Employment is not the Guarantee it Once Was

It seems that it is now time for me to buckle down and face the future. My world is about to radically change. It is pretty clear that the job prospects that I am currently pursuing will not be as convenient as my previous employment and will require a complete shift in lifestyle. It will mean two parents commuting to work for hours each day. I wonder if it is the right thing to do. All of that travel to sustain a life out here.

While my spouse is lucky enough to be able to take the train, I will most certainly have to drive which will undoubtedly add further stress to my commute. Though I have enjoyed living out here, I really have not established a deep sense of community so in some ways I wouldn't mind moving closer to the city where both my spouse and I would be much closer to the corporate centers that provide the type of jobs for which we are qualified. The downside is that the children have established a community for themselves and do not want to leave.

The new reality is that employment is not the guarantee it once was; there are simply not enough jobs now even for those who are qualified. While gaining employment now requires greater sacrifice than we could have imagined even a short year ago; not gaining employment is having a devastating impact on the middle class. The middle class life is becoming even more difficult to sustain because the types of "good-paying jobs" that fueled the growth of this class continue to rapidly disappear. From all accounts, it is pretty clear that the middle class is shrinking. Long Island is a middle class world and so I fear for its future.

With little job creation on the Island to look forward to - a recent survey in the Long Island Business News indicated that 75% of Long Island companies do not plan on hiring in 2010 - many more of us will probably have to uproot or travel great distances to gain employment. I will be one of those people and so it is almost certain that it will be difficult for me to continue to write with the frequency that I do now. I will see, so shall all of us.

All I Want for Christmas is a Job

My job search is heating up right when I should be focusing on the holidays. I am so completely distracted that it has suddenly occurred to me that it will be Christmas two weeks from tomorrow and I am far from ready. While I have incredible respect for each and every celebration that occurs during this time period, my family celebrates Christmas and it is to this holiday that I refer. Right now, I have no tree and no lights and I have sent no cards and I have not done any shopping. It seems to me that the Christmas spirit has been severely crimped this year, two years of Recession will do that to us, I suppose.

I have not tapped into any overt excitement even though there are only two weeks left. Have we lost our joy? Even the children are not bothering too much about it. They literally have no Christmas lists, it is incredible. But then again, children are resilient and they do respond to the times and though my children are fortunate to live in true suburban comfort, we have tried to refocus them on other pursuits besides the collection of material things. They have been showered with lots of love, attention and affection while I have been out of work so maybe we are simply reaping the benefits of that. They are simply happy to have me around and we all cherish the time because we know I will eventually be back to work.

We have experienced a serious dent to our disposable income so I'm not really in the mood to shop. And while some will experience an urge to splurge just to break up the monotony of lack, I don't feel that materialism will cheer me up. I just want to work. I am excited about the prospect of going to work. And I know for sure that I will be the happiest worker ever for my gratitude will be intact for years. These last three years have been tough for us so I won't be looking any gift horse in any mouth. I suppose that my truth is at hand, all I want for Christmas is a job. I'll be more than happy to celebrate Christmas later when I have made enough money to really and truly afford some gifts.

It Would Be Nice to Move to Dubai

In the middle of last week, Dubai World, the wholly-owned investment conglomerate of the Dubai government requested a six month forbearance on its loan payments. In debt for the paltry sum of some $56,000,000,000, Dubai World's request was enough to rack investor confidence causing stock markets to tank worldwide. Investors were reminded once again that the financial peace that has been struck worldwide is still very unstable.

The way things are going here in America certainly gets one to thinking about moving out. And, the best place to move to is a place of established ruin, especially where everything is new and entry costs are significantly reduced. I'm thinking it would be nice to move to Dubai. All of the pictures of Dubai look great and I like the heat. The sheer engineering marvels that have been constructed there, the Burj Dubai, the manmade islands, the indoor ski mountain (in the middle of the desert) all seem pretty marvelous. Over the last five years, there were increasingly more fancy pictures in the real estate magazines as Dubai launched its huge pitch to attract the wealthy. Even Michael Jackson moved there for a while. But now with the overbuilding and the empire on the verge of debt's door, real estate prices have collapsed and us little people might be able to afford something there.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been a facinating outpost in the Middle East, successfully transferring oil wealth into a new Arab capitalist empire. Dubai is one of the seven emirates, nation-states, that is part of the UAE. When it's oil reserves ran low years ago, it sought to remake itself as a financial capital of the middle east in a similar vein to Hong Kong. And so it borrowed and borrowed to build this financial kingdom, much like the US and a multitude of other nations during the aughts when money was cheap and debt-fueled consumption was all the rage.

