[PigRigger]

My prayers for you and yours also; it is something no hardworking American should have to deal with. Unfortunately, the times they are a changing.

As a web programmer I understand your plight. Although I seem to be safe now, one never can predict the future. Everyday I look at my wife and kids and wonder what the hell I'll do if they come for me. I think the only thing saving me is that my employer is a mutual company. The stock companies seem to be much more willing to outsource to meet stock holder expectations.

Many freepers really don't understand what it takes to be compete in this field; 60-70 hour weeks are common place for me. These do not even include the hours required to keep up with the ever changing technologies I am required to master. Re-tooling is next to impossible if I wish to keep my current position.

I ain't crying; I'm just confused about how to proceed.

Again, I pray you find a good job and peace of mind soon.

[Alouette]

Maybe being a contractor and having to hustle for another assignment every 6 months has kept my job-hunting skills in fitness. Nevertheless it sucks everytime my contract ends, but I have never yet had to train a replacement.

I have a website that I started "just for fun." I have banner ads and sell stuff through affiliate programs like amazon, commission junction and various other online stores, but it's not enough to support a family on, just a little extra to make up for the paycuts that I have had to endure since the "boom" of 1999-2000 (The Y2K insanity).

[RaceBannon]

bump

[dfwgator]

I don't mean to downplay the impact of offshoring, but the real culprit is the bad economy. There are simply not enough projects to go around right now. For any new project, the projected ROI has to be outrageous as well as the payback period, or it's a non-starter. So even if you are on the "bleeding edge" you are having a hard time since companies are just making with what they currently have.

[american spirit]

In a sad sort of way this thread is reminiscent of the old "first they came for the trade unionists and I did nothing because I wasn't one of them"......now it's become "first they came for the factory jobs and I did nothing, then they came for the carpenters and plumbers jobs and I did nothing, now they've come for mine and there's nobody left to help defend me and my job".