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Job loss »

Submitted by Chris_Hedges on Dec 14, 2009

Last year, I was preparing for the holiday season with little worries, except for some signs that times might get a little tight because of the ever worsening financial climate. There had been some talk at work about job cutbacks, but I felt that I was safe.

Christmas and New Years came and went.

The post holiday work routine continued day after gray winter day, the same as it had for years. Things would change, but more often they would repeat. While certain routines were altered to accommodate the effects of the financial meltdown, most daily routines remained the same. Bad things were happening in New York's business district and closer to home in Elkhart. But, it seemed like those places were a universe away.

One day in February, two bosses appeared in my office, closing the door, holding a packet of paperwork. Two bosses meant nothing good was in store.

I experienced what thousands of others have experienced during our nation's rough financial times. I was being told that times were tight, thanks for your service, and that I had to leave immediately. I later learned that about a dozen people had also been let go from the place where I used to work.

After the shock wore off, I hit the road dialing a friend on my cell phone to seek advice for a job search. Before I had driven a block, he told me to stop by his office. After an hour at my friend's place, I had been given an empty office in which to set up shop as my own boss.

... To be continued.