I guess I'll be okay. I'm studying as an animator and the industry experienced its greatest growth during the great depression. When the economy is down, film and entertainment goes up in an effort to make people spend again.

I see its effects, but I don't see everybody and their momma losing jobs over it.  Not here, anyways.  What I see is companies having to tighten up because of the lesser profits, and having to change their strategies.  It's about impossible to find a new job right now, but most everyone I know with an existing job in a reasonable field is keeping their job.

Exactly "in a reasonable field."  Most of the people losing their jobs are the bottom tier middle-income who work retail/cubicle jobs in mega corporations.  There are some jobs that are consistently hiring, particularly anything that deals with computers, freelance artists, audio/video, networking, journalism and law.  Assembly line blue collar workers and guys who work in shit like retail (isn't Circuit City closing down completely in March?) are the ones hurting the most and when you have these massive mortgages for houses you never had the money for to begin with and families it's a real kick in the nuts.

A recession affects primarily the low income citizens and the high income citizens.  Middle income citizens have to tighten their belts a little, but they're generally financially secure and reasonably employed whereas the low income workers work a job where everyone is replaceable and high income people have their money invested in stocks that drop value rapidly.

Might sound like a dick comment, but I don't think most people recognize the importance of living within their means. A lot of people are financially irresponsible and made very bad decisions in the past and now they are paying for them.

Might sound like a dick comment, but I don't think most people recognize the importance of living within their means. A lot of people are financially irresponsible and made very bad decisions in the past and now they are paying for them.

This isn't a dick comment at all.  People living in developed countries buy shit they can't afford, make the minimum payment, and then wonder why it takes 20 years to pay off that 5,000$ loan.

Back in September when this stuff was pasted all over the news, I was sitting at work where everyone was gathered around the tv and I blurted out "Oh no, looks like I won't be able to afford that 56 inch plasma.  I guess I'll have to settle with a 42 this year!"  It's kind of sickening how you can drive through the ghetto and see people with cars that cost more than their homes (and lose a good chunk of value once it's driven off the lot) or at work when people are talking about buying 500,000$ home and they're single.

I try to never use my credit card unless I can put down at least half as a down payment.  There are always exceptions but it just amazes me how guy living below the poverty line withdraws massive loan, buys a bigass house then curses out the government when he's kicked out.

My unit alone pays millions of dollars a month to Iraqi civilian contractors and "sons of Iraq". The Sunni militants we pay to blow other people up instead of us. And we are just one unit....

I have to admit that I enjoy being irresponsible with my money sometimes, but on a microscopic scale compared to these assholes who hop on at a factory through a temp agency and promptly go buy a HOUSE while making $12/hr.  For example, just before Thanksgiving I went and bought a 42' LCD television for the living room and forgot that we didn't have toilet paper so I ended up wiping my ass with napkins and printer paper for a week.  No big deal for me, as when I wasn't in the bathroom grinding sandpaper against my bottom I was enjoying Madden 09 in HI-FUCKING-DEF. 

wtf are you people really saying only the fiscally irresponsible and the poor are suffering.

SAS is the largest private software company in the world and they have only 26 job openings. all but 3 are for maintenance work. the three that aren't, two require a masters, one requires a PhD. there are massive layoffs in the software sector, my uncle lost his job as did my friend's dad. they're both okay as their wives work and they also have money saved up but this does not change the fact they don't have jobs!

this economy is hitting everyone, middle class and poor alike, and it has nothing to do with fiscal responsibility!

Um, I'm pretty sure corporate America is notorious for being irresponsible with large sums of money.  That combined with the perpetual American lust for BIGGER AND BETTER regardless of personal income is what got us into this mess in the first place.  Not to mention the billions wasted on two war fronts in the last seven years, which I think we all agree is pretty goddamn reckless.

I mean, I'm not saying that everyone can bear the brunt of the economic downturn by being responsible with their money but the fact that orgiastic spending across the board is what got us here still stands. 

Also the IT field is constantly outsourcing.  It's ridiculous anyway, but mix that up with general economic turmoil and you get situations like the one you described.

no im just saying the economic downturn is hitting both the irresponsible and responsible. like there's nothing irresponsible about a 401k but someone posted in this thread MINES GONE

that being said i sent panda all these great quotes one was someone who had switched five cars in three years and each time ADDED THE DEBT to the next car and were in for six figures it was the funniest thing.

yeah, steel's right. its hard as fuck to find any jobs right now really. You could probably get a minimum wage one, but there is no good money to be made by anyone that isn't already employed right now.

I've even got a unionized trade and I can't find a motherfucking job, I'm either going to have to wait the recession out or get lucky.

yeah, steel's right. its hard as fuck to find any jobs right now really. You could probably get a minimum wage one, but there is no good money to be made by anyone that isn't already employed right now.

I've even got a unionized trade and I can't find a motherfucking job, I'm either going to have to wait the recession out or get lucky.

What are your qualifications? Educations?  Degree?  Experience?

I currently have 4 years experience in audio/video, cable running, electrician, and computer networking + 2 years management 30 man work center with an associates in science while working on my bachelor's in science.  Once I get out the Navy in 2 more years I'll have even more experience plus my top secret security clearance and the fact that I was a former federal employee will help as well.  Monster dot com lists 50+ jobs available for my experience in virginia alone.

I brought this up not as a dick measuring contest but a serious "What is it that you do that makes it difficult for you to find jobs?"  because I'm pretty sure I'm lost here.  Anything that has to do with networking, computers, or engineering (not assembly line/factory stuff) there seems to be a huge surge of wanted signs for and even my local cable provider is looking for kids fresh out of high school to run cable starting at 40,000$.  A friend of mine just graduated from Richmond with a bachelors in media journalism or something like that and he just got picked up by FOX as a camera operator for 50,000$ plus benefits.

Yea, to answer an earlier question, Circuit City is no more where I live now or back at home.

Oh yeah, I forgot you're MSC.  Sucks about your clearance but you're working a federal job.  Those shouldn't be too difficult to find in the north west/east but relocation costs have to be a bitch.

nah I'm not msc but some of the ships I can get on (like the one I was on before) like a joint thing between msc/actual shipping companies. I'm looking for pretty much anything right now except probably the real msc because you've got to stay with them for 11 months out of the year or some crap and only get to go home when they feel like letting you.

nah I'm not msc but some of the ships I can get on (like the one I was on before) like a joint thing between msc/actual shipping companies. I'm looking for pretty much anything right now except probably the real msc because you've got to stay with them for 11 months out of the year or some crap and only get to go home when they feel like letting you.

Yeah but the pay (especially if you're away from family) is great.

Besides, you may get put on my ship which is going half msc next year to Diego Garcia.

you ever been to diego? I heard its an alright place but there aren't many girls even on the island unless their enlisted and its kind of boring.

I'd def go there though for a few months if the pay was half decent though

I hear diego is hot and boring but that's good (it means I won't spend as much money as I do not).  The only thing I care about is that we'll be doing workups around Australia and Thailand and... and I just won't be able to help myself GOD DAMMIT AUSSIE GIRLS LOVE SAYLURZ

Marcus... Come to Australia and hang out with me...