The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: Servonaut on January 26, 2009, 02:01:46 PM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4913629
Journalgrrl (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:47 AM
Original message
Poll question: DU: How does YOUR Job situation look? (poll)
Just a little photograph of our economy , as it is reflected HERE...Our news reports are dismal, let's have some stories to make the numbers more personal.
I'd really lke to know your "industry/profession" too...
If you are not looking for work or have given up, do you have a plan B? training? relocating?
Please share!
Poll result (151 votes)
Still working! (55 votes, 36%) Vote
Working....but less hours (11 votes, 7%) Vote
Working....but on shaky ground (34 votes, 23%) Vote
Not working...looking for work (24 votes, 16%) Vote
Not working... gave up looking (16 votes, 11%) Vote
OTHER? (11 votes, 7%)
H2O Man (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:48 AM
Response to Original message
1. Other.
Retired. But the employment options in my area are grim.
EstimatedProphet (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:49 AM
Response to Original message
2. Still working, for now
But the job ends within the year.
Cabcere (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:53 AM
Response to Original message
5. Curently looking for work
I had an interview for a part-time position last week, and I'm still waiting to hear back about that. *crosses fingers*
I graduated in May with a degree in Anthropology, which is virtually useless at the Bachelor's level, but I don't have the funds or the focus to go to grad school at this point in time. I'm thinking about doing some volunteering at the local free clinic and maybe getting some training so I could be a medical office assistant or something like that, but again, I'm not really sure.
:whatever:
lumberjack_jeff (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:56 AM
Response to Original message
8. What is this "job" of which you speak?
When I feel the need to be kicked in the teeth, I go through the dehumanizing ritual of looking for work. Then I go back to free-lancing with greater appreciation.
madrchsod (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 11:56 AM
Response to Original message
9. my wife works in the mental health field
and i`m drawing my social security starting this month. our daughter is laid off until the auto industry goes back to work but she makes almost the same on unemployment as her 40 hr take home pay
Journalgrrl (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 12:02 PM
Response to Original message
12. FWIW I gave up for the time being...
I am just going to have to up my ante by doing some training stuff. Thank GOD I am on Section 8 housing and have been signed up with the Job One center up here and they enrolled me in a Federal Program (WIA- Workforce Investment Act) They help younger "at risk kids" get training and get into the workforce, but they also help single mommies like me and others who may be undereducated to get training for better marketability.
I am getting enrolled in a program thru CSUSacramento for a certification. Hopefully by the time I am done, the mrket will have improved.
I figured what better time to get that schooling under my belt than when the economy is in the tank. I just hope I will be able to find something when I am done within a year...which seems really optimistic.
Part of the prep work is that I have to research the market that I am interested in (right now, labor relations, HR) and it is strange to ask about the job market in times like this!
onehandle (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 12:02 PM
Response to Original message
13. Let's put it this way... The client my job depends on got bail out money.
Edited on Mon Jan-26-09 12:03 PM by onehandle
The whole thing has been shaky for over a year.
I keep my resume up to date and I'm reformatting my portfolio site.
JackDragna (1000+ posts) Mon Jan-26-09 12:14 PM
Response to Original message
24. I'm a science teacher, so life is good.
I'm pretty well liked where I work and I'm an in-demand commodity. Granted, I make squat, but I'm happy.
As for myself I got a raise January 1st and as bad as this economy is, my planes are still full of people.
Are any CCers hurting ?
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Doing just fine, thanks for asking. I know a couple of folks here are in turmoil, so please say a prayer for them.
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Hi, my name is Texacon and I'm a Realtor. It's been 2 days since I wrote my last contract and ....
:-)
All kidding aside. We didn't have a bad year here and 2009 is BOOMING. We have about 6 contracts working right now and will probably close somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 for January. God is continuing to bless us.
Not to mention my son, who just turned 16, applied for one job and he starts Thursday. Guess he's smarter than the DUmmies who can't find work.
KC
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"I graduated in May with a degree in Anthropology"..... Johnny trys once again to sing, "Head bone connected to the neck bone, neckbone connected to the backbone, backbone connected to the hipbone........"
Lotta demand for that I guess.
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I am fine, just today got a whole nother plate full of responsibility going forward. Business health is good and somewhat shielded against recession.
Get a load of all those government programs talked about up there.