All of the institutional investors - the major banks that we have to come to know so well - assumed that Dubai World's debt was guaranteed by the government or at least by Abu Dhabi, it's oil rich neighbor. Except, the Dubai government has refused to bail out Dubai World and Abu Dhabi also refuses to guarantee its debt. Nobody wants to help Dubai because it went out on a drunken spending spree this last decade. Unsound familiar? Faced with the same situation, America did the opposite.

We may be angry about the bailouts to our banks and other major institutions because those institutions have, in turn, completely and unapologetically treated us all like garbage. And, Wall Street is "fat" again while the average person sinks into poverty. But, we should consider that if the paltry debt payments of a tiny nation-state can reek so much financial trouble, imagine how the world would have reacted if America had said no to its spendthrift institutions and allowed for even the perception of failure. I certainly don't think I could be sitting here imagining moving to Dubai. Yes, the whole financial market system stinks worldwide but it is not because of the wealth, it is because of the moral bankruptcy that has increasingly accompanied that wealth.

Bowing is Customary and Necessary

There has been much furor over President Obama's visit to Asia, in particular his deep bow before the Japanese emperor. Sometimes you have to bow when you travel to Asia to thank them for continuing to buy much of our debt. What else is this diplomatic mission for anyway? We are borrowing like fiends to save the country and China and Japan own close to 50% of that debt.

Throughout this economic crisis, economists have continually compared America to Japan. Japan's lost decade and prolonged recession are held up as an example for why we needed more government stimulus; the claim is that Japan's government did not invest enough internally to prop up the country and avert a deep recession. So the logic has been that we must do the opposite and so we are plowing in trillions to save ourselves. But, we should be frightfully aware of the difference, they own nearly a quarter of our debt so they are still solvent.

China is considered the successor to our throne and not only are they weathering this global recession well, they own nearly a quarter of our debt also. We must keep in mind that neither of these countries is spending a third of their budget on their military and another third on entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. Hello! Obama had better follow cultural custom and bow, in fact, he technically needs to get down on his knees.

Only in America do we think that we are all that and a bag of chips and rightly so for up until the last few years, we were the envy of the rest of the world. However, due t0 our most recent and disastrous foreign policy, we absolutely need to fix our mystique, something that Obama has nearly accomplished in less than a year. But, people over here have forgotten why that is important, they still think that America is the center of the Universe. I'm sure the people of Rome felt that way too before it fell.

I don't think the end of the world is around the corner, history unfolds much more slowly than it seems. All of the empires that previously fell like the Ottoman, Roman & British are still thriving. They are not number one but they are quite robust. America is not falling tomorrow, it may be in decline but it will still take a while. And while we may lose #1 status, we will remain close behind and may even reclaim it. America has iron balls and vast wealth and the combination thereof may, in fact, save it.

Rethinking the Work-Life Balance

Can both of the parents of two grade school children, who reside in mid-Suffolk County, commute to New York City or its environs, up to a 2 hour commute each way, when they have no network of support, neither relatives nor close friends in the vicinity who can help manage the children as early as 6:15am and as late as 8pm?

There is much to consider. Unfortunately, a non-income-generating wife is not an option for them at this time. The husband currently commutes to the city and the wife worked locally until she was laid off. Given the current economy and availability of jobs in her field, the pendulum is swinging toward a hefty commute for her as well, considering the interest she is receiving from prospective employers, in New Jersey, New York City and western Nassau County.

