four years ago, you were...now you are...

[ulysses]

How have things changed?

Me: In August, 2000, I was spending my days in the BellSouth building in downtown Atlanta, working my best IT job and researching leftist politics.

In August, 2004, I've been through two long-term layoffs, a yearlong stint with the fundamentalist Christians north of town and am now a special education teacher with the Atlanta Public Schools. The layoffs notwithstanding, I consider it a plus - I'm back doing what I should have never left. Including the layoffs, though, we're probably 5-10 years behind where we should be financially.

You?

[WindRavenX]

1. 4 years ago...

I was in HS studying for college.
Now I am at Boston College studying biology and Enlgish and massively in debt.
But it's worth it.

[ulysses]

2. studying Enlgish?

;-)

[WindRavenX]

3. damn you Bush, damn you!!!!

Or more accurately, damn my long nails for mashing the keys... :D

[ulysses]

6. hmmm...

Never pictured you with long nails for some reason...

[WindRavenX]

16. well...not like 80's long

But nicely manicured :)

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

4. Four years ago: I was doing medical transcription out of my home

For an ungrateful physician who piled more and more work on me.

Today: Just started my third and final year of law school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and am working at Neighborhood Legal Services. My, how things have changed!!

[22181]

5. Depressed...

Then...

I was depressed and single after having wasted two years with a man that ended up being very emotionally abusive, and late in the relationship, physically abusive as well...

Now...

Happily married to the most wonderful man in the world, finished with my very annoying job, and just enjoying the life of a slacker for awhile.

[FloridaPat]

7. Foour years ago I had a career, a job, a stock portfolia,and a 401K.

Computer programmer jobs have been shipped overseas. Been unemployed most of the last 2 years. Time again for a career change before all the programming jobs are gone.

No stock portfolio and my 401k is a 1k.

[BigMcLargehuge]

8. Four years ago I was STILL working on the first e-Learning title

I designed, Introduction to Basic Telephony "AKA Springfield". Going through marriage councelling. Driving my then nearly brand new Ford Escort. Working on a book, part of a writers group, and starting Hapkido.

[TlalocW]

9. Four years ago...

I was also starting my best job in the IT industry. Then I was laid off in September of 2003 along with 359 other employees. I then did temporary work at the state fair managing a food booth, worked at the good magic/costume store in town for seasonal Halloween work (sold the most gorilla suits ever), and kind of floated around until February doing freelance web design/database work and entertainment gigs at restaurants and kids' parties (magic and balloon twisting). I then got on with a call center for Sprint, but the hours were killing me (up until 2 am every day I worked); I had been promised but never got other hours, and my manager was a dick, so I floated around some more and was hired at the new DirecTV call center that they built in Tulsa. This is my second week of on the job training. I'm still looking for IT work even though my skills are getting stale - had to drop a community college course in ASP.NET thanks to that first call center job, and I'm trying to build up my side entertainment business.

I'm earning approximately 1/3 of what I did at my IT job and don't answer my phone when I don't recognize the number on the caller id because it's probably a bill collector.

TlalocW

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. Four years ago....

I didn't have a damn pinched nerve in my left rotator cuff (shoulder). Or have to go through all these damn medical tests.

BUSH!!!! It's all YOUR fault.

[onebigbadwulf]

11. Starting my 2nd year of college

in my apt. Experiencing the first true moments of freedom while watching the olympics on a tiny television.

The fresh smell of paint was on the walls, and hopes for the election 2000 were high.

I said if Bush won the election I'd move out of the country - and indeed I did.

[LanternWaste]

12. Odd life

Four years ago I was a typesetter for a telemarketing company.

Now I am a creative Consultant and Freelance Writer for an Audio Visual Company in Cancun seriously thinking about opening a bookstore/coffee shop in El Centro :)

Yeah, but I have to admit I'm no where near as financially secure as I thought I'd be at 38 (sheesh, if my High School agenda were in play, I'd be Secretary of State right now...)

Odd life. :P

[NightTrain]

13. Me, August 2000....

I was seriously pissed off at the Democrats rship for the party's rightward turn under President Clinton. To say "Fuck you" to the DLC, I registered as a Green and voted for Ralph Nader.

Me, August 2004: I'm a Democrat again and will do whatever I can to help get John Kerry into the White House. He wasn't my first, or even second, choice among the original candidates, but now that Kerry is the man, he has my full support.

Give 'em hell, Kerry!!!

[mongo]

14. Another IT story

Four Years ago:
Me: Sr Systems Analyst for a fortune 500 company. Laid off job in 2001.
Wife: Stay at home mom and homeschool teacher.

Modest paid off house in a small town, relativly debt free, decent health insurance plan.


Now:
Me: Owner/operator of a Lingerie and Eroitic Boutique. Salary $0.00 I "volunteer" here 50-60 hours/wk

Wife: Owner/operator of a Lingerie and Erotic Boutique. Salary about 1/3 of what I made as an IT guy. We just gave her a raise to meet the minimum salary for an exempt employee. Between us, counting the hours we work we would make about $3.00/hr if we were both paid hourly.

House mortgaged to the hilt, drownding in debt, no health insurance.

