On the Job Front

Recently I have been thinking that it is a bit of a shame, really, not to be documenting this phase of our lives more closely. I mean, it might be helpful, or useful, or even interesting for other people to hear a little bit about what it's been like for us to be participating in this global thing that's going on right now. This Global Recession.

Hayden can show his side, what it's like to be a clever, talented and career-driven person who at any normal time would have to beat job offers away with a stick. He's an extremely employable person - an engineer with an MBA for goodness sake - who in recent times has gotten to know that ashy taste of disappointment when the HR people don't call back: it means rejection on the job front.

Seems like everyone in the job market is ready to accept the kind of work they were doing five years ago and we can count the number of times Hayden has held the big crumb of a job opportunity in his hands only to have some wily old eagle, who was doing that job five years ago, swoop down and snatch it from his grasp. Hayden is waiting to get the chance to become that swooping eagle himself. It may come yet. And then he'd have that crumb of a job he was doing five years ago, with its reduced pay and stripped out benefits, all its comforts gone. But, you know, it would still be a job.

It is tricky being on the sidelines of this one. I'm doing everything I can think of to stay supportive and patient, including trying to earn enough for our weekly expenses on my reduced hours at the coffee shop. (Why did they reduce my hours? I don't know. Feels like spite). We're both staying positive, we're kind to each other and we support some of the crazy efforts of friends who find themselves in a similar position. (Check out this old mate of mine Demis, who built a website to showcase his special wares. He's offering some real bargains on there: http://www.ijustwantyourmoney.com/).

And, of course, we don't want to be whingers. We don't want to be putting a negative vibe out there, and it's our instinct to close ranks and protect ourselves when we're going through a tough time. So I don't expect I'll be talking much in the future about what's going on around here ~ not until we have some good news to tell. But I thought that I would give you a little glimpse of what it's been like. For us, anyway.