In Which the New York Times Prints News That Isn't News

Yesterday, the Times ran a story about people who had been laid off and never managed to get back to the place they were before the layoff.

Guess what? Most people who have been laid off never make it back to where they were.

I know this. I feel this acutely.

Hop in the Wayback Machine.

1989 - I am working for Mighty Citadel and work my way up to a salary of 3x. I've saved money and decide that now is the time to try writing full time.
1990 - Income: $0.
1991 - Income: $0.
1992 - Income: $240. I sold two short stories to Alfred Hitchock and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines.
1993 - Income: $350. Alfred and Ellery to the rescue again.
1994 - Income: $0. Xman and I moved back to Jersey.
1995 - I go back to Mighty Citadel as a contractor. Income: 2x.
1997 - Evil Empire hires me. Income: 3x.
1999 - Xman and I go our separate ways.
2002 - At Evil Empire, I work second and third shifts and overtime. Income: 4x.
2002 - Evil Empire lays me off.
2003 - Income: $0, not including unemployment.
2004 - I temp at Big Insurance Co and Mighty Citadel. My first gig is for $9 / hr. Eventually I work my way up to 1x.
2004 - I get a job at Fezziwig Co. Income: 2x.
2005 - Laid off by Fezziwig Co. Go back to contracting at Mighty Citadel. I start at $18 / hr and work myself up to 2 1/2 x.
2006 - I get hired by Unnamed Co. Income: 3x.
2008 - I get laid off by Unnamed Co after reaching an income of 3 1/2 x.
2009 - Income: $0.

Now I see, too late no doubt, the cost of this. It's taken some time to realize the impact. Not only did I lose salary, but I decimated my savings not once but three times, wasn't able to build on a pension and wasn't able to contribute to 401Ks in most of that time. Whenever I could, I did.

Will I ever be able to hit 4x again? One hopes but one has one's doubts.

The Times got comments on the story. One commenter said he was now making less than half of his salary but "we learned to live differently. No cable tv, no week long vacations to exotic places." And he continued along in this vein and everything he said was familiar to me.

I'm still working on finding a job, of course. I heard from a temp agency that might have something for me - at 1 1/2 x. On my way up at Mighty Citadel in the 1980s, my starting salary was 1 1/2 x. In 1983.

Of course, I can't give up. But I know I have a lot less energy compared to 1983. Or even 2004. Hope has turned to wistfulness. I know better now.