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Anthropology, haha. Another one is Sociology. I have a moonbat stepson who majored in soc. (not on my dime). Know what he's qualified for now?
"You folks ready to order?"
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Anthropology, haha. Another one is Sociology. I have a moonbat stepson who majored in soc. (not on my dime). Know what he's qualified for now?
"You folks ready to order?"
Actually there are things you can do with Sociology, you can be a social worker. You generally need a masters and you don't make much but if you like working with people and solving problems it works.
I'm not a social worker but have worked closely with some. Most of the ones I worked with are worked with are saints.
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How do you 'give up looking'? Do you just sit home (someone else's home I presume and watch TV)?
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4913629
:whatever:
As for myself I got a raise January 1st and as bad as this economy is, my planes are still full of people.
Are any CCers hurting ?
I got laid off from Northrop/Grumman on Friday.
As of right now, I have 3 interviews scheduled for this week, all for positions that at least maintain my current compensation rates.
Guess it's a good thing (for me) that surfing (midget GLBT) porn, posting unintelligible screeds at the DUmp, and consuming staggering amounts of pot and Cheetos doesn't fall very high on my list of marketable job skills. Otherwise, I might be cursing this Damned Obama Economy.
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Actually there are things you can do with Sociology, you can be a social worker. You generally need a masters and you don't make much but if you like working with people and solving problems it works.
I'm not a social worker but have worked closely with some. Most of the ones I worked with are worked with are saints.
Correct me if I'm wrong terry, but don't most social workers get their paycheck from the government ?
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Correct me if I'm wrong terry, but don't most social workers get their paycheck from the government ?
Probably most, the ones I know work for Children's Hospital. They are good people.
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How do you 'give up looking'? Do you just sit home (someone else's home I presume and watch TV)?
A libtard will sit on its bum, sending emails and whining about how bad life is to its fellow DU'ers.
As for me, well I took a bit of a hit when some mining companies stock took a dive, but that is a long term holding and will recover soon enough.
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Actually I think my business is going to skyrocket! Gonna be alot more DUmmies needing to be bailed out of jail when they rob the local liquor store in order to feed their habits! :-) :-)
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Probably most, the ones I know work for Children's Hospital. They are good people.
Everything I've ever read about social workers is they would rather prolong the problem
rather then correct it cause it guarantees them a paycheck.
But if you vouch for the workers at the CH, then I'm cool with that. :)
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My husband's work laid off 1000 people this past November (there were quite a few let go in his office). It is a large corporation so there really isn't much in the way of loyalty as far as the employer goes. We are doing fine but I'm scared that my husband will lose his job and on top of his salary we would lose benefits. His employer has the best benefits I have ever seen and I don't want to lose that. We have about 1/2 a year's worth of salary in savings and my husband gets 8 months of severance if he gets let go so we can weather the storm if he does get laid off. Still.....I don't do well with uncertainty so I'm nervous.
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Everything I've ever read about social workers is they would rather prolong the problem
rather then correct it cause it guarantees them a paycheck.
But if you vouch for the workers at the CH, then I'm cool with that. :)
Ahem.....I have a degree in Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice, and minors in Psychology and Anthropology. One class away from minors in History and English.
I have never worked for the government.
I am, however, very good at Trivial Pursuit!
I am a Realtor in E TN. I primarily sell foreclosures and investment properties. Had a closing last Friday. Listed 6 properties last week, listing 2 more tomorrow and will have a closing either the end of the week or the first of next and currently working with a great investor and a couple looking for a 400-500k house. Life is ok. But I am self-employed so I have no benefits.
The other half is a self-employed machinery dealer. He's working with several companies that are closing up shop. Not good. While the business is there...there aren't many buyers.
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I quit working in April of last year and don't intend to look for another job for atleast 20 years.
I don't think I will find anything with the benefits and money I get from the goverment.
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How do you 'give up looking'? Do you just sit home (someone else's home I presume and watch TV)?
Pretty much....but I have to do cookin,cleanin...all that wonderfully fun stuff....
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I am a Realtor in E TN. I primarily sell foreclosures and investment properties. Had a closing last Friday. Listed 6 properties last week, listing 2 more tomorrow and will have a closing either the end of the week or the first of next and currently working with a great investor and a couple looking for a 400-500k house. Life is ok. But I am self-employed so I have no benefits.
