'm in now. I've never had to live under the threat of losing my job. Government service is looking pretty good again in these days.
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