Yes, there are plenty of dual parent working households but a support system is necessary in order to succeed. Yes there are nannies and they seem to work well for families residing in New York City where there is proximity and public transportation to help a non-family member shuttle the children to their requisite activities.

The suburbs require a vehicle, a whole extra layer of complication when it comes to safety and insurance. Also, the cost of the nanny together with the $600 a month in transportation costs (commuter rail, subway and gas) and the negative cost of seeing the children very little during the week would eliminate much of the benefit of the additional salary.

The reality is that both parents working in the city or very close to it would require a significant move to reduce the commute and childcare costs. It would be a major disruption in the lives of the children and would it truly be worth it now that they are established members of the community? The benefit of moving would be that the children could be dropped off at school on the way to work (at a reasonable hour) and the abundant choices of after-school care could be utilized (widely available til 6pm).

The savings on childcare and transportation costs would definitely improve the family finances. However the cost of housing in or near the city may undo all of the savings. Also, could they (or anyone for that matter) sell their house for a reasonable amount in this real estate market to facilitate such an option?

Job desperation will make one attempt the impossible when it comes to work-life balance; it invariably means throwing one's life out of balance when the getting to and from work takes precedence. But without work, what about the dollars required to fund life? Well, this is my life and these are the questions that are swirling while my job clock is ticking. And nothing could save me but a miracle job in Suffolk County. Is there anybody out there? Can I get a witness?

Washington to the Rescue

With the jobless rate at alarming levels, 10.2% officially but depending upon who you consult unofficially, it is upwards of 20% when the under-employed and discouraged workers are included, the Keynesian economists and others are advocating that Washington spend more to create jobs. Recently the Obama Administration claimed that the stimulus has saved or created 640,00 jobs but unfortunately this falls far short of the numbers required.

Now that the banks are saved and the economy is stabilizing, the private sector has failed to create any jobs as expected. In fact, there has been a net loss in private sector jobs this decade so I don't know what Washington was expecting when they set out to save them. Instead, companies are continually cutting payroll to balance out their bottom line. So, if Corporate America cannot or will not create jobs, the belief is that the government should step in to remedy the situation. Besides, the Democrats have a stake in getting people back to work else their dominance of Congress and the Presidency may likely evaporate as the populace becomes more disgusted.

Meanwhile the government, in the face of declining tax revenues, has ratcheted up its ever burgeoning debt in its efforts to save the economy, save the banks, save current homeowners and encourage future ones among other stimulus efforts. Yet, despite the backlash against continued government spending, given the massive $12,000,000,000,000 debt and the $1,400,000,000,000 annual deficit, the government is being urged to spend more on job creation a la FDR's work programs during the Great Depression. Theoretically, the government could have spent more money on job creation and less on cash for clunkers and homeowner tax credits. After all, if jobs are created people will naturally have money to spend instead of enticing them with perceived "savings."

But there is more to consider when it comes to job creation. I came across a statistic recently that 58% of Americans receive some form of income from the government - public sectors workers, social security & pensions recipients, members of the military and military contractors and so on. Corporations are telling us that cutting costs is the only way to balance the books when revenue falls. If so much of our tax dollars are going back into paying ourselves, how can the government ever balance its books?

And Still They Rise

Today the stock market rallied again, 204 points to close at 10,227. I shake my head. Unemployment is 10.2%, a rate that they said we would reach next year, its already here. As the unemployment rate rises, so does the market. Layoffs make a company's bottom line look good, the type of numbers that makes Wall Street happy but steadily erodes optimism on the part of the jobseeker. I know for a fact that Verizon and AT&T are laying off thousands even though it is not big news. Also today, Sprint Nextel announced 2500 layoffs and Electronic Arts announced 1500.

The layoffs are happening at an alarming pace though they are for the moment under the radar. They aren't showing up in the news much but they are showing up in the unemployment data. In response, Congress extended unemployment benefits for a 4th time. But, in New York, the benefits will go to those who've been out since 2008. Most of us who started drawing benefits this spring have been left out of these extensions so far. I've got til the end of this year so I remain vigilant in my search. I have an interview tomorrow and the commute will be a hardship but beggars can't be choosers, can they?

