Nullified Contract

In the past twelve months, a grand total of 9 of my friends have been laid off. I got to thinking about this in lieu of recent events in my office. Monday (today is Wednesday, or maybe its not when you are reading this, but to serve as a timeline, I am writing this on a Wednesday and the events to be described took place on Monday). Monday, I decided to work from home, come to find out the President of the company is in town for an impromptu visit. Just so you know, he works in San Diego (for all new comers, I work in Virginia) apparently it was an un announced visit, and yadda yadda yadda, I could fill in a lot here about the course of the day, but I've got a lot of ground to cover here, so Ive got to just hit the main points of this story.

President shows up
people are in a panic
co-worker gets fired.

Okay, so you're all caught up, lesson 271 of living in grown up world: The Boss does not show up for drinks. If you my friend, are reading this, please know that you will be missed and you are a damn good guy. My deepest apologies to you and I genuinely wish we could have gotten to work together longer. Your humor, level head, and overall calm demeanor will be missed if by no one else, by me GO OBAMA.

So with my boy having been let go (non economy based) and thinking of my friends who have also been laid off or not had their contracts renewed in various fields, it really got me to thinking. Essentially, the agreement we make with America, or at least are sold upon is as follows. You go to college, get a degree, get a job, procreate the species. Long as you don't go committing felonies or appear on a reality show the country will provide a good job for you and you will play your part. It is the quintessential question of our youth as American kids: "what do you want to be when you grow up?". A question asked so often that it is no longer a question but rather an assumption. An assumption that upon making a plan, and working towards that you will be rewarded with said career...but if it were only that simple.

As I recently turned 26 I realized I am more and more an adult versus a really old teenager, or something closely resembling that. And as I look around (yeah yeah I started a sentence with and, soo mee, at leest I cun spellll) I notice more and more of my friends reaching the points in their lives in which they are now to be rewarded that almighty "job" they have been dutifully trained to recieve. Yet, sadly, America is dropping the ball.

We are being asked, as a generation, to establish a strong foothold, a foundation if you will. In the toughest of economic times in 70 years. We are the smartest set of students this nation has ever birthed. We are the first generation of internet kids entering the work force. We are indeed a force of our own, look at what our generation has come privy to and the advances and places we will be fortunate enough to go. Touch screens, holograms, laptop, text message, wifi, and just think how much of this stuff wasn't even in vouge just 5 years ago. We are the Jetsons you all, I repeat, we are the Jetsons. But with all that being said, with all our great splendor and mind power... we have the least jobs available, and we have the least opportunity? Lay offs at 25, 26, and 27? What? with a college degree, and working in your field, that's not how the agreement goes.

I won't wax on further about policies and my personal ideologies, not cause I don't want to, but because chances are you are at work, and I'm not trying to get you too off track.

But my basic point is this. America: we are here, and its time to pony up.