My friend just lost her job as an Analytical Chemist.

[HughBeaumont]

I mean, it makes sense when you think about it.

I'm guessing "Analytical Chemist" must be along the lines of "assembly line worker" or some run-of-the-mill redundant career choice like that, as throwaway and replaceable as "applications programmer", "mechanical engineer", "physicist", "financial analyst" or some other burger-flipper-level job.

After all, it was folly to think that 8 years of college would yield a long-term career path . . . . "Chemist" . . . pffffffft! What a poor choice. Shoulda, woulda, coulda, you know? Come on, why didn't she pick "Hedge Fund Manager", or "CEO" or start her own business??

It's more than feasible that, at age 48 and with no income stream coming in and bills that are due now, that she could . . . retrain, head back to college and pick a smarter career path . . . work really, really, really harder and she just might GET that awesome new job. Millions of workers in the '60s - '90s did it, why is she such a special snowflake? And if a reduction in force so that major shareholders can purchase that third mansion should happen again, then retrain again. And again! You should never stop learning or trying to find that cheese in the maze, even if someone continually moves it. NO EXCUSES!!

If you don't have the prognostication skills of a career counselor to tell what the hot occupations are going to be 5-10 years down the road (planned obsolescence, economy or plain bad luck be damned), then you, my friend, are missing out and need to get some. This great meritocracy of ours doesn't guarantee equal results, equal fairness or equal pay . . . only equal opportunity that you can either get on board with or starve to death under a bridge. YOUR CHOICE!!

as if it needs to be said.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. A sad story I've seen too many times.

I have no answers, but really wish I did. More Federal research money might help for a while.

[HughBeaumont]

6. Good luck with the Johnny Walker Orange congress.

Even locally, Ohio is plagued by Kat$hit and a Repub state legislature.

Maybe the various Defense Dept. entities have a need for chemists . . . . ?

[KG]

2. The obama economic miracle forges ahead!

[rurallib]

8. I do not understand how this relates to Obama

there have been serious mistakes made in his economic program, but to relate this to Obama is a strange step indeed.

[sharp_stick]

9. Didn't you hear

it's all Obama's fault, everything bad that happens.

There are some posters that would bitch about a sunny day and blame Obama for it.

[rurallib]

14. yeah - usually someone gets in before I do to say something

I agree that someone losing their job is a bad thing, but there are usually multiple factors that go into such a situation. To jump to blame the president is one hell of a leap.

Personally I blame Romney

[KingCharlemagne]

34. I blame Reagan - nt

[daleanime]

36. I blame the system we've allowed to be set up....

losing 'a job' should not be the life threatening event it is.

[HughBeaumont]

38. That's the tragic result of tethering health, education and progress to employment.

A poor social safety net that fully accomodates only the wealthiest of us and throws the rest away contributes greatly to America's regression.

[daleanime]

41. That is a big part of it....

also it from viewing capitalism as a 'magic pill' for all of our problems.

[aggiesal]

81. Our tax breaks at work n/t

[FSogol]

20. If anyone loses a job ever, then it is Obama's fault, obviously.

To the OP, best wishes for your friend. Sometimes companies have no recourse than letting people go. Have you friend go apply for unemployment benefits immediately.

[former9thward]

75. It is not Obama's fault

but I don't see criticism when the unemployment goes down or the Dow goes up and there are countless posts giving Obama the credit. So what is it? He is responsible for only good things in the economy? The truth is, he is responsible for neither good or bad. To say he is, is just politics.

[DeSwiss]

35. !

[Darb]

45. Weakest-assed sauce I've seen since

oh, about yesterday.

Weak nonetheless.

[tenderfoot]

76. So diggin' the hit and run post.

Are you saying things are badtoworst?

[GeorgeGist]

3. The dumbest guy in my fraternity got an MBA ...

and became a millionaire.

[TBF]

19. Connections -

along with possible inherited family money. It's always been a winner and we are right back to those days thanks to Reagan/Bush. The odds have always been against kids like me making it (factory kid, state college on the GI bill).

[CK_John]

40. Was he really the dumbest or the best survivor. Learn to weld.

[Patiod]

69. I found an old boyfriend on FB who was dumb as a bag of rocks, and he's also stock-market rich

One of my college friends (sort of a boyfriend w/o benefits) was a total stoner. A funny guy, handsome, personable, but frighteningly clueless. My parents didn't worry if he got me home at 3am saying he had gotten lost, because they were aware the likelihood was very high that he WAS lost and confused.

