<p>I quit a so-so job in government to go back to school and change my focus. Best thing I ever did. Prop 13 had recently passed and the local government career looked bleak and I did not like the work much either. I was able to go to grad B school with a small amount of debt ($10K total).</p>
<p>A co-worker’s husband was laid off from Lucent after the 2000 tech crash. He went to get a certificate program in plastics engineering (not a masters) and found work before finishing his certificate program. I think that he had a few companies interested. He already had an undergraduate engineering degree but I don’t recall which. Sometimes certificate programs work well. They were able to do this as she provided the income for their family while he went to school.</p>
<p>I think the most important thing is to keep planning and keep executing updated plans.</p>
<p>A sudden lay off can change your plans completely but the ‘planning process’ and the process of ‘trying to execute those plans’ should remain constant.</p>
<p>Most of all, for those who do get laid off, it’s of crucial importance to have supportive family and friends.</p>
<p>I have laid off many times, current employment is myjob #9. Looking back, I am glad that I did, i have had such a wide experience in my field, many different unrelated industries, interesting people. I have been living in a most economically depressed region of the country and could not relocate and was unwilling to travel longer than 1 hour to work. Just enjoy your time off and apply to many places EVERY DAY. Surprisingly, most of my jobs I have found responding to ads in local newspaper. They say success rate is 2%, so not true in my case. I hate recruiters and never used their services. Few times that i was in contact with them, they were too pushy and not trustworthy at all. The best of luck!</p>
<p>I am sorry to hear that, MiamiDAP. I agree with you that it goes with the regions you are located in. I have some dear friends in Ohio who have had similar experiences as yours. Husband has had to change at least 5 jobs in last 8 years. </p>
<p>My sympathies go to everyone in this predicament. I pray that you have spouses who are working and most of all, understanding and patient in this difficult situation with you. With a positive attitude and Obama’s upcoming plan, I pray all of you pull through as much stronger individuals.</p>
<p>As far as Obama plan, I strongly disagree, but this discussion belong in another thread. I love my current job, but it survival chance is diminishing by an hour. The job #10 simply will not happen.</p>
<p>Michigan definitely needs help. I watched Nightline the other night and they listed the top five sectors for employment in 2009:</p>
<ol>
<li>Information Technology</li>
<li>Government</li>
<li>Education</li>
<li>Sales</li>
<li>Healthcare</li>
</ol>
<p>prediction #1 sounds right on target, I heard the demand for information about unemployment benefits was so high, it crashed the system.
[Jobless</a> claims overwhelm state | detnews.com | The Detroit News](<a href=“Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com”>Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com)</p>
<p>One of my friends who was laid off connected with his Alumni Career Services Center and through its blog found a job search organizing set of forms that has landed him 2 interviews -both firms said they were impressed with the depth of his preparation. He actually said he had never been more prepared in a job search. He said it was called something like the Employmentor Guide, maybe it would help. I was very impressed with his description of it.</p>
<p>Emeraldkity4, I live in the metro Detroit area. The husband of one of my coworkers was recently laid off. It took him forever to get through to the unemployment people - he couldn’t do it online due to server crash, so he had to sit on the phone for hours, waiting in a queue. This area is bleeding jobs so fast it’s scary.</p>
<p>kelsmom,
I am in worse area still. Believe it or not, there is a substantial ## of people in my city who have been traveling to job in Detroit on a daily basis. We all agree that it is easier to find a job in Detroit. That is how it’s always been, not just now.</p>
<p>Wow, MiamiDAP. When I came back to Michigan, I thought finding a job in Detroit would be next to impossible. I guess it depends on the industry. I have a better chance of obtaining employment in Ann Arbor than I do in Detroit. </p>
<p>If I lived outside southeastern Michigan, then the job market would look very bleak.</p>
<p>I agree, some people from my area travel to Ann Arbor. Much easier travel than to Detroit. I have done Ann Arbor for 1.5 years. By the way, it is across all industries, including medicine. I appreciate it greatly to work currently in my city and consider myself extremely fortunate.</p>
<p>I agree that if you are currently employed, I would keep your job. If you want to get additional training, you could supplement with on-line classes, if that’s desired. Definitely would be reluctant to take on new debt in this scary economic time. Non-profits are having a tough time but it’s good to keep an eye out on what’s going on in the non-profit world as many are more open to coalitions to make the $ stretch.</p>