The other half is a self-employed machinery dealer. He's working with several companies that are closing up shop. Not good. While the business is there...there aren't many buyers.
You got what I NEED baby! Our inventory is so low right now it is terrible.
Congrats on the closing and the listings! :bow:
KC
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How do you 'give up looking'? Do you just sit home (someone else's home I presume and watch TV)?
We're talking about Dem liberals here now.
:lmao:
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Hi, my name is Texacon and I'm a Realtor. It's been 2 days since I wrote my last contract and ....
KC
Sometimes I think I'm looking in the mirror when I read your posts Texacon. I've always used the Texas flag as my avatar (but changed here since you already have it); my initials are also KC....and I'm also a Realtor. I work in corporate real estate though, for just one company so have it pretty easy. My job is pretty stable at this time, but you never know. My biggest concern is not so much being laid off, as it is us being bought out or merged. Last summer it looked like we would be doing just that and my job was gonna be relocated to Houston. I would have had a choice of a great severence package or them moving me with a great relocation package. A Canadian company put a wrench in the deal and our merger fell through right at the last minute. So other than the possibility of being forced to relocate somewhere I don't want to go, I think I'm pretty OK job wise.
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"I graduated in May with a degree in Anthropology"..... Johnny trys once again to sing, "Head bone connected to the neck bone, neckbone connected to the backbone, backbone connected to the hipbone........"
Lotta demand for that I guess.
Right, although you already know, sir, I have a great deal of respect for anthropology and sociology; it's a lot of fun and provides much illumination, but anybody who thinks they're going to make money off of it is nuts.
When I was 17 years old, I declared as my major in college the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth.....with full awareness, even at that green and immature age, that it wasn't really going to provide me with useful skills on the job market.
Which of course it didn't.
The problem with the primitives having such degrees is that they "feel" they're "entitled" to some well-paying job because, after all, they have a college degree.
I think that's one of the biggest differences between franksolich and the primitives; there are things in life well worth studying, but more for illumination and enlightenment, than for pecuniary reasons.
Of course, that could just be me, being deaf and so not entertainable by television, movies, radio, concerts, music, telephonic chitchattery, and all these other auditory things that fill most brain-capacities.
I have the same brain-capacity, and it must be filled, with something, anything.
And I'm sure you knew a long time ago that whenever I get out the boat and row over to Skins's island to observe the primitives, for me, it's the same thing as a hearing person watching a show on television, or doing an anthropology field exercise.
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Sometimes I think I'm looking in the mirror when I read your posts Texacon. I've always used the Texas flag as my avatar (but changed here since you already have it); my initials are also KC....and I'm also a Realtor. I work in corporate real estate though, for just one company so have it pretty easy. My job is pretty stable at this time, but you never know. My biggest concern is not so much being laid off, as it is us being bought out or merged. Last summer it looked like we would be doing just that and my job was gonna be relocated to Houston. I would have had a choice of a great severence package or them moving me with a great relocation package. A Canadian company put a wrench in the deal and our merger fell through right at the last minute. So other than the possibility of being forced to relocate somewhere I don't want to go, I think I'm pretty OK job wise.
Shhhh or everyone will figure out you're my sock in case I get banned here!!
LOL
Welcome to CC! You around the Austin area?
Glad your job seems to be fairly stable. I think corporate real estate would be fun but I don't know much about it. Are you licensed working for just one company?
KC
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Retired at 46, with multiple homes. A damned shame the economy sucked so bad for the last 8 years or I could have had more. :fuelfire:
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My husband was laid off in November and its pretty tight. Hi-tech pretty much dried up here...when Intel lays off you know things are bad. When he was first laid off he had lots of interviews but as the market has dried up so have the offers. I'm sure things will turn around, they always do In the mean time we were smart enough to take out insurance so that if anything like this happened we'd have our house payment and our line of credit loan paid. So we get to be poor in paradise and I get to see my husband more than I ever have in our lives. Still, it's very hard on him. We have 9% unemployment in OR. He's looking out of state so we'll see.
Cindie
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I'm quite secure, I probably would have been retiring about twelve months from now had the economy not tanked, as it is I will work a year or two longer than I would have otherwise. Whether the economy comes back fast or slow, I am looking at moving on to better things in the mid-term.
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I am doing great! I got my BSBA (MIS) in December and obtained a nice promotion & raise. I intend to buy my first home this year!