Anyway, he now races yachts. And got rich....working for Merrill Lynch.

I thought "Well, maybe his brains were a little scrambled in college from all the dope he smoked". Yeah--- No. Wrote him a quick "good to see ya - hope life is treating you well" note, and the reply was nice, but horribly written - sounded like it had come from a stoned 7th grader.

So yeah, The Finance Bizness was the way to go, sadly. While chem majors are unemployed.....

[jamzrockz]

4. And did your friend say

that she cannot ever get another job as an analytical chemist? Calm down, people have lows in their careers and she will most likely bounce back in time.

[HughBeaumont]

10. Gee, can't see why your posts are "Getting lots of alerts".

Probably because empathy or seeing the musical-chair idiocy behind modern unbridled capitalism aren't your strong suits?

What if it doesn't happen? What kind of economy do we have when we're firing people in knowledge-required careers and jobs that don't pay diddly are supposed to replace them?

[belzabubba333]

18. i noticed you didnt respond to the post other than to attack the poster

are we supposed to set our hair on fire over "what ifs" .

[HughBeaumont]

26. Who's setting their hair on fire?

I would expect people to CARE, which you two don't seem to take any interest in doing, thus I'll respond with the same lack of respect you're giving me. Perhaps Discussionist is more your speed.

[belzabubba333]

46. another non-answer , im familiar with this tact point out something in the post

that you dont like as a way to not answer

[A Simple Game]

53. But do you care why the person lost their job? Should you care why?

Was it a cut back?
Were they fired?
Were they incompetent?
Did they make a mistake that cost the company a lot of money?
Did they make a lot of mistakes?
Did they make a mistake that cost a lot of people their lives?
Did the company go out of business?
Was the demand for their job trending down when they started school? When they graduated school?
The list could be endless.

What does knowing someone lost their job do for me without knowing the reason? How will it help that person if I care? I doubt I will ever meet that person, or even the OP.

I can empathize having lost a few jobs myself, but whether I care or not can do the affected person no good either way. My caring apparently could help you, but what purpose would that serve?

[HughBeaumont]

60. I don't know, it'd probably go a lot further than bollocksing up a thread just because.

A thread that supposedly holds no interest or purpose to you, yet somehow you felt compelled to respond to . . . for whatever reason . . . .

All of your questions have already been answered.

[A Simple Game]

66. But I was obviously interested, thus my questions. As to purpose, I didn't know that the tread

would serve me no purpose until I read some of it. I know more now than I did before I first read the thread because I looked up Analytical Chemist to see what the job was about.

As to my questions. Further down in the thread I learned it was a reduction in workforce, but not why. You didn't know what company your good friend worked for so that served me no purpose. From others in the thread I learned there should be many employment opportunities for your friend and others in that field that could be useful information for your friend also.

But if it makes you feel better tell your friend that A Simple Game wishes them the best of luck, that should make their day!

[librechik]

5. They always need lab-smart folks at local hospitals

I found a lot of job security and satisfaction working in healthcare. You don't need a crystal ball to realize that's a huge area of job growth.

I know how bitter it is to lose a good job. Good luck to your friend.

[Octafish]

7. Tell her to keep her chin up, better days are ahead.

Right now it doesn't seem that way, but she needs to know that the problem is with the company, not her.

If she's a friend of yours, HughBeaumont, she's a special person. Any company would be fortunate to have her on the team.

Now comes the hard part, finding the right organization to devote her wisdom and skills and finding a way to keep the wolf away from the door.

PS: You are absolutely correct. This ain't no meritocracy, it's paradise for banksters and warmongers. And life here under the bridge is getting crowded, although I'm told to be grateful for that.

[HughBeaumont]

11. Firing someone before Christmas is one of the biggest dick moves anyone can make.

And 48 now means she's in the "ageism" category, yet another lovely corporate practice that's killing America and draining it of much-needed training experience.

[LittleGirl]

52. exactly

and I've seen it many times before. My bil is a physicist and lives in silicon valley area and can't find a permanent job to save his family. His wife, my sil, is a biologists and luckily found a good position and was promoted recently too. If she didn't work, they would be homeless. They have pre-teen daughters at home too. Very smart family that keeps getting kicked in the teeth.

[Sparhawk60]

54. How True

I was laid off the day of the company Christmas party. Kinda put a damper on Christmas that year, I had to return a lot of gifts for the $$$$. Why they can have a wee bit of heart and keep her on for one, maybe two months and then let her go.

[Patiod]

70. I actually think it's kinder than waiting

Yeah, it ruins Christmas, but you know in time to economize.

