

From $80,000 a year to eviction - quoderat
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/01/28/jobloss.hard.times/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

======
pragmatic
And I wanted to be an aerospace engineer who designed and flew his own
spaceships.

Sometimes stuff doesn't work out.

These are "template articles." Usually you find these on the front page of
msn.com not hacker news.

Find a person that fits template, big goals and dreams then X happened where X
is drugs, economic downturn, accident, etc. Then move into how the world is
scary and random, then get "expect advice." End with final quote about how
world is scary and random.

~~~
quoderat
You're right. Most journalism is template articles (said as a former
journalist).

~~~
lallysingh
So this could be adapted for generating said generic pieces:
<http://pdos.csail.mit.edu/scigen/>

------
pingswept
How does crap like this end up on the front page of HN, and why are people
upmodding it but not commenting?

(I assume the people upmodding are not commenting because the comments are
mostly negative (8 out of 10, at present).)

Is there a shortage of impressive hacks to submit and upmod? Is there
something particularly pleasant about this place vs. Reddit or Digg? Are the
words "Hacker News" only appearing for me?

------
callmeed
It's sad to hear stories like this (unemployment in our area is around 10%
now) and layoffs aren't the employees' fault ...

BUT it also underscores the importance of (a) living at or below your means
when you do have a job and (b) saving money for emergencies like this.
Probably at the very least 2 or 3 months living expenses, which gives you time
to job hunt, relocate, etc.

------
Hexstream
_"Here, the people earn millions of dollars with bonuses that are
astronomical," said Dorlen, who is also the public education coordinator in
New Jersey for the American Psychological Association. "There is a
demoralizing aspect to having a huge salary and a huge bonus and then having
to look for a job that is going to pay much, much less."_

Why would you need too look for a job if you had earned millions of dollars?
Do you really need to live a 2 million dollars a year lifestyle the rest of
your life just because you're used to make 2 millions a year? Gosh.

------
petercooper
Is there a site that _isn't_ elance, rentacoder, or stuff like that, where you
can genuinely hook up with people who are looking for "odd job" type Internet
work? Such as, write a press release, design a logo, help me with a business
plan, yada yada.

If all these people are falling out of work and earning a pittance (that
article claims she's now making $20k), then surely there are some pretty
qualified people we could be paying $25 an hour to do stuff for us (who would
have previously cost $100+).

You might think that'd be "taking advantage" of the recession, and sure, it
is, but money in the pocket is better than no money.

~~~
utnick
they sometimes have that sort of thing in the gigs section of craigslist

------
bmelton
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

I usually just chuckle when I hear that statement, but oh man does it apply
here. Something about the first story doesn't add up, which unfortunately
makes me less than sympathetic.

I don't see how she planned to go through years of law school with no money.
Either she had enough money saved up for living expenses + tuition (in which
case, she still should, as she would have saved 3/4 of that,) or she had a
scholarship... in which case, she should have stayed enrolled until she found
a job.

I get that the circumstances MIGHT have been unforeseeable, but Aesop knew it
way back in the day, and it really seems like common sense.

~~~
lacker
I agree the first story doesn't add up. She's still making $20k with her part-
time work - a lot of people are worse off! You can survive on $20k in the
Detroit area. Instead, she lost her car and got evicted. I'm guessing she
didn't prepare financially for being a student, and she still hasn't
readjusted her expenditures.

~~~
Retric
Two years ago I owned my car and had a roommate so when I was unemployed for 6
months and it was no big deal.

Now my apartment is 1515$ a month an my car payment is 500$ a month. There is
no way in hell I could pay that while making 20k / year. If your making X and
drop down to 1/4 X then all those obligations that seemed reasonable at the
time are just not possible.

~~~
lacker
Exactly, which is why if you drop down to 1/4X you need to move out of that
$1500 apartment. If someone ignores the problem until your car is repossesed
and you get evicted, there are people more deserving of sympathy.

Also, I think $1515 a month in Detroit gets you a castle with a moat around
it.

------
sosuke
Both stories listed are the result of their own decisions. The first lady quit
her job to go to law school and can't find work in her old field. The second
example listed left his full-time job to get in the real estate business which
was unstable even when he started (July 2007) and they are both wondering what
went wrong. No one I've spoken with is anxious to move jobs right now and
everyone seems to want to stay where they are until things brighten up. These
people took risks that didn't pan out and that is why they are where they are.

~~~
ibsulon
If you haven't noticed, there were 70,000 layoffs this week.

In Tucson, people are scrambling for jobs. I'm in a position where my
employment is ending in March and the jobs I see are extremely competitive.
I'm in a good position relatively (strong savings, a competitive skillset for
enterprise applications) but I'm extremely concerned.

(And yes, the plan is to attempt to generate revenue through some sort of
startup if nothing comes along. This, of course, is the benefit of being a
creator. My concern is that no one seems to be buying right now.)

~~~
BarryGeiman
New to Backtype. My contract recently ended, am invloved in my own job
search..it's tough out there. Please reach out to the friends, business
associates and colleagues that are struggling through these difficult
times,help find there way. Remember what they did to help you in good times.
Sometimes just listening helps.

------
lionhearted
I love the "advice" you get from mainstream media. Your life is wrecked up by
a mix of bad decisions and bad luck, and the solution is to:

• Don't panic; • Find a support group, even if it's just an informal group of
friends; • Seek employment counseling when available; • Be professional in
your job hunt; • Network with other professionals; • Take time to exercise
during hard times; • Spend valuable time with your family.

Ah, good! I was about to panic, become a hermit, be unprofessional in my job
hunt, and avoid my family.

Okay, some of that advice is mildly valuable, but without additional detail,
"Don't panic" is totally vacuous. Yeah, you're not going to be wrong, but it's
not insightful either. It's why I typically avoid mainstream TV/newspapers -
lots of unqualified "Don't panic" and "remember to exercise" type advice.

