Well today my Grandma (who i live with and always have) wakes me up at 7 this morning. She has just lost her job. GE Aviation let go ALL of their Administrators and Admin assistance, She has until July 10th which is her last day, and then they are offering one month full pay and will even pay for schooling if she wants to go back to school. Now when you think Grandma you think old, but no, my Grandmother is only 58 years old. This is going to affect us ALOT, needless today i have been out all day applying for jobs and collecting applications. I hope i can get back on my feet with a job soon, and hopefully my grandma can find a job soon. She makes $20 an hour right now, and she has alot of bills, i try as hard as i can to help her out when i have money, i just gave her $380 to pay for alot of things. Hopefully this all works out and i get a job and so does she.

Michigan sucks. Im contemplating on moving out of state.

That is a bummer, sorry to hear that, My step dad just got laid off as well....

The market does blow.

i just picked up 2 irrigation jobs at newly built schools, long days backbreaking labor not the best pay for the work ... but its a job

I hear you on that. Michigan sucks really bad right now. I am looking for a 2nd job...I wish I couldn't be picky on where I apply but I have to in order to keep the job I have, go to college full time, and have a 2nd job to be flexible with those hours....

Keep chugging away the best you can. They say the market is starting to recover. I think Michigan will be one of the last states to recover, but I think we're hitting rock bottom right now. We'll rebound soon.

Either that or potentially get worse. I wouldn't call this rock bottom yet.

Michigan IS hitting rock bottom Ben, we have the highest Unemployment rate in the country.

But whose to say it isn't going to even get worse Boosten?

not to sound like a recruiter or nothing lol

but the military can help you out alot if your interested in it. its not right for all people and it may not be in your interest but to tell you the truth i dont know where id be without it. they pay you for everything and cover everything from your rent to medical bills and you still get a respectable paycheck on top of that which is pretty much spending money cause they give you money seperate for food. you can go to college with online classes for free and you will have a GI bill you can transfer over to your kids or wife (if you have one). they will pay off any debt you have when you join if u ask about it, they have programs that will help you.

its not just shooting and going to iraq. 63% of all american military is on home soil right now as of the begining of this month. not everyone goes overseas, most are attached to commands or squadrons that spend mabe 9 months overseas at most on small occasions. unless you pick a job that involves being in a combat zone.

message me if your interested i can show u where to get some info. im sure richard can help if u like the idea of the army, i can help with navy and marine corp.


just throwing it out there as an option.

MAC

All of the economists.

Look I'm trying to sell my house right now to move back to Michigan. Oregon's economy is 2nd worse behind Michigan. Trust me, I've been following the jobs and housing market closely over the past year.

All the signs say we have hit rock bottom. It may take a year before things get back to the way they were. There might be some job losses along the way, but the basic, most important parts of the economy are rebounding.

You know, ive always thought about this. i just dont know if i could see myself ever doing this. there is many things holding me back telling me no, but then theres things telling me i need to, but im just not sure. One main reason i never joined the service is my Mom promised to me and my brother both, that if we didnt join the service she would quit smoking, and to me, thats a damn good reason to not join, to save my mothers health. But yet she still smokes.... so idk, i will think about this hard, i always have.

You should come to Texas. Texas created more jobs in 2008 than all other 49 states...combined. Houston has one of the best job markets in the country.

Michigan is a joke. Once I'm done with school; I'm leaving.

So she made you promise not to do something if she promised to do something? If that were to happen when dealing with a Recruiter, you'd be ready to beat the crap out of your lying, [crap]-bag Used-Car-Salesman Recruiter. Yet it's ok for your mom to lie to you? I hear these woe-is-me stories EVERY day. When you're FINALLY ready to go do something for yourself and not be held back by someone else, go see your local Recruiter. How long ago did she make this promise? By now, she's the one responsible for saving her health. Let's consider for a moment that her health gets REALLY bad. You can apply through thr Army to have her become a dependant of yours. Which would entitle her to military health care. Free of charge.

Ask any Service Member: How aware or effected by this Recession are you? The response will be: "Gas is a little more expensive, but at least the price of pretty much everything is going down. Hell, just the other day I went and bought..." As stated in 20GTP02's thread about promotion in the grocery business, "Any [advancement] in these times is a GOOD sign". If you dont get at least 2 or 3 promotions in 1 year's time in the Army, you're doing yourself a GRAVE disservice.

You want money? The Army is the best bet. Paychecks are the same regardless of Branch. The Army promotes faster and further. Ask around. It's not uncommon for an Enlisted Soldier to retire as an officer or Warrant Officer or E-7+. If you retire E-8 in USAF, you're a god. Pretty much the same thing in the USN (MACGTP, help me out here).

Man, I can go on and on for 12 years, non-stop, about what the Army can provide, but allow me this instead:

JUN 97: Basic Training, Columbia, SC
AUG 97: AIT, Augusta, GA
MAR 98: FT Campbell, KY (north of Nashville)
AUG 99: Korea
AUG 00: Special Operations
JUN 02: Afghanistan
NOV 02: Savannah, GA
MAY 04: Korea
MAY 05: Research and Development
APR 08: Recruiter
JUL 09: FT Campbell, KY

Cumulative college credit: 64 CH @ 3.6 GPA
Cost of college: books

out of pocket expenses for delivery of 2 children: $0

7,000 lbs of stuff in the house

2 cars, title in hand

What civilian job can do even HALF of all that? With only a high-school diploma?

When you're ready, call your local Recruiter for what else the Army's got. You will walk away wondering why you were so scared to begin with. Got questions? Call me 877-414-1310.

Rick,

First off, I totally appreciate what you, Herc, and others have done for myself and this country. But I just want to play devils advocate for a second.

Yep, the army provided you with good benefits. However, you put your life in danger. To me, that's not something to take lightly.

Yeah, I've got some college debt and I had to pay for my daughter's birth. But I've never had to worry about dying or what it would do to my family.

Sorry I don't mean to be a downer. But if we are talking about military recruitment, I just wanted to tell the whole picture. Maybe I'm a wimp...but I'd trade my college debt for the piece of mind knowing I am safe at the good ole USA.

And again, I mean it with no disrespect. You guys have done something I could not do (I admit after 9/11 I thought about joining, but I was already neck deep in college). I have the utmost respect for what you guys do and have done...I just hope people realize the risk when they are thinking about saving on student loans...it's a big commitment.

Boosten, I can tell you right before my freshman year of high school my parents got divorced and my mom had trouble finding a job. We were on welfare/foodstamps. She worked during the day and took college courses at night to get her Masters. I went to high school, came home and made dinner for my little brothers then went to work for 5-6 hours each night. We made it through though. My mom got a full time job, I paid my own way through college (getting my Masters too, and in only 5 years, and while working 30 hours a week). It can be done. It's not easy, but it can be done.

If you want to join the military it's a great opportunity and it's a really important service you could provide for your country. I just hate when people feel it is their ONLY option because I think you can make it other ways too. But if the military is what you want to do, by all means, go for it!