I was fired once right before a big party I was starting to plan. I was incredibly relieved that it came in time for me to cancel the reservations and save the money I was planning to spend.

And as for the 48 years old, that does suck. Age-ism is alive and well and tough - I've lived it. Hope she kept connected in her industry and is on LinkedIn- the only advantage to being 48 and out of work is that many of us oldsters have developed industry connections over the years.

[joeglow3]

12. Not near enough information in your post

We just let three people go (Manager of finance, Senior Analyst and Analyst), ranging in ages from 24-64. All three of them were for performance related issues and we spent over a year in remediation programs to help them improve. They failed to do that and were let go, with a very lengthy paper trail documenting it.

I am guessing that is the case, from the tone of your post. That is about the only way I know that someone would be forced to go back to college after losing their jobs. All the people I know who have had their position eliminated in well educated fields that the one you mention have found jobs within a year. She has very unique skills that are desirable. So long as she was not terminated with cause, she should have little problem finding work. In the meantime, I hope she has a good network of family and friends (clearly she has a good friend in you) who can help her through this low time. Have confidence that she can prevail and come out stronger. She needs the extra boost right now.

Good luck.

[tammywammy]

17. Plus with no background the company could be losing money and had a large layoff.

I know a company around here lost a huge contract and a few days later it was stated that they'd be laying off around 200 people. These are educated people just like in the OP, lots of engineers.

A chemical analyst will bounce back.

[HughBeaumont]

22. Reduction in Force, definitely not performance-related.

[joeglow3]

47. That is what I figured

Good luck and continue being a great friend.

[abelenkpe]

13. Same thing happened to me two years ago

Only the whole job category packed up and was shipped overseas. As an added burn the president I love and voted for came out to congratulate the CEOs who laid us off and gave a sweet speech saying he hopes their successful business model is duplicated across the nation. (And democrats wonder why voters have given up on the system.) I'm so sorry that happened to your friend. She's going to need you for emotional support in this cruel society. I hope she can find something meaningful and rewarding to replace her lost job.

[chrisa]

15. Because starting your new business means that you could lose your shirt.

Some competitive paradise we are. You must be *this* rich to start a business, or otherwise risk everything you own and your financial standing for the rest of your life.

That's not a "Free Market." It's being stupid and doing all that you can to ensure that the market consists of only a few corporations and nothing else. Conservatives want it that way.

[Kilgore]

16. Lots of chemist jobs here if she is willing to move

Chemists are in demand here in Washington. One of my paper mill clients hass had a job open for months before filling. Problem was no applicants for a good paying job with full benefits and retirement. The problem is a shortage of degrees chemists with experience according to him.

Here is a link to 116 open chemist jobs in Washington alone.

http://www.indeed.com/q-Chemist-l-Washington-jobs.html

And another 54 open chemist jobs in Oregon.

http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Chemist&l=Oregon

[TBF]

21. Especially sucks right before Christmas :( nt

[HughBeaumont]

28. Firing before Christmas = the ultimate dick move.

It's the bullshit of insufferable, unfeeling corporate culture and done for no other reason but for the big dicks to buy more shit they don't need.

[CK_John]

43. It's all about keeping the them on the books for another fiscal year. Nothing personal just business

[TBF]

71. Yup I understand the corporate point of view -

and reject it all completely.

[aikoaiko]

23. Sorry for your friend's troubles, but she'll do better than most

in terms of rebounding if she is a competent chemist and liberally educated.

[HughBeaumont]

27. My fear is that she's going to have to move.

Ohio isn't exactly a breeding ground for knowledge jobs. Can't see why; Cleveland is a very cheap place relative to any other big city in the country to start a business or plant an existing one.

[aikoaiko]

29. Moving is very likely. Sorry for you and your friend.

Friendships are hard to come by these days.

[TBF]

30. We had to do it after grad school -

and now here I sit in Texas. Crazy. I really hope your friend can do better (especially those Wash/Oregon listings someone posted). I'm sure there are a lot of chemists down here in the Houston area too. Cost of living is pretty cheap and economy has been good in oil and gas (obviously), but I am surrounded by raving lunatics.

[snooper2]

44. the reason is unfortunately, nobody wants/chooses to live in Ohio

[HughBeaumont]

57. I blame our Sea of Tea churchy culture.

It's way cheaper to function in this state and we have the same weather as coastal big cities.

But Ohio, sadly, remains a very conservative and fundamentalist-poisoned state. Our voters stick it to Wall Street by electing a Wall Streeter as governor.