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Welcome to CC! You around the Austin area?
Glad your job seems to be fairly stable. I think corporate real estate would be fun but I don't know much about it. Are you licensed working for just one company?
No I'm in Midland, Tx. I've been licensed in real estate since 1992 and have been a fully licensed broker since 1994. I got tired of the commission only ups and downs, and about 6 yrs ago got into appraisal work. Got that license, and then about 2.5 years ago went to work where I am now. I do everything a full service broker would do, but just have one big and steady client, with deep pockets. We buy, sell and lease in 11 different states for our business locations. I'm so glad I made this choice - it's all commercial and very interesting and fun work.
My dream job after I finish up this MBA degree, is to work for the GSA. I think that would be the ultimate crown in my real estate career. With our move under Barry to a totally socialist state, he'll be taking our property rights aways soon and have a lot of new federal property on his hands, so maybe they will be hiring ......
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No I'm in Midland, Tx. I've been licensed in real estate since 1992 and have been a fully licensed broker since 1994. I got tired of the commission only ups and downs, and about 6 yrs ago got into appraisal work. Got that license, and then about 2.5 years ago went to work where I am now. I do everything a full service broker would do, but just have one big and steady client, with deep pockets. We buy, sell and lease in 11 different states for our business locations. I'm so glad I made this choice - it's all commercial and very interesting and fun work.
My dream job after I finish up this MBA degree, is to work for the GSA. I think that would be the ultimate crown in my real estate career. With our move under Barry to a totally socialist state, he'll be taking our property rights aways soon and have a lot of new federal property on his hands, so maybe they will be hiring ......
Wow! You are a busy woman. I have ridden out to west Texas a time or two but I have not gone far enough north to be in Midland. We have ridden out to Big Bend and the surrounding areas a couple of times and I had a friend in Monahans who would meet up with us and go riding in the area with us. I should be rocketing past that area in June when we take a ride up to Angel Fire, New Mexico for a few days.
Your job sounds fascinating. I do primarily residential lots/homes/acreage with a smattering of commercial acreage here and there. I got my real estate license in 2000 and my brokers license in 2007. I don't want to mess with that license test again so I think I'll hang onto the brokers license for a very, very long time! LOL
Do you travel a lot doing what you do now or are you able to do most of it from your home location? If you are actually going to the places and doing the ground work with the CMA's and such it sounds like a very interesting job. Do you have to work with a lot of different realtors? I gotta tell ya. The thing I hate most about real estate is working with other realtors. They seem to be a greedy lot. Some of them I have worked with have been absolutely outstanding but more often than not ..... they are horrible to work with. They want you to do their job then they have their hand out at closing wanting to be paid. Coming from a contruction background that doesn't sit well with me.
KC
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Wow! You are a busy woman. I have ridden out to west Texas a time or two but I have not gone far enough north to be in Midland. We have ridden out to Big Bend and the surrounding areas a couple of times and I had a friend in Monahans who would meet up with us and go riding in the area with us. I should be rocketing past that area in June when we take a ride up to Angel Fire, New Mexico for a few days.
Your job sounds fascinating. I do primarily residential lots/homes/acreage with a smattering of commercial acreage here and there. I got my real estate license in 2000 and my brokers license in 2007. I don't want to mess with that license test again so I think I'll hang onto the brokers license for a very, very long time! LOL
Do you travel a lot doing what you do now or are you able to do most of it from your home location? If you are actually going to the places and doing the ground work with the CMA's and such it sounds like a very interesting job. Do you have to work with a lot of different realtors? I gotta tell ya. The thing I hate most about real estate is working with other realtors. They seem to be a greedy lot. Some of them I have worked with have been absolutely outstanding but more often than not ..... they are horrible to work with. They want you to do their job then they have their hand out at closing wanting to be paid. Coming from a contruction background that doesn't sit well with me.
KC
Be glad you don't sell foreclosures then.
Most of the agents who don't normally sell foreclosures, when they do....it is beneath them to do any work.
I had one agent tell me "she had other things to do....after all, it was only a $35,000 house"..... :censored: :censored: To say that I exploded on her, would be an understatement! I was the list agent, she was buyer's, didn't do her job....and we were a week late in closing. Cost her about $150 for not doing her job.... :-) (paybacks are hell when you mess with a redhead.... :uhsure:)
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Deb, I work in a fairly specialized market on the lake. We are about 80 miles from Houston and what I get tired of the most is agents who want the commission but don't want to drive to the lake. Rather than send them to me and ask for a referral fee (which I would be more than happy to pay) they will try to get me to work with their clients then they want to write a contract and collect 1/2 of the commission.
