This morning TAE has accepted a position at a new job. My new position will mostly involve mechanical design and analysis of devices used to detect chemical and biological warfare. My employer is a privately-owned, non-profit that does mostly Defense contracting. I am very excited, as the position required rigorous credentials (which I had) and I will be amongst a group of about 200 people almost all of which are M.S. or PhD level engineers and scientists.

Unemployment has been stressful, intense, and scary, and Mrs. TAE has been very supportive. It has been a sobering lesson in the number of ways President Obama's early legislative packages have helped the economy. For those that are employed, and will stay employed for the duration of the recession, the extra $25 dollars a week of unemployment money, the 65% help with COBRA, and the extension of COBRA assistance for 9 months are all poignant reminders to me that Obama was not "created by the Jews to destroy the white race", and though many people, including myself, like to point out how quickly some of his campaign promises faded into laughable untruths, he has in fact done a lot to help the unemployed.

My quick turn around (I was laid off less than 3 weeks ago) has provided for me a clear reminder that a bachelor's degree is essential for workforce security. In retrospect, my Master's degree, which was unappreciated by my previous employer to the point that I regretted getting it, was a really good idea, as it was a requirement for application to my new job. I try really, really hard to not judge those that do not have as much education as I do. Edison (my hero) never really even went to high school, and became an outstanding scientist and inventor. So education level really should not be a measure of intelligence. However, a certain value has been placed on college education and as surely as I type this, I believe we all need to go to college.

Anyway, I am very excited to start my new job, mostly because I will be in a highly trained workforce of creative problem solvers.

My only concern is that this blog may have to be terminated. My new position requires "secret" clearance and although I doubt it, I may be encouraged to terminate my public writings. C'est la vie.


_