It was a matter of time really, but my latest temporary job has run it's course and I am once again seeking employment. I was hired on a simple letter of employment for eight months as a copy editor and that was ten months ago, so I suppose I can't really complain.
But, I will, just for a moment.
Ah, what a joy to know that one is at the cutting edge of corporate cost-cutting human resources policy. The paper will be the poorer for it, and all my former colleagues will have to work that much harder to fill the staffing gap, but the shareholders will see a .001% increase in their dividend this quarter.
For a few weeks there, I almost felt like I had a secure future.
In the same way that I cannot imagine anyone of my parents' early boomer generation being 45 and facing the prospect of never again having a full-time, permanent staff type of job with benefits and a company pension, I am equally certain they cannot fathom how this is, unfortunately, pretty much the norm for my generation.
We can bitch about the Harper government's decision to defer the old age pension until 67 years of age, but the reality is that many of my peers will never have the financial resources to retire in the first place, no matter what the CPC rate is.
And before anyone starts commenting that I should have saved and put it away in an RRSP when times were good, let me ask, when was that? I put away plenty in my 20s and 30s, despite working at near minimum wage levels in the community newspaper industry in my 20s, but the market crash of 2008 took a major chunk of that - and it wasn't like I had plowed all my money into unicorn futures or anything like that. Just your bog-standard mutual funds and blue chips. It isn't all gone, but I would have made a lot more if I had just bought Krugerrands and buried them in the yard. As it stands, with compound interest and some creative investing twenty years from now I may get back nearly as much as I put in.
So my 'retirement' plan has now gone from "dying while I can still afford the high quality dog food" to "hoping not to have to sell a kidney to pay the rent before I'm 60."
And that is all the whining I'm going to do. I have some prospects in my field, all temporary contracts, naturally, but this is business we have chosen.
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Thursday, April 12, 2012
So this happened...
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4 comments:
So sorry to hear that Rev.
You're one helluva writer so hopefully you can translate a portfolio full of clips into something permanent.
Best of luck OM.
Well, this really sucks, Rev.
Hope you get something quickly.
Hey: There's bound to be another opening for a harper press secretary soon - Shoot him a CV! Think of the fun you could have in that capacity . . . .
That really sucks, Rev.
As a member of the feast and famine self-employed, I know how frightening the prospect of not having nearly enough in old age is. Hopefully, you find something soon, and with luck, something with long-term security.
Must be catching- this week I learned I no longer 'fit the business model of the new department' (which is the old department with a new name). I will get a little parachute and there is a small pension so I'll have to continue to work or stop eating.
I wish you luck and good health- go hug your family.
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