I had an agent not long ago who wanted me to work with her clients to show them a couple of my properties. Her client called me and wanted to see some others in the area that were not my listings. When I told both of them I wouldn't do it you would have thought I called them foul names (I actually got cussed out by the agent). The agent was the prospects sister and the prospect was bound and determined the sister was going to get paid. They knew how agents worked and got paid yet were willing to pull this crap. I have no idea what they ended up doing but they didn't buy anything here.
KC
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Oh we should start a 'Realtor's nightmares" thread. I could tell a few of those stories myself. I used to live in Brownwood and know exactly what you mean about lake property. I had one really good agent friend that lived at the lake, and I lived in town. So we sent all our referrals back and forth to just each other. If they wanted to see property in town, she'd send to me and if lake property I'd send to her. Then we paid each other referral fees that were very reasonable. It's sure pays when you find another trustworthy agent to work a mutal partnership deal like that.
I've never sold forclosurers like you Debk, but I was a HUD certified broker and did do one or two of those sales. We just never had many of them in the areas I lived in.
And Texicon, I had one of those relative deals too - they assured me they did not want their Realtor relative having anything to do with the deal --- then after I spent hours and much gas showing them around, they bought one I found for them using that relative and cutting me out altogether. I learned that lesson the hard way. You were wise to refuse showing them.
I do work with a lot of Realtors now, but we usually pay cash for everything we buy so it's very clean and easy work. We have a lot in South Texas near Houston (Katy, Victoria, etc). I'll sure contact you if we do anything near you. Mostly industrial yards are what we do, it's a well service and drilling company. As for traveling, with email and digital cameras I don't really have to / get to travel much. Usually our local manager will find the property through local Realtors, and then send in one or two that he's looking at to me for review. Once it's to the point of writing a contract or actually putting a lease together, then they turn it over to me to finalize with the local Realtor. Then I do the usual with the title company, surveyor, etc to put it all together and close. A big part of my job is compliling reports for the CEO & CFO with company-wide rent projections, capital budget expenditures, etc to give them an overall picture of real property. That's why the sudden desire to go back for the MBA.
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Working....but less hours (11 votes, 7%) Vote
<side rant>
Goddamit, no wonder people can't win "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader." The word "fewer" seems to have disappeared. Including commercials, political speeches, newspapers, etc.
</side rant>
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<side rant>
Goddamit, no wonder people can't win "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader." The word "fewer" seems to have disappeared. Including commercials, political speeches, newspapers, etc.
</side rant>
:lmao: :rotf: And spot on, of course. H5.
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Hi, my name is Texacon and I'm a Realtor. It's been 2 days since I wrote my last contract and ....
:-)
All kidding aside. We didn't have a bad year here and 2009 is BOOMING. We have about 6 contracts working right now and will probably close somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 for January. God is continuing to bless us.
Not to mention my son, who just turned 16, applied for one job and he starts Thursday. Guess he's smarter than the DUmmies who can't find work.
KC
I had lunch with my real estate agent friend last week and she's doing great. She feels that the downturn was a good thing since it weeded out most of the crappy agents who left to pursue other work.
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I had lunch with my real estate agent friend last week and she's doing great. She feels that the downturn was a good thing since it weeded out most of the crappy agents who left to pursue other work.
My company has several offices in the area....and had over 600 agents back in the spring.
One office was closed back in the fall, and the agents that stayed were either absorbed into my office or the primary office.
My broker told me that several in our office, did not pay their MLS dues the end of the year, and she asked several others to move their licenses to somewhere else as they were not doing any business, therefore not bringing in any money to the company. (company gets 20% from each commission I get)
When I became an agent here, 12 years ago, there were not quite 1800 agents in the MLS. A year ago, there were well over 5000! I don't know many have not renewed their licenses in the last year (it was license renewal year), but we have lost probably 20 out of my office which had over 100 in it the first of last year.
Most of the company's offices have laid off at least one or more secretarial staff. We lost one...the one who had been there the longest...same in one of the other offices. They were paid the most....