There is hope! 6

[COEngineeer]

So I was laid off back in November. I just heard today that I got an offer! They are matching what I was making previously. It looks like the economy is getting better. I thought I will be unemployed for a while. Anyway, you will see me active on this forum again. I will be designing a lot of precast briges (more like box culverts). Glad to be back in action! For those of you who are unemployed, dont give up!

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[ewh]

Sorry about that everyone. I didn't realize that COEngineer wasn't posting in that thread. In a nutshell, here is what I posted:

"Economy shrinks at 3.8 percent pace in fourth quarter, worst showing in quarter-century "
"The new figure, released Friday by the Commerce Department, showed the economy sinking at a much faster clip in the October-December period than the 0.5 percent decline logged in prior quarter."

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Economy-likely-shrank-at-apf-14205687.html

More discouragement - "NEC quarterly loss widens amid global downturn, plans to cut 20,000 workers"

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/NECs-loss-widens-plans-to-cut-apf-14205210.html

"Boeing to lay off 10,000 this year
Company to cut 5,500 more; loses order for 15 787s"

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/397851_boeing29.html?source=mypi

These are just a couple examples of what is becoming typical, and those numbers are starting to add up!
What happens after those three months of unemployment checks dry up? Hope for an extension?
"Labor Department says number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits at all-time record"

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Americans-receiving-jobless-apf-14193255.html

With the economy heading as it is, people just aren't going to keep buying all of those manufactured goods, except for the short-sighted who will use up what's left of their credit. Personal savings is actually going up. If no one is going to spend, then what?
The Port of Los Angeles reports (for December) inbound cargo down 12.83%, outbound down 25.94%. That seems like an awful lot to me.

http://www.portoflosangeles.org/maritime/stats.asp

I applaud your new job, and do so hope that you are right in your optimism COEngineer, but the data so far doesn't support it.
(end of rant)

Of course, those were headlines from last week. I'm sure that more have appeared since then.

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice." - [small]George Bush, Washington DC, 27 October, 2003[/small]

 

[debodine]

I am not very politically savvy so take anything I write here with multiple grains of salt, but I read an article last week by John Stossel where he posited an interesting idea. According to his article, since WWII we have had recessions at least this bad eleven times and unemployment numbers at least this high sixteen times. According to his understanding, the big difference this time is that the media is constantly drumming home the refrain that the sky is falling and thus the bulk of the economy that is based on trust and confidence is taking massive hits.

No idea how accurate he is, but I think it is pretty clear that the media in general is for larger government, and being in a continual "crisis" gives opportunities for government to grow.

So to relate this to the OP, I think there will be spots of positive growth (good for you COE) because the underlying economy is trying to recover, but if Stossel is correct then both the media and the government will try to keep real growth down to allow people to panic and ask for more government regulation of whatever they think needs regulating.

Again, get that salt shaker. I am way out of my depth here. )

 

[IRstuff]

Perhaps. Stossel, in recent times, has become much more of a media conspiracy theorist.

While there's certainly some level of hype, Ford losing $8.7B in a quarter is not hype, it's actual dollars being vaporized. Toyota posting its first annual loss in a 67-yr reporting history is also not hype.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[Unotec]

The media does have a huge part of the blame, since they are the ones that spread all the scares without any regards to ethics. Bad news sell, and the worst they can make it sound (i.e., the stock market did not report a decline.... it PLUMMETED!) the more they sell.
So, I will agree with you that they made a bad situation worse, much worse. Thus, I reverted to my country music station and pay no heed ot the news anymore (I was getting depressed in my ride home, my girls didn't deserve it)
However, going as far as thinking this to be some sort of government plot.... Not so sure.
What I know is, the economy is bad, not as bad as the media makes it sound, but it is bad. Greed is being rewarded (again

http://www.stockhouse.com/Columnists/2009/February/2/Banks-continue-to-hold-taxpayers-hostage

) which maddens me to no end and I do not see an end in sight.
As much as I feel happy for COEng and would like to think he's right, I have my doubts (but I can see where he's coming from).