[Mad-in-Mo]

24. Right before Christmas does indeed suck

It could also be the case that this friend was one of the higher wage earners in the company and the company is thinning those people out by eliminating their jobs. Then they hire entry level folks in at a much lower pay. This definitely was the case at the company that let me go after 25 years of employment.

As for age, I don't think she needs to worry. 48 is still pretty young. I was 56 when I was let go and worried I wouldn't find another job because of my age, but I did find something. Not at the pay I was making before, but it has good benefits.

Best of luck to your friend.

[enki23]

25. Yeah. I know about that one.

Biotech. Toxicology. Yada yada yada. And you get the "well, guess you should hone your mopping skills" from holier-than-thou motherfucking insurance salesmen and other assorted less-than-useless fucking leeches. Guess your friend fucked up. Her mistake was that she was trying to do something real.

It was stupid of her to imagine America was anything but the land of profitable bullshit. If you don't make a living feeding it to other people, there's a good chance you'll have to learn to eat it.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

31. It's no fun to lose a job. Been there; done that.

That said, it is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.

Would you please provide us with more information? Where was she working? In what industry was she working?

Your friends at the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics have something to say. This is why we pay our taxes.

Job Outlook for Chemists and Materials Scientists

Employment by Industry

HTH. Best wishes.

[sinkingfeeling]

32. There was a show last month on PBS where they had 6 'common' people

attempt to balance the federal budget. There was one Republican/Tea Party guy who kept saying to cut unemployment benefits because it wasn't his problem that somebody didn't have a job. He kept saying, "They should have gone to college." And I was yelling at the television that he was an idiot for failing to recognize that all people don't have the same opportunity to go to college and that 'but for the grace of God' he wasn't unemployed.

[jeff47]

49. I went to college. I've been on unemployment several times.

The dotcom meltdown was not much fun.

[HughBeaumont]

62. I'm like a layoff angel of death.

Every company I've been fired from, with the exception of McDonald's, has either been bought out or gone under.

[whatthehey]

33. Riffing is a sad fact in professional life

It's happened to me three times. The white collar/skilled professional ranks are more prone to this than a lot of people think. There are other jobs out there for chemists thankfully; it's not a field where there is a glut of excess labor. Mobility is her best friend.

[RadiationTherapy]

37. There is no shortage of debt-burdened, recent college chemistry grads who will work for 25% less.

And they will be more willing to go "above and beyond" without compensation at such an early stage in their career. And they will have fewer health related absences. And they won't have as many family obligations. And they will be more afraid of losing their jobs due to their education debt and so they will be less demanding for pay increases and better benefits. Any mistakes due to lack of experience can be flushed down the river.

Business either merges with the community or it does not. Clearly, if mere profit is the only goal and definition of business, then our communities will fail and/or be revolutionized.

[bhikkhu]

58. Chemistry is a field with many different areas of specialty

One of the smartest people I know sat down with his son some years ago and planned career options, as he was finishing high school - decided on chemical engineering. He's finishing a 5 year degree now, with a raft of jobs already offered to him in the $100k/year range. He spent the last summer prior to graduation as an intern for a large company, at a wage of $40 an hour.

Anyone who has the capacity for the math involved (I don't) can still expect to have a good career in the sciences, including chemistry. This being the internet, I wouldn't expect very much information or follow-up, but hopefully any parents reading would do their research well before discouraging a student from a possible career path.

[RadiationTherapy]

67. No matter the details: Out with the old and in with the new.

No matter the pay scale: It will likely be the least amount possible in order to maximize profits. And, if maxing profits is the only goal, then there will soon be debt-burdened new graduates who will accept $75k salaries or $30 an hour wages. There is, at the present, very little "business sense" in employing people for the sake of a functional, prospering community.

[exboyfil]

79. Key is chemical engineering not

chemistry. For whatever reason engineering is more sought after than physical scientists. In addition it is very difficult to get a professional position with a B.S. in science, but much easier with a B.S. in engineering. My oldest is studying mechanical engineering. She has a friend doing a five year B.S. Physics/transfer for B.S. Mechanical Engineering. I would never advice doing that. Get the engineering degree first. With careful selection of electives you can get a B.S. in an affiliated science without too much additional effort if you wish, but frankly science graduate schools will take you with an engineering degree anyway. You need the extra math for graduate school, and, in the case of Physics for example, you probably only need another Physics class on Relativity if you already have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.

