I Am a National Statistic

There is no dancing around this elephant in the room... I have been laid-off.

I am just one of the many casualties of layoffs at my former employer over the last several years. It had been over a year since the last round of layoffs, which I think had given me some sort of false sense of security. It seemed as if we had finally reached the bottom and things were starting to improve. Of course then we got sold, and all bets were off... 

This was my second "tour of duty" at the paper. I left under my own accord in 2009 to pursue a career in teaching. I graduated from Clemson with my MAT degree in Middle Grades Education in 2010 with my Middle Grades Math teaching certificate from the state of SC. That same year just happened to be the worst year for teacher job openings thanks to the economy and the greatly slashed education budgets. I was unable to find a teaching job and after some subbing and a brief stint with the Clemson MAT program in Greenville, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to return to the newspaper.

The paper was my very first, and really only, big girl job since graduating from Winthrop in 2006. It was hard to leave the first time, I even cried when I told my manager I was leaving. It seemed as if I were meant to be there. I hit the ground when I returned as if I had never left. I enjoyed working there and worked with a lot of really great people.

Kevin and my dad are angry about the whole situation. I guess it's their protective sides showing - how dare someone hurt their little Melly/Pumpkin! I know its not the person being laid-off but rather the position they hold - its hard not to take things a little personal though. Why did it have to be me? Why was my job not important enough to keep around?

I'm not mad, I am sad... and disheartened. I feel like its not fair to Kevin. He's already supported me once when I went back to school, he shouldn't have to do it again. We had plans and hopes for our future that are all up in the air now. I am using my college roommate, Katie, for inspiration. She decided she wasn't happy with her situation and she changed it. She didn't know what would happen, or how long it would take, but she had faith and things worked out great for her.