Have you lost your job? How are you surviving?

[admin]

This economy is probably the worst most of us have witnessed in a long time.
If you have lost your job, what have been some of your experiences and how are you coping with the situation.

[1smartengineer]

For starters, make sure you sign up for unemployment. Don't be too proud to do so.
Secondly, reduce excess, you really do not need 12 HBOs and showtime channels.
Basically eliminate what you can do without.
Since you do not have extra income coming in, try to find extra ways of making money like selling stuff on Ebay, creating a website and selling ads etc.

[Badger]

My job ended in late August and I knew that was coming for 13 months, yet have not been able to get even an interview (other than a few phone interviews) in that time.  Something to do with age (53) I'm sure, plus the post-financial meltdown that is still being felt around the globe.  Not to worry, I don't care if my engineering career is all over, I will simply carry on as a bartender/shuttle bus driver or that type of job.  I only have 12 years to go before retirement so it's not essential that I continue in a career that doesn't need me anymore.  I will not beg for a job, I'm above that, so if nothing comes my way, so be it.

[t_amos]

Sorry about that Badger.  I hope you get something that will provide you with a comfortable retirement. As long as you are not caught up in another recession when you retire, then you should be okay with what you have saved so far.
I am 34 and I lost my ME job about a year ago. I have yet to receive an offer even though I have had some pretty successful interviews.
I think the problem is that employers now have a larger pool of people and people with perhaps more experience are settling for lower salaries.
It has now become a way for employers to exploit the workforce because most of us are really getting desperate.
As far as surviving, 1smartengineer nailed it, eliminate excess.
Also, it is also a good idea to do something to better yourself during this time. If you have always wanted to have your business, have a solid business plan going. This is also a good time to improve on skills you have always wanted to improve on. I am currently taking public speaking and writing classes through using Obama’s Money.
I constantly look forward to a better tomorrow.
All the best.

[dougFred]

If you have lost your job, here is some inspiration. Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.

[Badger]

One reason that so many engineers are out of work and for longer periods than in the past is that there are so many more of them in the work force.  The ironic thing about education is that the more people have access to it, the less value it has.  Having a BS or MS in any engineering field is not exactly a rarity anywhere.  Engineers are almost on the way to becoming cheaper by the dozen.   I am fed up with the seemingly eternal battle for survival, where losing a job means a year or two years out of work.  I did not go to university for four years to get an expensive hobby, but that is what is happening.  Based on what I have experienced in 30 years, I would never touch engineering and would also stay away from university as well.  A more hands-on career such as plumbing, HVAC or locksmithing would have worked out better for me.  Now it is too late, I wish I had dropped out of engineering before I graduated.   It is simply not worth the effort I put into it. 

[admin]

I recently posted an article on the main site, pertaining to this very discussion. The basis of the article was Badger’s comments above.
The article sparked an interesting version of discussions on the topic of engineers in the workforce and if engineers are becoming too many in the workforce. 
One of my favorite comments went as follows:

Read David E. Goldberg’s The Entrepreneurial Engineer for what it means to be an engineer today and how to make the most of your engineering degree. The times have changed, but the engineering degree still, more than any other degree, provides you with the skills needed to thrive in this century. Remember, you learn, not only, science, math, and physics, but social science, history, and English. It’s not trade school; it’s a well-rounded 21st century education that prepares you for life and many opportunities, if you’re open to them and where they might take you.

For more on the topic, here is the link to the article titled: Do you think engineers are on the way to becoming “cheaper by the dozen”?

[t_amos]

Great quote.
Thanks.

[admin]

I read somewhere that the market tightens, an employers will go from "must have at least 5 years experience" to “will train the right person.” It’s a humbling shift, one that demands that companies run lean, know their market targets.
Will this mean that those without experience will be considered in place of those without experience?