[roz]

It was an HR Leadership conference. I get pumped up over that!

Here are my thoughts. There are lots of skills that transfer to other jobs. And there are opportunities to return to school (even on line) to gain other skills and credentials. Charlie's cousin was furloughed from United, went back to school and is now teaching special ed. He'll be tenured next year and have a second pension on top of his military pension. He had been training pilots in the Air Force and decided he liked teaching. He also wanted to make a difference and be more marketable.

I know you are concerned about the specific degree he has. There is a lot of distance between the degree and now. He has excellent communication skills and excellent interpersonal skills. He has leadership skills. He has organizational skills. He has computer skills. He probably has a million other skills I'm not mentioning that would be important in the workplace. All those translate.

The bottom line is that you spend most of your waking hours at work. You MUST be happy. If not, then you have to take steps to change that. He needs to evaluate what aspects of the job he likes and dislikes and then think about how they apply in other industries. Very often the state Departments of Labor have couselors and information for job seekers. And if he wants to open his own business, they have the one stop shops to help. The reason I asked about an EAP is that often they have career counseling added in as a service. If you'd like, I'd be happy to put you in touch with some local HR people who could provide guidance. Or I'd be happy to help.

Doing nothing is a choice. Making that choice is a consious decision. Giving yourself options by exploring other avenues is also a choice.

BK is not pretty. The creditors rule the decision making. The unions can try to fight, but it is not an easy battle. What is the most junior pilot now at US Airways? 17 + years.

As for your family decision making based on this--don't. Make your decision based on what YOU want, not what Delta is doing. Delta does not control your life. In the end, you do. Material things are not what really makes us happy, Kristie. I know you know that. And kids aren't interested in that either unless we make them that way. Having been raised by a mother who grew up in Europe during WWI and came to this country, married during the Depression and by a father who experienced religious discrimination while supporting his family of seven, I know the frugality. To this day, I pick the largest cantaloupe because my mother taught me to get the most for the money. To this day, I calculate which size item is least expensive. And, because my mother grew up in a war and lived through the rationing of another war, I learned to have a pantry so my family would not starve. Yikes, I'm nuts!