From $80,000 a year to eviction

And I wanted to be an aerospace engineer who designed and flew his own spaceships.<p>Sometimes stuff doesn't work out.<p>These are "template articles." Usually you find these on the front page of msn.com not hacker news.<p>Find a person that fits template, big goals and dreams then X happened where X is drugs, economic downturn, accident, etc. Then move into how the world is scary and random, then get "expect advice." End with final quote about how world is scary and random.

How does crap like this end up on the front page of HN, and why are people upmodding it but not commenting?<p>(I assume the people upmodding are not commenting because the comments are mostly negative (8 out of 10, at present).)<p>Is there a shortage of impressive hacks to submit and upmod? Is there something particularly pleasant about this place vs. Reddit or Digg? Are the words "Hacker News" only appearing for me?

It's sad to hear stories like this (unemployment in our area is around 10% now) and layoffs aren't the employees' fault ...<p>BUT it also underscores the importance of (a) living at or below your means when you do have a job and (b) saving money for emergencies like this. Probably at the very least 2 or 3 months living expenses, which gives you time to job hunt, relocate, etc.

<i>"Here, the people earn millions of dollars with bonuses that are astronomical," said Dorlen, who is also the public education coordinator in New Jersey for the American Psychological Association. "There is a demoralizing aspect to having a huge salary and a huge bonus and then having to look for a job that is going to pay much, much less."</i><p>Why would you need too look for a job if you had earned millions of dollars? Do you really need to live a 2 million dollars a year lifestyle the rest of your life just because you're used to make 2 millions a year? Gosh.

Is there a site that <i>isn't</i> elance, rentacoder, or stuff like that, where you can genuinely hook up with people who are looking for "odd job" type Internet work? Such as, write a press release, design a logo, help me with a business plan, yada yada.<p>If all these people are falling out of work and earning a pittance (that article claims she's now making $20k), then surely there are some pretty qualified people we could be paying $25 an hour to do stuff for us (who would have previously cost $100+).<p>You might think that'd be "taking advantage" of the recession, and sure, it is, but money in the pocket is better than no money.

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."<p>I usually just chuckle when I hear that statement, but oh man does it apply here. Something about the first story doesn't add up, which unfortunately makes me less than sympathetic.<p>I don't see how she planned to go through years of law school with no money. Either she had enough money saved up for living expenses + tuition (in which case, she still should, as she would have saved 3/4 of that,) or she had a scholarship... in which case, she should have stayed enrolled until she found a job.<p>I get that the circumstances MIGHT have been unforeseeable, but Aesop knew it way back in the day, and it really seems like common sense.

Both stories listed are the result of their own decisions. The first lady quit her job to go to law school and can't find work in her old field. The second example listed left his full-time job to get in the real estate business which was unstable even when he started (July 2007) and they are both wondering what went wrong. No one I've spoken with is anxious to move jobs right now and everyone seems to want to stay where they are until things brighten up. These people took risks that didn't pan out and that is why they are where they are.

I love the "advice" you get from mainstream media. Your life is wrecked up by a mix of bad decisions and bad luck, and the solution is to:<p>• Don't panic; • Find a support group, even if it's just an informal group of friends; • Seek employment counseling when available; • Be professional in your job hunt; • Network with other professionals; • Take time to exercise during hard times; • Spend valuable time with your family.<p>Ah, good! I was about to panic, become a hermit, be unprofessional in my job hunt, and avoid my family.<p>Okay, some of that advice is mildly valuable, but without additional detail, "Don't panic" is totally vacuous. Yeah, you're not going to be wrong, but it's not insightful either. It's why I typically avoid mainstream TV/newspapers - lots of unqualified "Don't panic" and "remember to exercise" type advice.