Kingston Observer

The recession just became personal - I got my notice last week. My department is being down-sized to zero and effective at the end of this month I will join the growing legions of the unemployed.

I worked for a dot-com company and my industry is a bit like the canary in the coal mine. As soon as the economic air goes bad most of us keel over and croak.  I've been down this road before. Ten years ago when the dot-com bubble burst I had three companies shot out from under me within a period of six months.

Today there is a different feeling. The dot-com bust of yesteryear cratered a chunk of economic real estate. This time around, the economic sink hole stretches from one horizon to the next and nothing feels like safe ground.

"Your lay off is a result of changing business conditions and is not reflective of your job performance, please don't take this action personally," I was told as they handed me the bad news. Working for a dying company is a bit like being a third-class passenger on the Titanic. The Captain didn't ram an ice berg with the intent to ruin your day but the effect on you is entirely personal.

I gave them a half smile and shrugged. "You're taking this rather well," I was told as the exit interview continued. "If throwing a tantrum and hissy-fit will change the outcome, I'll be happy to oblige," I said.

My grandfather used to advise me that life is like a game of cards. It's not your fault if you get dealt a bad hand but it is your fault if you play 'em like an idiot.

All things considered, I was luckier than many. I have a month to scale back the family budget and time to try and line-up another job. My outfit provided a tiny severance package, with an emphasis on "tiny".

The blunt truth is that workers are expendable and corporate loyalty is an illusion. Most of us are at the mercy of forces beyond our control. We do what we can to make the best of our situation but we have little power to change the playing field.

My advice is that if you have a job, be thankful but also be prepared to loose it tomorrow or the next day. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst and you'll never be disappointed.

It is if we've all joined hands and have followed Alice through the looking glass. The economic landscape we are facing is like nothing we've seen before and many of the old rules no longer apply. The country is awash in bail-out money that, like rain in the desert, seems to evaporate before it reaches the ground.

My hunch is that this recession is going to get worse, much worse, before it gets better. We are all in for one hell of a ride and we will all need the help of our friends and neighbors before this storm is over,

Survival now become a scramble to make ends meet and the enemy is depression and apathy. After I got the news, I set aside 48 hours to wallow in self-pity and that time has now expired. I've learned from experience that the last thing we should do when our ship sinks is to tread water and wait for rescue. This is the time to swim toward distant opportunities - we can not discover new lands without loosing sight of the shore.