Lisa

When Lisa, 37, began working at Gateway eight years ago, she hoped to retire there. But on Oct. 31, 2003, with only a week’s notice, Gateway laid off Lisa—and more than 600 of her co-workers—because they moved production to the southern United States and overseas. Lisa finished her bachelor’s degree in e-business, but with no jobs in this field she went back to school to get her master’s degree in project management. As the primary breadwinner in the house, she may have to leave school to find part-time work to make ends meet.

My Story
When I went to work for Gateway eight years ago, I had hoped to retire there. I was paid well, received good benefits and had room for growth within the company. I initially worked in tech support and then moved over to the production and fulfillment side of the company.

On Oct. 31, 2003, Gateway hit us with a massive layoff—more than 600 people were let go when they decided to move production down south and overseas. With so much outsourcing going on, I feel like this country is in a downfall and falling fast.

We were given about a week’s notice. Even though we all suspected that something was going on, Gateway didn’t want us to know the timing so that productivity wouldn’t falter. That just doesn’t seem right. Now, the majority of my severance package is being spent paying for my COBRA health insurance and to stave off creditors. I finally decided that I just couldn’t afford the COBRA payment or the $70/week to go on my husband’s plan, so I will have to forego health insurance for now.

My husband and I have run up credit card debt trying to stay afloat, and I’m afraid that we may lose our apartment. If that happens, I have no idea where we’ll go. My husband works as a bookkeeper for a convenience store, and when I was working, I was the primary breadwinner. So right now, we’ve just been living day-by-day. We can’t buy groceries because we have other bills that have to get paid.

I am going to school to get my master’s degree in project management, but I’m not hopeful that I’ll find a job in this field because I have no experience. I’m realizing that the degree itself isn’t worth a lot without prior experience.

Ultimately, I think I may have to drop out of school and find part-time work because we just can’t afford to have me out of the workforce any longer.

My ultimate dream is to go into business for myself. But between the poor economy and start-up costs, I’m really wary of even thinking about it right now.