[kaypurdue]

I have 3 or 4 good friends who have lost their jobs in the past few years, though they have since managed to find something else or go back to school full-time. I'm about to join that statistic myself, since I work for VW headquarters. I'm a contractor and haven't learned my fate yet, but I'm fairly certain my position will be either moved or eliminated.

No one very close to me has absolutely had to move out of state to find work. Some have chosen to live in different states for other reasons, but not for lack of work. They have always managed to find something else here. But a number of my friends and family members, including my husband, are either underemployed or working outside of their normal "industry." (My husband has an MBA, but is working an office job for $11.50/hour - less than what I make with a BA. However, he hasn't been there long and his boss is already sending his resume out for higher paying positions, so hopefully something good will come of that.)

It does have to be noted that many folks that I know, either through bad luck or poor life choices or both, have ended up in low-wage and/or unstable industries. Even the best of economies can't make up for a lack of personal responsibility.

As for me? Should my time with my current job come to an end, I'll take my unemployment and try my hand at what I was actually trained to do in college - be a writer! (I have a BA in English and writing.) That's something I can do no matter where I live, so I might as well stick around in Michigan and do it.

[blackseafleet]

I am one of the lucky ones, I went through the last big down turn michigan had in the late 70s, I decided then I would never get into that posistion again, and saved every nickel I made and do with out to do so. I now make 40k sitting on my a$$ a year.
I have been reading this forum for some time as a lurker and decided to join.
There seems to be a fight here that some want to show how things are not as bad as others think it is.
Every one is different, but for sure michigan is not doing well this is not up for debate.
I think michigan in general will have a very bad winter.
I do not feel as optomistic as some of our political people do about the whole counrty right now.
I think the whole country is slipping into a resission.
If we do it will not last foever, the key is to survive down turns as we will always have them.
To do this is live below your means, I read an artical once where a couple had 3 million in the bank. They were asked how did they manage this on two low middle incomes? they said they bought compact low cost cars, lived in a home below what their income would alow. and did not go out to eat every week.
You can take this to far and need to live today as tomorrow may not come for everyone. but how many people do you know that get a nickle in their pockets and go out and buy a cadilac escalade or the like, have a home mortg. of 100k or higher, and every time there is a down turn they loose it all.
This is not to say it is all the peoples fault who are having a hard time in michigan, but you can make the bad times more under your control by not spending every $ you make, have a 401k,take advantage of your companys offer to comp you on company stock purchase,put money into cd's, dont buy a home when the frenzy is on, now is the time to buy in michigan if you want to live there. it may take 15 years but if you want to stay for the long run you will not be sad at what you paid now in 15 years.
I know for many this is going to take a bit to get going, and you may have to move out of state for work. I did in the 80s, then came back in the 90s, We need to do many things in this country to help people but we also need to be smarter people and quit being a "consumer nation" We have to have the newest pocket gadget that costs 300$ and then sells for 100$ in 6 months, I have a brother that drives me nuts, he will take off a day of work to buy halo 3 or some other POS video game, I used to play these but one day you have to grow up and prioritise your life.

[Sanveann]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Like ScottMi65, I must live in a parallel universe from some of you posters because not one of my friends is out of work, looking to move out of Michigan or fearful that it will soon become the....FIRST....THIRD....WORLD....STATE!!!
I'm interested to know (from you doomsday forcasters) exactly how many people you actually know (in Michigan) who are out of work.
Numbers please.

I actually don't know anyone in Michigan who is out of work.

[MIhome]

Originally Posted by Wabbit

Like ScottMi65, I must live in a parallel universe from some of you posters because not one of my friends is out of work, looking to move out of Michigan or fearful that it will soon become the....FIRST....THIRD....WORLD....STATE!!!
I'm interested to know (from you doomsday forcasters) exactly how many people you actually know (in Michigan) who are out of work.
Numbers please.

And yes, I realize I probably just gave Michael Moore his next movie's title.

All the people i know that are out of work in Mi AREN'T IN MICHIGAN,they are out here,working....Then again,they are out here because they want to make more than 8 bucks an hour...ya know good money?

[scottmi]

When I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Dec. '04 I found a fairly good paying entry-level job in Boyne City, MI....not exactly a cultural, economic or social hub by any means. But it was within driving distance of my relatives and for 6 months I worked there.

I then moved to Chicago for a year and a half and just hated the city life (well, that's city anyways) and decided to come back to Michigan to regroup and figure where I wanted to live until I hit 30 or so at least. That was in November of last year.

Since then, I've had nothing but one uphill battle after another to even find a job in my field that pays the SAME ENTRY LEVEL PAY I HAD NEARLY 3 YEARS AGO.

Never mind all the experience I've acquired since then or the better resume. Companies in this state aren't hiring at decent wages because so many people need work. And finding jobs that are salary as opposed to hourly? Almost impossible. And health benefits that don't cost $150+ a month for a single, healthy male w/ no children? Extremely difficult as well.

I wouldn't mind living here for the next few years, but companies have too much control in this economy and the cost of living just keeps going up.


To answer the question of do I know anyone in Michigan who is out of work? No. But that's isn't such a simple answer.

I know MANY people (a dozen close acquaintences/relatives/etc.) who have had to move COMPLETELY out of state because the jobs here just don't pay. And I can't even tell you how many people make crap money here at their jobs. I'm talking 20k pay ranges annually ($8-12/hr.) w/ no benefits....people WITH college degrees.

I know some people who are doing okay, but they just happened to be friends w/ the right person and be at the right place in the right time. Now, they are where they were at years ago not because they love their job, but because they have no alternatives.

[basco]

Originally Posted by Sanveann

I actually don't know anyone in Michigan who is out of work.

I meet people all the time that are out of work. In stores, gas stations, doctor's offices, etc. They are everywhere, you don't have to look very hard.

[jiffin4java]

"...it's Armageddon mostly in the minds of a few malcontents who lost their $70/hour custodial engineering job."

I wholeheartedly disagree! My husband and I BOTH worked at a factory pulling 12 hour shifts to make a meager $12/hr and it wasn't enough. We're both college educated and were STILL unable to find decent jobs that we could support our growing family on. We live very simple lives, so it's not that we weren't willing to give up those extras...there were no extras. We were forced to leave and at that time there were many people I knew who were having the same problems. Some stayed because they weren't willing to leave the place they loved. That's a personal choice and there's nothing wrong with that. But my family was one who chose to leave because the struggle was not worth it. We were not willing to settle into a life of struggling to make ends meet with a very low-paying job when we clearly had the experience and education to do better. (That's not to say factory work is terrible, it's just not for everyone.) So if you're one who's lucky enough to have a stable income and can stay, great. But don't be a jerk to those of us who weren't so lucky. Michigan is still home.

[Cliffie]

One important factor is getting a degree that will get you somewhere. I had to get a Master's in a different field to be employable at all after getting my Bachelor's.

[jiffin4java]

Apparently a degree in engineering at a very high ranking school was not enough at that time in MI, at least not where we were. Didn't take us long to get back on our feet once we finally made the decision to try somewhere else though.

[scottmi65]

I just quit my 70k a year job in Detroit for a 70K job in the thumb. And no I am not in health care or the auto industry and I do not have any college. Not wanting to brag, just giving you my personal experiance that there is more out there than the big three. And life outside of Detroit Metro does exist.