In April of 2001, I lost my job in the "dot-bomb" recession. I was living in Silicon Valley and had had a few "silicon valley" type jobs (read: I worked for technology companies), the most recent - at that time - was a start-up. Due to the economic conditions worsening, my little startup lost its funding. Instead of working for free, every employee decided to simply stop working there. The company didn't really close, as much as it faded away through attrition. A few weeks later, my son was scheduled to be born via a c-section. But the company wasn't paying its health care premium which meant that I couldn't get COBRA coverage. My wife's pregnancy was considered a pre-existing condition. As such, we could get family health insurance, but it wouldn't cover the cost of the surgery my wife was going to have. Luckily for us, our synagogue put us on their health care plan (we reimbursed them their costs) and we got coverage the night before the delivery.
From April of 2001 to July of 2002, I was out of work. We lost our house. And in spite of having a fairly good resume and proper pedigree, I simply couldn't find work. Jobs had simply vanished. I remember one job interview where I was sitting at a table talking to the hiring manager, when the HR representative interrupted my interview to tell me the job requistion had been closed. That was my final insult. I decided to change careers. So in July of 2002, I joined a Wall Street firm and became a "Financial Advisor" where, among other important things, I essentially manage other people's investments.
One of the things that makes me good at my job is genuine empathy. I still live in Silicon Valley and people around here are effected by economic doldrums -- just like the rest of the country (although we've certainly recovered faster than most). When one of my clients lose a job, I help them recraft their resume and use my network to help them land on their feet again. But as a Financial Advisor, I am asked frequently are things getting better, and where is the proof. So I thought I'd submit this diary to present you with the graphs illustrating why and how things are improving. I make no claims that if you are still unemployed that things are better ... for you. But a rising tide lifts all boats. Hopefully you will find your bliss sometime soon. Follow me below the fleur de kos for the data and a bit of narrative. I hope you find some reasons to be optimistic.