Dow Rally Ignores Reality of Jobless Data

The Dow rose 204 points today closing above 10,000 again on news that jobless claims fell by 20,000 to 512,000 and some people shopped a little. How is this a good sign? Since the data takes into account only those who are active on the rolls, the fact that unemployment benefits expire for 7,000 people each day and others have simply given up the search is tragically overlooked.

With regards to giving up the search, it is tempting to give up especially with all of the hours spent upon the task falling into a black hole. So much time and effort and absolutely nothing to show for it. Nevertheless, since you have to be in it to win it, jobseekers must soldier on. Sadly, the government is expected to announce tomorrow that the official jobless rate has risen to 9.9%.

Even though we have been told countless times that the unemployment rate will continue to climb through next year topping 10%, the record rise in the Dow, 4500 points in 8 months, and the bountiful bonuses on Wall Street juxtaposes badly. For Wall Street, a small drop in initial jobless claims, even though new claims have topped 500,000 on a weekly basis for the last year, is good news. For the most of us, cognitive dissonance abounds.

Extended Unemployed Benefits Not For All

Many are welcoming the news that Congress is actively considering extending unemployment benefits for another 13 weeks, 20 in states where the unemployment rate is greater than 8.5%. While most people, including the newly unemployed, assume that extended benefits are available for all, that is simply not the case, at least in New York state. In fact, only those who filed for benefits before October 2008 are eligible for the full load of extended benefits, currently an additional 53 weeks (once they have exhausted the initial 26 weeks of regular benefits). And, having exhausted those 53 weeks, if they do so by the end of 2009, will be eligible for the new Federal extension should it be ratified.

What most of us don't know is that eligibility for extensions is based on when one filed for and began to collect benefits. These are the rest of the basic guidelines: Persons who claimed benefits between October 2008 and February 2009 are eligible for a maximum extension of 33 weeks; Persons who claimed between February 2009 and June 2009 are eligible for only a 20 week extension; And, if you filed after June 2009, you get the basic 26 weeks and that's it.

So, for those who believe (and they do!) that many unemployed people have simply given up looking for work, happy to ride the government gravy train because they have an almost unlimited pipeline of cash, are mistaken. They also fail to realize that the average weekly benefit in New York is about $300 of the maximum of $405. Anyone able to survive on $1200 a month when the average weekly paycheck is about $850? Hmmm? Most people I know cannot afford to be unemployed and believe me are not feeling happy about collecting such a paltry sum when their lives are based on a much higher salary.

I feel for the people who lost their jobs over a year ago now and have run out of benefits deperately waiting for the government to tide them over once again. But the real truth is that right after the New Year, a whole host of people who lost their jobs this Spring, when we experienced the massive bloodbath of layoffs, will run out of benefits for good. Will the government throw them a lifeline too?

Jobsearch Revisited

I am still looking! Lately, I have been searching though area corporation's websites, site by site, because I feel the job postings on these sites may be more authentic. Fellow job searchers will certainly understand for it is getting increasingly harder to tell which postings on the major job boards (i.e. Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs) or aggregators (i.e Indeed, SimplyHired) are valid.

Like aging house listings, many job posts are removed and re-listed so as to appear new even though they have been out there for a while. Many of these are just fishing expeditions, have to be, because there is no other explanation for how a company can fail to find suitable candidates after many months especially when a listing is for a fairly standard position. Obviously, if they are looking for a highly skilled specialist then we can understand they are looking for a needle in a haystack. But, if they keep posting certain jobs for which we know applicants abound, then what is up with that? Not to mention that there is so much repetition as multiple headhunters/recruiters post the same listings looking for heads.

Employment recruiters must have really taken off during the boom years that even in this distressed job market, there still are so many. How can we pledge allegiance to any one recruiter with so much cutthroat competition? We all know that all recruiters are not built alike. We want to be talking to the agency that has a solid relationship with the hiring manager at a prospective employer.

