Hey Tommy,
There is nothing "cheesy" regarding your post, & although many are out of work, there are ways to stay afloat. Some jobs may not be the cat's meow, but surviving these tough times may cause many to bite-the bullet. Being semi-retired now allows me to enjoy the fruits of my labor and I still work p/t at my employer. I've been laid off for a year & a half with a total of 170hrs for all of last year. Our company has stayed afloat because they sell used & refurbished systems & I am called in to fab & weld the new system applications. In a way it has been a blessing since the downturn in the economy caused everyone to get items repaired rather than replace. I have been extremely busy in my home shop & references from a local industrial/structural welding company who do not do general repairs, keeps me hummin'.
Last spring, the landscape guys buried me with repairs as, not knowing the effect with retaining customers, decided to get their equipment repaired rather than replace. Many of their customers were cutting back as everyone has done to an extent to reduce expenses. At times, I had 3-4 landscape trailers with broken equipment needed fixin' & thus my operation flourished. In addition, I had general repairs come in every day with easy small jobs that were "quickies"....nice $$$. Then, in the fall, the snowplow guys did the same. With the many heavy snowfalls we had this winter, many of these guys really overextended their rigs & yup., more work. This is not to brag....just to let others know, there is work if one does a bit of homework researching their areas needs. With each job, I passed out 3-4 cards & those produced work. I will stress that those who do get into a self-operation are knowledgeable & do first-class work....anything less is not acceptable. I also have (2) classic car restorations scheduled as soon as this weather breaks.
Anyway, I wanted to simply encourage others to hang in there as you have done & stay optimistic. As you can see, getting laid off can sometimes be a blessing-in-disguise. You are the only person who holds yourself back.... a hungry worker always finds work.... that's an absolute. Good luck...
Denny
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