<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying ” Damn that was fun!” - Unknown>>

 

[COEngineeer]

All I said .. there is hope! It will get better. Really, I was unemployed for 3 months. I chose not to be employed to get the right job. If my unemployment check runs out, I would have gone to Wyoming and drill oil and get decent amount of money. I think most people are still unemployed because they chose to do that! Yes, it is nice the government helped people who were laid off, but on the same token a lot of people are taking advantage of it and only seek employment when they must.

I really don't understand why my thread is being flamed. I have not been on this forum for 3 months because I was unemployed. I was excited to be back in action and this is what I get. Very classy guys!

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[KENAT]

"I really don't understand why my thread is being flamed"

Well, statements like

"I think most people are still unemployed because they chose to do that!" might not be helping.

Seriously, congratulations on getting a position and I hope it works out for you but there are many of us still facing (at least potential) consequences of the economic slow down.

My Dad was hit hard by the early 90's recession and took years to find a position, trust me it wasn't because he chose to be unemployed. I remember people giving him that kind of $hit at the time and I didn't appreciate it then and don't now.

Sure there are people that play the system, but I'm not sure it's fair to say most.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[FSS]

Tough threads for a guy who just got a job again. I guess the beatings will continue until morale improves....

 

[COEngineeer]

I know 4 people who got laid off, 3 of them taking their sweet time and they are all going to go back to school when the unemployment check is over. They do look for a job but I don't think they try hard. The bad part is, lets say you decided to work at a restaurant until you find an engineering job, your unemployment check will stop coming. How will that encourage people to get a job? It crossed my mind to deliver pizza but it didn't make any sense to turn down $400 a week to do completely nothing. Yes, there are a lot of people who are desperately looking for a job. I know that.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[Unotec]

I always thought you had to prove, somehow, that you were looking for a job in order to get the cheque. Now I know I was wrong (and hope not to need to face that situation, as I like what I do very much).

<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying ” Damn that was fun!” - Unknown>>

 

[KENAT]

I know for the very brief period I was out of work in the UK I had to prove I was looking. I'm not saying they looked into it in that much detail but it came up.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[GregLocock]

COEngineer - the only reason I am giving you a hard time is your ridiculously arrogant sig line - what happens if two engineers disagree - does the universe explode?



Cheers

Greg Locock

SIGlease see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[vc66]

Greg-

THAT. WAS. AWESOME.

V

 

[COEngineeer]

Arrogant? I am sorry, it was suppose to be funny. Geez.. Ok have a nice day everyone. There is a sign on the exit door of my old office that says "Never, but never question engineer's judgement". I guess Ill call my old boss and tell him it is arrogant and it needs to be destroyed. It is not funny at all.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[KENAT]

I'd noticed the sign off before and always assumed it was a joke.

Admittedly combined with some of your other comments I can see why Greg might have thought you were serious.

Anyway, well done for finding a job, hope it goes well and good luck to everyone else looking.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

 

[swivel63]

congrats, man.

 

[csd72]

Congratulations COEngineer, Good negotiation skills.

metengr, recessions are caused by expectations more than actual causes. Peopel are put off on the same expectations, good news is not as interesting as bad. I would not take everything you read in the newspaper as proof positive.

 

[metengr]

csd72;
My synopsis of economic conditions are based on what I know of colleagues in various industries whom I see at Codes and Standards meetings.

Guess what, this is one of the most unusual downturns because of the number of layoffs that have touched many professional people. So, I don't have to read papers and listen to news reports, to observe these conditions are REAL!

 

[IRstuff]

Not that "unusual," since the aerospace downturn after Vietnam resulted in PhDs driving taxis. What's unusual is that laid-off PhDs probably can't get taxi-driving jobs now.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[IRstuff]

Should point out that the downturn of the early 70s probably spurred the development and growth of the PC and electronics industries that we have today, since there were many laid-off engineers that subsequently eschewed aerospace and defense as unstable.

Of course, they found, to their chagrin, that the commercial world was equally unstable, in the recession of the early 80s.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[Unotec]

Well coengineer, I got the axe today. We'll see how things pan out for me.
However

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

and you said the market would be over 9000 by now.
I guess that's why we're engineers, brokerage might not be our forte.

Cheers!

<<A good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend
will be sitting beside you saying ” Damn that was fun!” - Unknown>>