The Future's So Bright....Maybe.

Today is Black Wednesday...again. My employer is once again laying people off, according to the rumors/speculation/grapevine/people freaking out around here. We’re down to 1,600 employees these days, despite the hiring of 400 in the last few months. Let’s face it – longevity is rare around this joint.

I’m not sure where I’ll stand at the end of the day – when you’ve already lost 92 percent of your workers, there’s not that many people left to pick off. I suspect I’ll be okay for now, but stranger things have happened. Meanwhile, there will be a whole lot more available parking in the lot tomorrow AM...

I’m tired of worry about pink slips, ya know? For 6.5 of my 9 years here I’ve lived under the specter of getting the tap on your shoulder from H.R. I’ve survived 11 rounds of job cuts through my division, and I’ve watched a lot of good people be escorted to the door.

When I started college in March 2005 it was with the goal of preparing myself for my future. Nobody is going to save old Tommy’s butt except for me, so I wanted to get the upperhand – and be prepared for whatever the world tosses me. A lot of my co-workers will be totally devastated if they’re the next to go. I’ve seen a lot of previously “right-sized” co-workers working these days at Wal-Mart or Target, because that’s all that they can find with their education and job skills. It’s sad, but it’s a big cruel world sometimes. I swore to myself years ago that I would never allow myself to be caught in that quagmire again – and that’s when I enrolled for college.

And so here I am – ready to graduate with honors with my Business Administration degree in about 48 hours from now. I’ve got a 4.0 GPA, a fresh degree, 9 years of high-rated experience, a killer resume, and the world ahead of me.

So I’m ready for anything. Whatever happens today will not destroy me. I’m prepared, and I will survive.

And I will win – no matter what.