Looking back 10 years.
I was looking back at blog post from 10 years ago, and I was reminded just how bad those days were. The economy took a terrible hit; it was the start of the great recession. At the time, our son was only a year old, so that consumed most of our time, but it was hard not to notice how bad the economy was going.
Over the next year or so, there were two rounds of layoffs where I worked. Eventually, I think they shed over 40% of their workforce! I weathered the recession fairly well, except for the fact a ‘new normal’ was set with no raises, unpaid time off, and a cutbacks at every level. As a word of warning, if the company you are working for switches from Spoons, Knives, and Forks to Sporks in the lunchroom, they are in trouble. I think we, as a country, were really changed by that recession. The whole employer/employee relationship changed. You could no longer just ask for a raise, you should be happy that you have a job. For the generation that entered the workforce at the time, they will always have a skewed sense of what is appropriate or not.
For the young people out there: You should expect a raise every year. You should get paid vacation and sick days off. Your raises should be more that just inflation. If they are not, you are actually making less every year. You should have decent health insurance. I have heard of some nightmare plans out there, where you are more or less given a credit card, and when that money is gone, it is gone. Your employer should work hard to retain you, not you having to justify your position every 90 days. You should be able to work for years at the same company, no more of this ‘gig’ economy crap. You should expect free or inexpensive coffee. Most importantly, men and women died for you to have a 40 hour work week. Do not let their sacrifice be in vain.
Don’t let employers take advantage of this new normal. There are a lot of jobs out there, looking for skilled people. If you have any skill in engineering or mathematics, the industry really needs you. Get a STEM degree or a practical trade certification. There are not enough graduates or tradespeople to fill the positions. Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. Programming is great and all, but those willing to build and fix real things in the real world are well rewarded. Enough of my graduation speech, get out there and live!
by 
15 Years
It has been a while since I have posted, but I have big news! After 15 years, we are moving to a new house! For the last 15 years we have lived in a Cape Cod style home. It has served us well, but there were things that we just could not change, like the location and the stairs/laundry arrangement.
So, after a decade and a half, we decided to look for a new home and we finally found one that fit the bill. I am 45 years old, so the stairs are starting to take a toll. We both wanted a ranch. Luckily, in the southern suburbs of Chicago, ranch style homes are very popular.
We were looking for several years and working hard to make it possible. Moving is never an accident, I assure you. The wife and I toured many homes, I would guess close to 20, if you include open houses. We did really like one home, but the seller really did not want to work with us on the price and the house was not really that great for us. We ended up looking at another house in Mokena and just fell in love with it. The layout is just what we were looking for and it has some bonus features, like an impressive fire place, that really sealed the deal. Say what you want about huge banks, but when Chase says you will close in 21 days, you will close in 21 days!
A week after we closed we moved into our new house. It took about a month to unpack everything. This post is going up 1 month and 1 day after we moved, and I have just 2 more boxes to empty in my workshop. So far, our son just loves his new school. We were planning on finishing the year in his old school, but the commute and other issues were just too much. He just loves the new school, so it is a win-win.
The whole area is much better than I expected, quiet, birds chirping all the time. As with any house, there are minor things to fix, but nothing too out of the ordinary. So far, so very good.
Posted by admin on May 3, 2019 in General Comments
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