Where Are They Now?

I thought I’d take a look back at some of the people I introduced you to this year, and see how they’re doing.

Dana, my friend who hated Mondays even more after she got laid off, is working. She found a job shortly after her severance ran out, even though she was convinced she would never work again. The new position is in her field and close to her house with minimal travel. Yes, it pays less. Significantly less. But, she’s happy to be employed in a position suited to her experience and lifestyle. She feels especially grateful on Mondays.

My sister, who took a buyout from the large newspaper where she worked as the food editor, is remaking her career from scratch, focusing on Web enterprises that help people connect through cooking, recipes and dining out. She got a severance package, so she can afford to build a business that, for now, does not generate income. Her main challenge has been learning the technology, something that was handled by others at her traditional job. She remains determined to think of the evaporation of her field as an opportunity rather than a tragedy.

Mark, my friend who wanted to change jobs but found there just weren’t any openings in his field, remains at the job that once made him miserable. Nothing has changed in terms of his day-to-day job duties. But his attitude is different. He now sees the positives in his job: flexible work hours, easy commute and … well, two positives count for something, right? Oh yeah, the company is solvent! He really hopes he can get another job in 2009 but, for now, he’s not wasting his energy wringing his hands over something he can’t control.

My friend Ellen was debating whether to take a vacation when her husband was in the trenches of a job search. She reports that her husband’s employer folded, not unexpectedly, leaving him unemployed, though he has picked up some work as an independent contractor. She has taken on a second, “really fun” job as a hostess at a restaurant owned by a friend. The family’s frugal vacation to Georgia’s Tybee Island was a blast, and they don’t regret going during a time of financial uncertainty. Ellen is determined to take a vacation again next summer, funded by her hostess earnings, though it may be a long weekend, rather than a whole week.

In short, many of my friends and family members facing various career dilemmas have made a choice to be optimistic. In this climate, that’s hard to do. But at a time when choices are limited, the decision to make the best of a tough time seems a smart one to make.

Comments

[Betty]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to

say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this
blog very often.


Betty

http://www.my-foreclosures.info