Busto: Unstable

OVER my birthday dinner two weeks ago, my brother in law told me that a number of our former colleagues in the service were at risk of losing their jobs in an airline company. While there are other options for them, however, the thought of being jobless in these times when the global economy seems uncertain, they cannot help but worry for themselves, especially for their families.

I am not that privy to the circumstances surrounding the supposed streamlining of the said airline company. But a lot of our colleagues, particularly those affected, are restless thinking of their future as there is a lot of competition in this field even if it comprises only a small fraction of the work force. It is difficult to start all over again.

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I admit, these colleagues left the service in exchange for a bigger pay check because it is usually four or five times higher than our salaries in the service. Our pay is not enough if one has three children and one's spouse is jobless. Of course, as parents, we want nothing but the best for our families.

We want to give our family a good life and give our children the best education.
It is not that being in the service does not give one a good life. It does, but not as comfortable as anyone would have wished for. Having a pay check four or five times over the regular affords one to have a taste of some luxuries in life. But these do not come easy though.

There are risks and one must be able to calculate these. Usually in any company it is always this "last in, first out" thing that is affected in any downsizing or streamlining. A careful weighing of the advantages and disadvantages must be thoroughly discussed by the family.

When my husband left the service three years ago to join the corporate world of aviation, we seriously talked about the implications, too. My husband is a calculated risk taker. If everything were to be measured by a measuring tape, my husband would have exacted all aspects involved in taking on a job in the corporate world.

We agreed that he goes out and then I stay in the service until probably I can optionally retire. This way, our family would still be secured if and when the unexpected happens. We will still have a house to go home to and get to live in. I have told my husband that all companies could go bankrupt but if there is one institution that would be left standing, it would be the government as everything starts and ends with it. The government is like the depository and the holder of everything.

Also, in having a bigger pay, one should not drastically change his or his family's lifestyle. This is the most common mistake not only of former colleagues but of other people as well. They tend to change their simple lives for a grander one as fast as money is spent nowadays. The sad part about this is the inability to distinguish between the needs and the wants.

While it is inevitable that there is eventually a change in standard of living, it should be done as gradual as possible. If viable, the wife should find a way to earn some keep, too, because it helps augment family expenses. A number of our contemporaries who have left the service have stayed at home wives with no means of finance even if they have more than enough time to use to become resourceful.

I have a day or a 24/7 job but it has not stopped me from also selling different stuff on the side, name it, I have probably tried trading them. What I get from selling these I use to pay for our weekend sprees, my son's extracurricular activities, among others.

In these times of uncertainty, one has to be as resourceful. After all nothing is ever permanent in this world.