My younger daughter, who was considering medical school but is now more likely going to pursue Physician's Assistant, made the same decision. She saw what was required for a B.A. in Biochemistry and decided to pursue a B.S. in Nursing first. She can take the additional classes for Med School or PA School without necessarily applying it to a degree. She wants to be in healthcare so be in healthcare. Worst case scenario is getting a B.A. in Biochemistry and not getting accepted into medical school. Placement rates are abysmal and you would have to get the M.S. anyway to find a job. Many B.A.s in Biology/Chemistry/Biochemistry eventually end up in nursing school anyway.

I agree that if you can handle the math, a career in science or engineering is awarding and one of the better careers available today. I personally prefer a mechanical engineering degree because it is general enough to be used in a variety of different areas. Obviously no guarantees, and I do lose sleep over my own job prospects.

[eppur_se_muova]

85. Chemical engineering is a whole lot different from chemistry ...

always has been.

The good money comes from working for petrochemical companies and their subsidiaries, who get billions in Federal subsidies and tax breaks.

Industrial (especially pharmaceutical) chemists, on the other hand, get fired every time the MBA's running the company decide it's their brilliant management that's responsible for the company's good outlook, and all the scientific and technical staff that made it possible for them to have profitable patents and new products in the pipeline are just excess baggage. So they fire them all, give themselves bonuses and stock options, and bail out with golden parachutes before their patents start expiring and they have no new product to challenge their competitors. Then it's time for the new management team to cut dividends for a while so they can rebuild the research divisions that made the company successful in the first place. Once the profits start to roll in ...

lather, rinse, repeat.

[liberal_at_heart]

39. tell her to become a banker. She can gamble with people's money and if she loses it the

government will bail her out.

[stillwaiting]

83. That's only good for people without consciences though.

That would include most conservatives and unfortunately too many "liberals" today.

[mnhtnbb]

42. I'm sorry your friend lost her job right before Christmas. That sucks. Big time.

There may be an up side to it, though, hard to see right now, that doesn't involve retraining.
She may be able to get a job by moving, and it could end up being a better deal for her.

I think chemists are in demand in lots of areas.

This just pulled up 82 jobs in NC:

http://northcarolinachemist.jobs/jobs/?location=NC&q=Analytical+Chemist

Quintiles is a place she should check. They are headquartered here in RTP--started by a professor
from UNC Chapel Hill.

http://www.quintiles.com/careers

[Xyzse]

48. It really sucks that in America at the moment, the ones that makes the most money..

Are those that don't really make anything.

They sell:

An Image
Their Personality
Speculation and Just Moving Money
Fees

It isn't really making stuff as much any more. Which is why even way back then, in comic joke sections and other jokes, it mentions how the higher your intelligence and the harder your course study, the less you earn.

It's pretty bad.

[Amishman]

50. GSK?

That's terrible

Your friend worked for Glaxo Smith Kline? I know they cut about 1,000 people in the past few weeks, and most of them are in their R&D dept.

[HughBeaumont]

61. Not sure what company, GSK or Poly One. I can find out.

What she does have is a friend list who works fast. Several people are already looking into GE and other places.

I only hope she doesn't have to move.

[Patiod]

73. They're consolidating in the Philadelphia area

I was under the impression they were offering to help people relocate? Maybe not. I do know they're expanding their R&D here.

The big problem is that Big Pharma is cutting back R&D -- a lot of these companies have chosen to just buy promising new companies rather than do their own in-house research. And it's not an unreasonable decision - It's just getting too insanely expensive to shepherd a new drug from initial research through clinical trials to market. Too many drugs don't make it.

There are incubator companies popping up in San Francisco, San Diego, Boston and New York, but the cost of living is high and job security kind of sucks.
http://massbiomed.org/the-lists-34-biotech-and-pharma-incubators-find-out-where-life-science-innovations-are-hatched

[dilby]

51. She could always just Break Bad.

Or maybe look to see if Intel is hiring which would probably be a better option for a Chemist. I used to be friends with a Chemist who worked for Intel and I was pretty surprised to learn they hired chemists but it makes sense since someone has to put together all those compounds they make the wafers out of.

[One_Life_To_Give]

55. Outsourced?

Granted they all have official names to justify reorganizing. But so often now it's about replacing middle aged high skilled workers with entry level and/or workers from low wage countries with little to no experience. Then when those workers can't deliver the quantity and quality of the ones they replaced, management finds another scapegoat by moving another level up the skill ladder.

[zazen]

56. just got an NSF press release about "SciGirls," a series encouraging girls to "succeed in STEM"

I am so friggin sick and tired of the educational establishment perpetuating this bullshit.

