How's Business?

[PrettySquareGal]

I was wondering, if you feel comfortable sharing this information, how the company for which you work is doing financially? I am asking because I am weary of hearing about the health of the economy from talking heads and "reports." I'd like to hear the word on the street!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

None of the above.

Because I'm not exactly sure. I work for a family run business which was recently handed over to the old man's son. :eusa_doh: Both of them are notoriously cheap, and cheapness appears to be a genetic trait.
It's a highly specialized technical company with great potential, but these two have always found a way to shoot themselves in the foot, mainly due to their penurious attitude, and stubborn egotism which stand in the way of the company making any real progress. They refuse to invest in the personel and equipment which could make the business take off like a rocket. The company has and still does, work for entities such as NASA, General Motors, KIA, and other high tech and high volume customers. Yet they historically manage to ruin these deals, and then blame the customers for the problems they created!

People that have been there for any length of time, (such as myself) are fed up with not making a decent living, while The Old Man and his Yuppie wannabe son cut corners! In fact I am on the verge of bailing out soon.

So, word from this street basically is,...

 

[Cabinetman]

I'm not sure how much a response from a one-man cabinetshop will help in your "study," but business is business, no matter the level I guess.

Things are good. My eighth professional year, 2005 was my best and biggest in terms of income and being busy (not always going hand in hand). Now into my ninth year, the outlook is basically bright. Industry-wide trends do not affect me too much regarding customer potential or design "fads". Financially, I don't know how well I/we would be doing if my wife didn't work. Her employ is in a small to medium-sized midwest hospital that is rich in benefits. The wage doesn't meet the area or national averages, but it's a good place to work. Last year was the first time I outweighed her in taxable income.

I'd say any "problems" we encounter are induced by ourselves.

 

[Atomic Glee]

Well, my business is a European-makes car dealer (no, I'm not a salesman), and we've been having a fantastic year. One of our best, actually.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, for me, this hasn't been a good year at all. My primary job writing web content is with a very small company which depends on everyone doing their part to keep it going. Unfortunately for me, the people at the top have been distracted by too many other things and as a result of that, work that only they are in a position to do has not been getting done. I went three weeks without a paycheck earlier this month -- which is the first time that's ever happened -- and they still aren't caught up. On top of that, I haven't been getting the freelance work I used to get -- I've sold one magazine article this year, and have yet to be paid for it.

On the other hand, things are going swell at the theatre -- July has been an *excellent* month so far -- but unfortunately I don't make enough money there to live on. But I get all the popcorn and soda I want, so I at least I don't have to worry about starving.

 

[Paisley]

The CPA firm I work for is doing so well that we're moving in a few months. We now lease half a floor of the building, and soon we'll be leasing a whole floor. I can't remember the last paycheck I had without overtime.

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I'm a dental hygienist. I chose this job because it's a profession that is always needed. The three year programs are small, so they only roll out a limited number of graduates each year, so usually there are more jobs than hygienists. My dad, who has a few dental practices, just hired a new hygienist. He told me that when he made her a salary offer, she actually came back with a counter offer, and he gave it to her for he was having so much trouble finding someone to fill the empty spot in one of his offices. So, even though I'm not currently working, I guess business is good for those in my field. That is, why I left the sales force after being laid off 3 times in 5 years, and went back to school for 4 years (1 year pre requisites, 3 years to become a hygienist, pure hell!). Now I just have to get one of these great jobs so I can start paying off the piles of loans I took out to pay for the program and living expenses I took out to become a hygienist. So, I'd imagine, like me, that all of us hard working hygienist with all our jobs are really still in the hole! So many people don't know how much work us hygienists have to put into school to get our liscenses. You think we just have to learn to clean teeth, it's so much more than that. We are slaves to the dentists, and pretty much have to know everything they do. We do almost all the work, and they come in at the last five minutes of your appointment to check to make sure everything is done right. Then, they get paid for it!! So, even though there's lots of jobs, and it's stable, it's got a lot of down sides=-) Keep asking myself, after all that hard work, why I just didn't spend one extra year in school, and a few years of residency, to become a dentist. But, I am lucky, in that I can go anywhere I want, and as long as I pass the boards, I can find a job quite easily. So, I guess you can say my field is quite stable.

 

[Cousin Hepcat]

My previous employer, a MAJOR telecommunications firm, laid off 70 PERCENT of the workforce they had in between 2000 and 2004 (including me, & the software development dept I was in), and I just read they're about to cut more. Outsourcing to 3rd world countries.

Now I have a new job at a much more stable, smaller company doing the same thing (with much cooler coworkers :eusa_clap but lower pay )

I'm a dental hygienist.... So many people don't know how much work us hygienists have to put into school to get our liscenses. You think we just have to learn to clean teeth, it's so much more than that.

Very true! Looked into that also. Congratulations on the brave move.


Swing High,
- Cousin Hepcat

 

[Nathan Flowers]

From the 2006 Occupational Outlook Handbook:

Employment of librarians is expected to grow more slowly than the average for all occupations over the 2004–14 period. However, job opportunities are expected to be very good because a large number of librarians are expected to retire in the coming decade. More than 3 in 5 librarians are aged 45 or older and will become eligible for retirement in the next 10 years, which will result in many job openings. Also, the number of people going into this profession has fallen in recent years, resulting in more jobs than applicants in some cases.

