Demetrius

Demetrius, 41, was laid off from his job as an IT manager during a corporate restructuring. He has been looking for a new job for the past 10 months. Demetrius is going back to school to earn his bachelor’s degree. He hopes the degree will help him find a new job, even though he is overqualified for the few positions that are available.

My Story
I consider myself relatively lucky in this jobs crisis, because I noticed the downturn early on and prepared for it. I began saving, and I enrolled in school when my company started to restructure.

About 1,500 of us were laid off, and my former company was just bought by a Canadian firm. I am sure that there will be more layoffs to come—at least another 2,500 people. It’s the same story in the other IT companies in northern Virginia; there have been a lot of mergers, downsizing and outsourcing.

My life entered a holding pattern when I was laid off. Even though I saved, I’m forced to weigh the importance of purchases that I used to take for granted. As the months add up, I’m growing more concerned about my prospects of finding a new job. I’ve extended my job search beyond Virginia, but there aren’t good jobs available anywhere.

Some of the interviews I’ve had are for jobs that I did 15 years ago. Occasionally I get a consulting job, but those aren’t enough to sustain me indefinitely.

I don’t believe the economists who claim the economy is recovering. President Bush’s policies are counter-productive. Pro-business policies that hurt consumers won’t help the working class.