Laid off 101

A few months and my twentieth birthday later, I wake up one beautiful Spring morning, stretch my arms, pull open the blinds, and discover that I’m jobless, furnitureless, using blankets on the floor as a bed, and (the reason for all of the above), in love. But, in…Savannah, Georgia? A surprise to me, too!

Just as randomly as I found myself in Savannah, I land a lucky job dealing cards on a casino boat.

For about the first five months, I suck, but it’s okay, because when mobsters dabble in entrepreneurship, businesses tend not to last that long. By the time I get a job doing this on the next boat in town, the new business is much more stable, and I am much less sucky—in fact, I’m getting pretty good! Good enough that we are starting to make some really decent money—such that I am able to go back to college and get that degree. So, by night I’m a blackjack dealer and by day I’m finishing my education.

Life is good, mostly. On the personal end, however, we’ve got Big Trouble in Little Apartment. Sparing you all of that mess, I end up deciding that I’m much better off (and a much better person) when I’m busy, single, and go-getting. Four years fly by, I graduate, and suddenly, I’ve run out of reasons to stay in Georgia.

So here I am, back in New York, and I’ve got that degree this time. Gee, it’s great to be back.

Now, to get a job: I turn to some old familiar resources like the Village Voice…except, something’s different. Those ten plus pages of help wanted classifieds that I remember from five years ago are now down to a slim two—and what used to read, “Bachelor’s Degree,” now reads, “5+ years of experience.” Huh. As the late great Yogi Berra said, “If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.”

Craigslist can be a mighty (albeit messy) resource, and I can’t speak for job listings in fields like Law or Accounting, but as far as the listings in the way of writing go—there seem to be a lot of fun-sounding new gigs posted regularly—it’s just that almost none of them pay. And as much as I love what I do, you can’t eat and pay rent with “publishing opportunities.”

Starting a career can be tough—and it’s especially tough for the particular demographic that I represent right now in that many of the traditional “9 to 5” jobs will go to folks who have been laid off and have to accept a position below what they previously held, and it goes without saying that many of those jobs simply don’t exist anymore. With fewer jobs to go around, the fresh-out-of-college sort like myself are not just left at the bottom of the totem pole, but we’re not even sure what that totem pole looks like!

But never fear! This all looks pretty dismal from statistics reports, news articles, and the barren wasteland inside of my refrigerator—but when the structures at hand collapse, those in the midst of the rubble are thus granted the opportunity to build entirely new structures—and that’s about where we are right now. Believe it or not, this is a really exciting time, economically. The decisions we make and marketplace we create for ourselves in the wake of this economic downturn will set the standard for generations to come.

So, chin-up fellow left-in-the-dusters! Our future successes will depend on the world we create for ourselves now. I’ve got faith that if we all think progressively, and do not let roadblocks get us down, we’ll be the next wave of pioneers overcoming all new challenges.

I’m looking forward to hearing all of your stories, feedback, and ideas, and until next time, don’t let go of that branch!