[sofa king]

15. Four years ago I was...

...An historical researcher at a small Indian affairs firm essentially serving in a lawyer's capacity in order to cover the departure of a friend and fellow employee who was never replaced. I had my own apartment and as decent a salary as one can expect while working for the very most impoverished Americans. It kept my head just above water in Washington DC, and I loved it.

No raises and two layoffs later, I'm unemployed and broke. My unemployment insurance is being contested by my most recent employer. My insurance company is contesting my recent hospitalization--undertaken on the insistence of a social worker provided by the same insurance company, I might add. The justification of the insurance company is that while I had suicidal thoughts, I didn't have an actual plan, nor did I make an attempt on my own life.

I can't afford COBRA even if I could get my former employer to actually send me the letter I need to start the process. My antidepressant prescription ran out a month ago and it will remain unfilled because I cannot afford to see a psychiatrist, much less pay for another bucket of pills.

I don't have the energy to fight these people, and my credit rating is fucked anyhow, so it's difficult to give a shit. Our conservative friends might point out that with just a little bit of responsibility I could have avoided all of this. Well, here's a no-shitter for them: when you have mental problems, responsibility is one of the first things to go. THAT is why the system used to be designed to seek out and intercept people like me--because past a certain point, we lose the ability to help ourselves. It is a symptom of the affliction, not a character defect.

Today's health care system is a sham designed to take our cash while providing a mere illusion of protection.

I'm not looking for a handout. I busted my fucking ass at my job for a few simple guarantees. One of them was that if I got sick, I'd already paid into the system so that I could be made well again. Another is that if I got so sick that I couldn't do my job, I'd have a financial safety net. Instead, I got a bunch of slippery weasels willing to fight me over a virtually inconsequential price tag which also happens to be the value of my very life.

This, I know firsthand, is compassionate conservatism at work.

Maybe I'm tired of it and I'll finally give up, leaving our compassionate conservative friends with the bill. Maybe I'll persevere and deal with another decade of wrecked credit, workplace discrimination, no health care and minimal economic opportunity.

Either way, I am a helluva lot worse off than I was four years ago. But frankly, I'm too pissed off to check out now.

[guitar man]

17. 2000-2004

2000- I was running my own business,recording studio, cd duplication and production, starting to really see the fruits of my efforts pay off. December 11, I took a part time job at a TV station when it looked like * was going to steal the election. smartest move I ever made. The business started a downward spiral shortly sfter * took office,and a nose dive after 9-11

2004,8/26 (today)

Luckily, the part-time tv job I took in Tulsa turned into a full-time opportunity in May of last year. Even though the full-time job is with the Oklahoma City affiliate, which means a 92 mile one way commute, at least I'm working full time which is bette than a lot of folks are doing. Certainly not making the kind of income I was at my business, but surviving. Hopefully, JK will get the economy back on track and I can fire up the biz again.

[ulysses]

19. Tulsa, huh?

I grew up 30 miles NE of there in Claremore. My condolences on the commute to OKC. :)

[guitar man]

22. It isn't so bad

I have my work week down to 4 days, 10 hour shifts. I have an air mattress in the back,so I come down for 2 days at a time so I'm down to 2 trips a week now. Love Claremore, neat little town.

[ulysses]

23. it is a nice town, yes.

Good place to grow up.

[HEyHEY]

18. I was studying French at Universite du Quebec in Trois Riveries

Spent most of my time chasing after a little mexican girl.
Now, I'm the editor of a small newspaper in a small town in BC, with a busted car and barely a dime to my name.

[Aristus]

20. Four years ago, I was a newlywed.

Now I'm just wed. :-)

[LastKnight]

21. four years ago i was indifferent to politics...

then the supreme court picked bush... and thus started the slipery slide to the left... sure i knew we would end up in frivilous wars if bush was elected, but i didnt really care at that point, i was 14. anyway the people couldnt be stupid enough to pick him could they? didnt matter, the supreme court was stupid enough to do it. and now im 18, and there is talk of a draft, and now im fucking pissed.

-LK

[oreocat]

The Bush Years

August 2000;
IT Manager for small firm, 55K

Laid off Sept 8th 2000

Worked any consulting IT jobs for last three years making little money. Made only $5,000 last year.
(Thank God my wife has a pretty good job)


August 2004:

Just started my 1st "real" job since 2000, making 45K
So I was unemployed throughout all the Bush administration, Thank God for Kerry.

[oreocat]

24. The Bush Years

August 2000;
IT Manager for small firm, 55K

Laid off Sept 8th

Worked any consulting IT jobs for last three years making little money. Made only $5,000 last year.
(Thank God my wife has a pretty good job)


August 2004:

Just started my 1st "real" job since 2000, making 45K
So I was unemployed throughout all the Bush administration, Thank God for Kerry.

[Q3JR4]

25. Four years ago

I was in the closet. Now I'm out to the world and everyone who sits before me (especially if he's really cute ;)).

[Droopy]

26. 4 years ago I was a Republican. Now I'm Democrat.

I became a Dem after the WTC attacks. Actually I was further to the left than most Dems initially. It was a major shift and it took place very quickly. For about a couple of weeks I was a total mess then I got over it.

[pmbryant]

27. Amazingly, I'm still in software development

Been laid off twice in the interim, however.

Almost lost the desire to continue in this field, but found a second wind (lost first wind in 2002) earlier this year.

Will it last? Where will I be four years hence?

:shrug:

Peter