It’s not that the profs have lost their jobs. On the contrary, these university jobs are the most secure on the planet as of now. :-) But even then the crisis has hit our faculty offices.
In the past few days I have received several 1) SMS txt messages, 2) phone calls and 3) just saying -hello -visits from my ex-students who now are ex-employees. In other words these guys have lost their jobs. A year ago, they were virtual career upstarts with promising careers and salaries that a UP prof would only dream about or can receive only as a retirement pay benefit.
When your former students lose their jobs, they run back to the teachers for advice. I wonder why they run to us? After all we really can’t provide career advice beyond the initial job search. Once you are out in the so called “real world” then you’re on your own.
The only advice that I can dish out are these 1) If they have saved something, invest it in something that won’t depreciate, themselves. They can go back to school and upgrade their qualifications. When things get better, then they are more competitive. 2) They can check out the research job listings here. Unlike in the private sector which has lost money, the billions that DOST gave to research projects is just being spent. One research project is in need of SEVENTEEN (17) senior research associates and they pay a salary of 20K a month excluding the benefits. This is an urgent requirement. 3) They can try at work freelance environmental consulting. I myself is in urgent need of 4 environment professionals for an urgent project. and 4) They can start to be entrepreneurs.
Anyway, it is all up to them and I believe they can do their best. These hard times call for focus, determination and imagination.
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Even in the previous years which may have been considered “easy times”, the same rule was in place — those times called for focus, determination and imagination, to include saving for a rainy day.
Great advice for your students who lost their jobs.
People should think far beyond employment. They say that recessions are the birth place of the most innovative and competitive companies.
Bad times, bad time. Let’s just hope na tumigil na itong crisis na ito para naman umunti na ‘yung mga ex-students mo na nanghihingi ng advice sa iyo.
May God help them.