AAVR Magazine

Layoffs: Getting Too Close To Ignore

Unless you have been living on a rock, or maybe in another dimension where everyone is making lots of money, you know that the economy is in the crapper.  Even with the stimulus billed passed, many think it won’t work, and even if it does work, it will still take time.  Average Americans are scared about their future, and no one really knows what to do.  I had previously posted saying that we she continue to spend, and I still stand by that.  After all, if money doesn’t move, then we all lose in the long run.

You may look at the title of this post and wonder why I said ‘Too close to ignore”, as if it implied that I was ignoring it before.  Well, in a sense, I was.  But please, let me explain before you judge.  First of all, I have been close to layoffs in the past.  My father was let go twice due to layoffs, once from Pratt and Whitney when I was still in elementary school,  and again when I was in high school.  I know the hardships that families go through during these tough times, being forced to cut back, borrowing money from your child’s savings to pay the bills for the month.  But in the end, we have come through.  I was able to go to college.  But now, the economy has tanked and people are scared.  Even I’m scared, I just don’t like to show it.

A couple of months ago, one of my best friends lost his job, only 2 months before his wedding.  Thankfully, he found a new job before his wedding and is in the clear.  But still, everyday you hear about more people losing their jobs.  But I still feel very distant about it.  I mean, there is nothing that I can do to stop someone else from losing their job at a company across the country.  I can feel bad about it for a moment, but at the end of the day, I can’t let it affect my life.  I still need to move on and do my job, and provide for my house.  In all honesty, it’s that I really ignore anything or that I don’t want to help, it’s that I feel powerless to do anything aside from Pray and hope for the best.

That was until this week.  Working at a University, I have been in a very safe position job wise.  Our administration has been keeping us up to date as to how we stand with the economy, and even though we were going to have rough times, it seemed like we were going to be okay.  And then it happened, for people from my department were let go, one who worked here for 16 years.  And the next day I heard of a total of 15 that were let go.  Now it’s on my doorstep, too close to ignore.  This is the end for now, but if things don’t turn around soon, they may start cutting back more jobs.  None of know what is going to happen, and now it really is a scary time.

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