But then again, a recruiter is a negative if you can apply for a job directly through an employer's website and have just as much a chance as making a connection as they do. Besides, many of these employer sites expressly state their unwillingness to work with third parties. Unless, of course, you are working with the employer-sanctioned recruiter in which case you know you have a good lead in. The bottom line is recruiters cost a company money and how many of them would be willing to pay when there are so many job seekers?

As we all know by now, the big buzzwords have been network, network, network. Well, I know a lot of people who really have been exercising that option and they are no further along than I am. The job picture is just as certain as Caterpillar's announcement today that they will be hiring and firing; re-hiring 550 previously separated workers but firing 2,500 others. Alas...

Clipping Wall Street Compensation Doesn't Help Us Much

With public sentiment rising against the egregiousness of Wall Street bonuses, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve have separately proffered plans seeking to curb executive pay in the financial sector. Both plans seek to reduce current compensation incentives that richly reward short-term profits and the selling of high risk financial instruments, the type of incentives that fueled the behavior that led to the crash in the first place. The Treasury plan is specific to the top seven recipients of taxpayer bailouts which includes Citigroup, AIG and Bank of America. They seek to reduce the pay of the top 25 executives by 50% over last year while the Federal Reserve seeks sweeping overhauls in compensation across the entire financial sector.

While this is all nice and good, these people are already rich and they will find work-arounds to keep themselves that way. Meanwhile the Dow continues to flip-flop across the 10,000 point threshold rising 132 points today after losing just as much in the previous two. This was too much of an increase for flimsy profit data especially when initial job claims rose "unexpectedly" to 531,000. It is clear that profits continue to be engineered through cost cutting and not earnings. While layoff news is no longer grabbing headlines, a quick visit to the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows mass layoffs are still high. In September 248,000 persons were laid off. That is one quarter of a million people laid off last month. And still the prospects are grim, a visit to the aptly named www.dailyjobcuts.com will have you crying.

While attempts to clip compensation on Wall Street may soothe us in the short term, it doesn't do much to help us really. What companies are doing to the rest of us in order to gain those earnings that makes Wall Street happy is far worse.

Overqualified

The New York Times online just ran a story about how a company in Indiana, having garnered 500 applicants for a $13 per hour job posting, instituted a thoughtful recruiting process to weed through the applicants. (Amid Tough Climate, a Thoughtful Recruitment Process, NY Times, 10/21/09). In what appears to be a timeline of two weeks, they were able to whittle down the list, conduct interviews and hire the person they believe was best suited for the position. This was accomplished by first eliminating the "significantly overqualified candidates right away, reasoning that they would leave when the economy improved. Among them was a former I.B.M. business analyst with 18 years experience; a former director of human resources; and someone with a master’s degree and 12 years at Deloitte & Touche, the accounting firm."

For me, the pedigree of some of these applicants hits home. This time around in this Recession, in this job market, in the face of escalating economic peril, there are simply too many well-qualified professionals out there all competing for jobs for which they are immediately overlooked precisely because they are overqualified. The fact that they have to resort to applying to jobs at a lower wage and professional level speaks to the tightness of the job market. Yet, the old thinking still prevails that those who are overqualified will leave immediately when a better paying position presents itself. I don't believe this will be the case this time around.

Eight million individuals have lost their jobs in just under two years at a pace unseen since the Great Depression. And, leading economic forecasters predict that the ranks of the unemployed will continue to rise through 2010 and hiring will not rebound til at least 2012, not to mention that we are still losing about 250,000 jobs a month. The fact is we need to swing to a positive of creating 400,000 jobs per month simply to begin to re-absorb the currently unemployed and to have jobs available for the 150,000 matriculating into the workforce every month.

Job creation statistics show growth in primarily the healthcare, government and education sectors, sectors that are primarily funded by taxpayer dollars. I am not seeing where these sectors can possibly create jobs of the magnitude required especially in the face of insufficient and now declining tax revenues and federal, state and local governments' spiraling debt burdens. In addition, new job procurers are most likely earning less than they did previously for the same or similar job.