It's not that there aren't barriers. I understand those issues way too well. But for NSF et al to keep funding all of this human resource prep in STEM as if there's a shortage when there are plenty of highly qualified American STEM grads/workers who can't find work is perpetuating the essential lie of the neoliberal industrial/philanthropic complex--that the economy is the fault of individuals and not corporate greed.

AGGHHHHH!!!

[exboyfil]

80. Well my daughter is in mechanical engineering

She has about 8% female representation at her school.

I don't disagree with you though. Except for her school trying to prevent her from taking Algebra in 8th grade, my older daughter has gotten nothing but support from her public school. She had two fantastic engineering teachers in high school (both degreed engineers). She has received nothing but support in her first semester on campus.

[madville]

63. EPA has a Chemist job open in Cincinnati

Analyzing drink water, GS-11/12, $60-90k a year.

https://www.usajobs.gov/getjob/viewdetails/388528500

[HughBeaumont]

68. I'll pass it on, thanks!

[ProfessorGAC]

64. Expert Opinion

Since this is my field, i know lots of folks with chemistry degrees. The company that doesn't need her must really be run like crap.

You might want to tell her to look into QC functions. Probably beneath her station, but might help her land on her feet.

There are lots of opportunities on LinkedIn. (Full disclosure, i don't much like LinkedIn but analytical jobs are pretty common there.)

And a good analytical chemist is a commodity. (And i mean that in a good way.) Someone is always looking for that skill set.

Hope things turn out ok for her.

[HughBeaumont]

65. She commented that she survived one layoff with the company already,

. . . . which took most of her immediate department.

So that assessment is likely correct; bunch of quarter-minded dumbasses who participate in the major-shareholder choice and view labor and talent as no-name nothings.

Her friends list is already working in her favor. Wheels are spinning as we speak, and hopefully she should be on her feet within a couple of months.

It's just that I find it really disturbing and frightening that a corporation can just willy-nilly throw away what is supposed to be your bread and butter for the educated and informative 21st Century as if they were nothing more than a common cog. It's not right and it's not progress. I expect better.

[ProfessorGAC]

78. Don't Blame You

I'm still surprised that an analytical chemist would be on the chopping block at all.

Would seem there are other roles, even in technical, that would be more in jeopardy than analytical.

Unless of course, business was so far off (mismanagement again) that the amount of analytical work was just falling and falling.

Customers are highly unlikely to accept less rigorous testing, when rigor is what they're used to, just because a firm says "we don't have enough people."

Something more to the story at that company.

[RobinA]

72. I Retrained

at 45 for the SECOND time, so it can be done. It was not through choice. Hell, I'm getting so used to it I'm considering retraining yet again at 57. What the hell, 14 years is my limit for a career. I should be able to get another whole career in before I drop dead. The working world sucks so bad these days a decade is about as much as one can stand in any one field.

[bikebloke]

74. My job is vaporized at year's end.

Had one interview. Terrible with the HR drone. Fine with the big shots. They didn't even bother to send a "thanks, but no thanks" email. I wonder about ageism. Though fortunately, I've kept fit and healthy - not having a sick day since 1984.

[lumberjack_jeff]

77. Education is an investment. Diversify. n/t

[DeSwiss]

82. Tell her to go ''GREEN CHEMISTRY''

- Your friend, like most of us, have worked in industries that are all in decline because they are tied to the capitalist economic model -- which is itself now in the process of dying-out. No matter how many times they say we're in a recovery. Zombie recoveries only help zombie banks.

Sustainable technologies are the future, if we're to have one. That's where she needs to look.

Hemp-based Super Capacitors
Hemp-Based Batteries Could Change The Way We Store Energy Forever



K&R

[Skittles]

84. when you say retrain, mention how much debt would be required

mention that many jobs now requiring a college degree did not require one not long ago

[Jesus Malverde]

86. "Analytical Chemist"

for what industry?

If she was an "Analytical Chemist" in the coal industry, this might be different than if she was an "Analytical Chemist" in a growing industry. Your post lacks context.

[Quayblue]

87. I was terminated yesterday due to "change in business needs".

I was expecting it and had planned to go back to grad school. I'm starting to question whether a master's degree will be worth the bullshit. I'm so glad you posted this, what a coinky dink.

I perhaps will never work in corporate America again, at least that's where my mind is now. I'm really sick and tired of how people are abused in the workplace.

Good luck to your friend, whatever she decides to do.