At the library where I work, I was the first librarian to be hired from outside the organization since 1987, and within the next five years, there are going to be at least three, and probably four retirements among the nine librarians.

 

[Pilgrim]

I manage a distance education unit at a university, but we're set up as an enterprise and business in my unit has grown about 10% per year for the past 3 years. So it ain't bad...if the legislature will just find the university.

 

[Rosie]

It's kind of a toss up. People that aren't teachers are being laid off or as the city puts it, "excessed". Even teachers without tenure are being "excessed". Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, it's harder and harder to get a job in education, not always to the benefit of the children and because of the authority principals received with the last contract, any teacher can go at any moment and again, this isn't always a good thing, I've seen many a good teacher let go because of a principal or assistant principal with a chip on his or her shoulder.

I've been looking to get into the private sector of education or to get one of those federally funded education positions.

 

[Miss_Bella_Hell]

I currently work at Fidelity Investments, who have just moved lots of people from the HQ in Boston to places like Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and have new offices in India. There aren't really LAYOFFS per se, just movement. Business is going well though; pretty much depends on the mutual fund market.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Thanks for the responses so far!

 

[ITG]

Being in the education field and in my district for 6 years, my job is fairly secure. Since the policy for surplused teachers is that the last one hired at a campus is sent to another school, we are basically guaranteed a job but not necessarily at the school we were at previously. It's good in the sense that if you have a job, but bad in the sense that you may not get to choose where they send you. Sometimes districts here will put hiring freezes on because they have more teachers than they know what to do with and will have to shuffle some around to other campuses. It's sometimes hard to fire a a teacher unless there's a valid reason. Sometimes, they will make it so bad for that teacher they will want to leave. But education is a steady field in that we'll always need teachers.

 

[VintageJess]

PrettySquareGal,

Hiya! Well, as a full-time stay-at-home mom to an very active toddler, I have to say that my business is booming! :eusa_doh: Ha, ha!

But seriously, since I can't speak as to any type of employer at this time, I will just add that the world around me seems pretty busy. I know gas prices are high, but here in Northern Virginia the roads are always busy, the shopping mall parking lots are really full, and there always seems to be a long wait at restaurants. It appears to me that people still have plenty of discretionary income to spend...However, I can say that our once white-hot housing market here has completely slowed to a crawl.

Jessica

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

However, I can say that our once white-hot housing market here has completely slowed to a crawl.

Jessica

House sales are at a standstill here in Ohio, as I think they are all over most of the country right now.
Great if you're a buyer though.

 

[Rosie]

House sales are at a standstill here in Ohio, as I think they are all over most of the country right now.
Great if you're a buyer though.

I wish someone would send that memo here to NY.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Los Angeles too, but for houses to become affordable around here, there'd have to be a crash in housing prices which would tank the economy. Everybody's mortgaged to the hilt on inflated property values.

 

[DancingSweetie]

I'm a dental hygienist. I chose this job because it's a profession that is always needed. The three year programs are small, so they only roll out a limited number of graduates each year, so usually there are more jobs than hygienists. My dad, who has a few dental practices, just hired a new hygienist. He told me that when he made her a salary offer, she actually came back with a counter offer, and he gave it to her for he was having so much trouble finding someone to fill the empty spot in one of his offices. So, even though I'm not currently working, I guess business is good for those in my field. That is, why I left the sales force after being laid off 3 times in 5 years, and went back to school for 4 years (1 year pre requisites, 3 years to become a hygienist, pure hell!). Now I just have to get one of these great jobs so I can start paying off the piles of loans I took out to pay for the program and living expenses I took out to become a hygienist. So, I'd imagine, like me, that all of us hard working hygienist with all our jobs are really still in the hole! So many people don't know how much work us hygienists have to put into school to get our liscenses. You think we just have to learn to clean teeth, it's so much more than that. We are slaves to the dentists, and pretty much have to know everything they do. We do almost all the work, and they come in at the last five minutes of your appointment to check to make sure everything is done right. Then, they get paid for it!! So, even though there's lots of jobs, and it's stable, it's got a lot of down sides=-) Keep asking myself, after all that hard work, why I just didn't spend one extra year in school, and a few years of residency, to become a dentist. But, I am lucky, in that I can go anywhere I want, and as long as I pass the boards, I can find a job quite easily. So, I guess you can say my field is quite stable.

Hi Daisy, I am a registered dental assistant. I had started taking my prerequisites for hygiene school but then became pregnant with my first child, 14 years ago. Since I had to work full time it was too hard to go to school at night when I was so sick all the time and tired from assisting all day. Once I had her I never had the chance to go back to try and get into hygiene school, and have regretted it ever since. Here in Sac there is only one school with a hygiene program and hundreds apply but only 12 are accepted.
I now work for a consulting company that works with dentists. I get paid more than I did assisting but much less than a hygienist. Maybe when my kids get older I can go back to school......

 

[Tourbillion]

My company is expanding, we are building a green (solar electric powered) plant in Los Angeles at a cost of something like $20,000,000.

The company has a private jet, a factory overseas and hires out the Oviatt building in L.A. for company parties.

Life is good at the top. If only my boss wouldn't drive me nuts!