So, I believe companies do not have to worry about job jumpers at this juncture because there are no jobs to jump to. Besides, if you have a job, your head is down working your bejesus off because you do not want to lose it. You are not thinking of jumping to another company, believe me. So for these overqualified professionals, what now? Where will they find work if they are automatically turned down for opportunities for which they are deemed overqualified yet there are no jobs being created at their level?

Civil Service, Not for Me...?

A while back, I mentioned I was taking a Suffolk County civil service test to broaden my job search options. It was for a trainee position, paying in the thirties and though I initially passed it up, I reconsidered when my prospects started to look dim. After all, statistics do show that job growth is occurring in the healthcare, education and government sectors.

Alas, there was not much information about the test and I initially surmised that since it was a trainee exam, how long could it be and how hard could it be? Well, it was long, five hours long, and it was hard, the type of hard that gives you a headache from question one. I've had my share of education and I'm telling you, it was hard.

I had done my due diligence, having driven over to Suffolk County Community College the day before to case the joint so I would know which building and where to park. Everything went according to plan until I got into the room and learned about my five hour fate. I had some snacks with me and water but the combination of stress and my low blood sugar issues (I have to eat within a certain time frame or else I start to feel ill) took its toll on me and I began to overheat and feel nauseous three hours in. Technically, it was lunchtime but there was no scheduled break for this exam.

I excused myself and went to the rest room, wet my face, drank some water and removed a layer of clothing. The test proctor asked me if I was OK and was incredibly sweet and procured me some raisins and a tangerine. Unfortunately, my body would not agree and I turned completely green. I endeavored to finish the test so I could get out of there. That's all I could think of, getting out of there and, of course, I quickly gave up on the whole notion of pursuing this avenue. Unfortunately, I tossed my cookies the second I got out, at four and a half hours in, with barely enough time to find a suitable receptacle. Thankfully, there was a well-placed garbage can.

Anyhow, after fielding inquiries from friends and family regarding my test results, I finally called Civil Service and was told that it would take three to six months. That was fine with me because I didn't want anything do with it anymore. Well, they called me today to tell me that I was one of the high scorers and they'd like me to come in for an oral examination before a panel (death squad?) of three persons. I am still thinking that this is a trainee position, that will net me, after taxes, not much more than I am receiving from unemployment, not that unemployment will last forever...

Of course, immediately upon receiving the phone call with the "good" news, I had an instant headache, as the tricky civil service policy questions came back to haunt me. Do I really want to do this job? I know people think of civil service as a godsend but me, I'm not so sure.

Wall Street May Be Cheering but the Rest of Us Are Not

Now that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has regained 10,000, a feat one year in the making, Wall Street has plenty to cheer about. It is ironic that it made the mark, rising 144 points today on news that JPMorgan Chase posted a third quarter profit of $3,600,000,000, far exceeding expectations. So the bailouts worked, the financial institutions are back to serious business, raking in the cash as usual. Things are so good that Goldman Sachs, AIG and others are poised to hand out record bonuses in the billions of dollars, more than in 2007 when the economy was still apparently booming.

Unfortunately, this does not sit well for many of us, Wall Street may be cheering but the rest of us are not. Why on earth did we expect these institutions to have a heart and be grateful that we saved them? Too big to fail has created unprecedented levels of arrogance on the part of these financial institutions that they have made a mockery of us all. These institutions are not lending to us. They have increased their fees and interest rates on their credit cards. They have revoked our credit lines and so on. They are simply gouging us on every level and they are rewarding themselves for it.

I feel bad for the President but the rest of us on Main Street did not end up benefiting, absolutely nothing trickled down.

The Beatings Will Continue

I am here trying to get the vision of a stance out of my head, the one where your arms are up and crossed as you try to protect your head from a beating. That is how I feel right now as I struggle under the weight of all that is around me. Much as I have tried to hold my head up and stay positive, I am amazed that I can still feel so beaten down. Aren't positive thoughts and positive behavior supposed to make us feel better? I am busy every day, taking care of my house and my children and diligently working on my job search. I am determined to find work and I will not stray from my task. I continue to eat right and exercise because I worked so hard to lose weight and I intend to keep it off naturally. Most importantly, I endeavor to keep my wits about me and I still believe that karma will work toward my greater good even though it does not seem that way:

As I struggle to pay down my debt, all of it from an unfortunate business venture, I am riddled with notices of increased interest rates and increased payments even though I have faithfully made ample payments on time for years. Meanwhile, these financial institutions who were given billions of dollars in bailouts when their businesses failed continue to stomp on the very taxpayer who came to their rescue.

I struggle to come to terms with my new "consumer-driven" health insurance plan, a plan that does not pay for any visits beyond the sanctioned annual check ups but was chosen by my husband's company because they claim that they can no longer afford a traditional plan. Meanwhile, I watch the Congress lose sight of any legitimate reform that could actually cut costs or provide meaningful affordable coverage to those of us who truly need it.

As I struggle to find a decent job, I reflect on my ivy league education and ponder what it is worth. I try to prevent myself from staring at that huge gap in my resume where I stayed home after I had my second child. The childcare math does not add up when you hit number two because the childcare costs for two children, at least in New York, eats up a significant chunk of your paycheck. So many of us women choose not to sacrifice the welfare of our children for a few extra bucks but a difficult job market effectively discriminates against anyone who has been out for too long. Though I was fortunate to find a job last year, the economic crisis crashed my tenure so I do not appear as viable on paper when compared to those other consummate professionals out there.

The reality that we are earning less today than we did near the beginning of this decade strikes a chord right here in my household. I don't need statistics to drive this point home as I wrestle daily with the spreadsheet I use to manage my cash flow. I wish I wasn't so black and blue but my hands are not up there protecting my head for nothing. I am hoping that the black and white of these words will be cathartic and so I leave them.

What Price, Peace Prize?

On this Columbus Day, a celebration of the explorer who "discovered," America, President Obama continues to be bashed for what many view as his un-deserving of the Nobel Peace Prize. What has he really done for peace, they ask? He really has accomplished nothing they conclude. While the rest of the world views his strong overtures toward diplomacy as a positive sign of great alliances to come, to his American critics, he appears to have changed nothing. In fact, these critics took it a step further by pointing out that he failed to secure the Nobel prize for economics. Huh? There are many who are rooting for this President to fail and they will find fault with his success and rejoice when he misses. They simply do not see that if any President fails, America fails.

While many loudly cheered when his attendance at the Olympic Committee in Copenhagen failed to help Chicago win its bid for the 2016 games, they missed the point that America lost. It is easy to blame the President when things are not going well - housing and health care costs, declining employment and rising taxes along with high debt - I am staring all of these issues in the face. Unfortunately, the seeds were sown long before he was sworn in and while I know it is customary to blame whoever is in power for the ills of the day, it is easy to see how negativity can suck in even the die-hard. It does seem though that we could use a little bit more peace and acceptance right here at home. Something about that great continent that Columbus found.

Long Island Consumer Confidence Confounds

As reported in the Long Island Business News, The Sienna Research Institute is claiming that Consumer Confidence on Long Island rose by 9 percent in the third quarter over the previous period. This seems to conflict with recent reports that Long Island's economy is still in the toilet, that there are no signs of the recovery that is supposedly taking place in the greater economy. This I believe. But consumer confidence increasing?

The core group of respondents must either be from the financial sector or the public sector. But seriously, I am still having trouble believing how an economy driven by consumer spending can recover when so many of those consumers are unemployed. It is simple math. The population of the United States is 300,000,000 comprising about 100,000,000 households. Over 7,000,000 jobs have been lost since the recession officially began 22 months ago. 7,000,000 jobs lost affects the finances of almost as many households, allowing for those that have, sadly, lost more than one job.

We must also count the millions of households who are affected by underemployment or have fallen below the radar. So, all told that is at least 10% of households not spending like they used to. The economy has been driven by 70% consumer spending over the last 10 years. A 10% reduction in consumer spending is a huge hit, accounting for trillions of dollars of our economic engine. There are also the millions of households who are in fear of losing their jobs and they are not spending like they used to, either.

In fact, the best numbers that have come out so far are those of consumer debt reduction. People are not spending, they are paying down debt and conserving. Wages continue to be stagnant and companies continue to cut jobs, albeit at a slower pace, in order to present better quarterly numbers but that is by no means a true gauge of health. I will certainly feel better and look better when I stop eating for a while but if I stop eating for too long, I may not survive.

Given all of these developments, it is hard to see where the consumer is finding any confidence especially in high cost Long Island where, unfortunately, those costs are closing in for many. I have completely lost my confidence. I don't even want to go to the store at all. But, since I am not the biggest consumer to begin with, I am always behind in necessities and so I remain. I know we are all looking for light at the end of the tunnel and we definitely need it soon. Even I am running out of patience.

The Results of My Labor

Yesterday, we had a surprisingly warm day, I was beside myself. Beginning with our morning soccer games, I spent the entire day outside enjoying every minute of it. I worked hard though. We got most of our two cords of wood stacked. I cleaned up the gardens, pruning, cutting and shutting down for the winter. And, we cleaned out the garage. It was a busy day, just the way I like it. It felt good to be productive and see the results of my labor.

I spend so much of my time these days searching for work, which is, unfortunately, a thankless job. Since the only measurable result of this effort is landing a job, there is little opportunity in the process to reward oneself. I could pat myself on the back for the number of resumes I've sent out or for the number of contacts I've made, but the reality is, until I land that job, my efforts are simply not enough.

While all of the employment statistics remain off the charts, no unemployed person can ever truly relax for every aspect of your being is under siege especially when your finances are strained. So, as you take each day one at a time, it is nice to accomplish the little things that can make you feel worthwhile.

And Less Jobs for All

The job news continues to be distressing:

- Another 250,000 jobs lost in September

- A labor department report that there is a 6 to 1 ratio of job seekers to available jobs, 2,400,000 permanent full-time job openings for the 14,500,000 officially unemployed

- A new report by two Rutgers professors predicting that the job market will not truly recover for 7 years or until 2017

I have been pretty diligent with my job search and I am surrounded by many who are even more so. Unfortunately, the job listings are stagnant. Either employers are looking for a candidate so unique that he or she may simply not exist or the job boards are holding onto listings long past their expiration date. Certainly, many of the job postings that I saw at the beginning of the year when I started my search appear to re-cycle. It is virtually impossible to determine which listings are actually still 'live'. In any case, do I really have what it takes to be the lucky one of six that will score that job?

I have just graduated from a professional program that has matriculated nearly 300 well-heeled professionals thus far. My resume looks slim next to theirs since I just got back into the game. I have to overcome looking slim on paper and so far I have not been successful. Then again, only one person in my class of 13 has been hired since we started last June and that job offer did not come easy. Nevertheless, according to the statistics, there should be another hire. Right now it does not look like it will be me unless all of the miracles that have eluded me over the years suddenly decide to coalesce.

Reflection on a Graduation

Well, I am graduating first thing in the morning and while I should turn in early, it probably will not happen as usual. Anyhow, I'll be the proud recipient of a Certificate in Business Analysis and a Certificate in Project Management. Yeah! However, the resulting job offer that I expected to snag due to this dual achievement has not materialized yet. I still believe that I will find something but as I stare deeply into the abyss of an aging job search, it is hard not to get discouraged.

I do believe that everyone is allowed to be discouraged sometimes just as long as despair does not become our modus operandi. We should get mad and we should get angry sometimes so that we can dispel the internal stresses that are bound to build as we constantly assess our jobless situation. Then we must dust off our boots, strap on a new outlook and continue the search.

Tomorrow morning, I am to show up in professional dress looking the part. Though they call it a graduation, it is a lot more than handing us our certificates, patting us on the back and sending us on our merry way. There will be representatives from area companies and career development professionals to give us another huge helping of job search guidance. Maybe some of us will get lucky and make a beneficial contact that leads to employment.

But just in case, I will be taking a civil service test on Saturday morning. It is for a position that pays half as much but I have to create opportunity and options for myself. We are being told to think outside of the box when it comes to seeking employment these days which essentially means we must pursue every lead even if it is for less money. So, I will do it.