How Greek Men Are Dealing With Utter Desperation

http://images.askmen.com/money/caree...7973-flash.jpg
The recession threw American men into free fall, completely altering their careertrajectories, household roles and expectations for the future. But they don’t haveit so bad. It’s much worse in the eurozone countries, and Greece has sustained theheaviest damages of them all. I’m a Greek man living in Athens, and I think thatwhat we’ve experienced could teach everyone a thing or two about crisis101. There is a lot we used to take for granted that is suddenly nolonger possible -- careers, for example. Americans pursue highereducation in order to acquire the knowledge and certification needed to obtain awell-paid job. The reality, as unemployment numbers can attest, is that many of you arenot finding jobs in large supply, even after spending thousands on a degree. But think ofthis: Greece, a much smaller country with roughly the same population as New York City,has to carry a much heavier burden. Officially, 1,000,000 are unemployed, and 4,500,000are economically inactive, meaning they are neither working nor looking for a job. That isroughly half the total population of the country. Having been born and raised in thecapital of Greece, I am facing this crisissituation after four years of working in the private sector. I alwaysthought that by the time I was 30 I would have built a proper foundation for my career.You enter the workforce; you start with little and build up from there, hoping to make aname for yourself. But now many major companies are as broke as we are, as was the companyI worked for, an otherwise pretty successful publishing house. Most corporations, due tothe crisis, immediately downsized, trying to cover past losses. If you don’t getfired, you will probably be forced to quit, since there is no compensation money left.More and more keep working without having been paid for months, some for a whole year.They do it anyway, because finding a new job is even more difficult. I decided to quit,because working somewhere with no future just did not make sense.Base wage inGreece was around $900 per month until recently. The crisis chopped that down to $750 permonth -- and you’re lucky if you actually get it. I wake up every day thinking ofthe money I owe the state, the extra taxes that are forced on me and are paidautomatically through my electricity bill. Living costs have skyrocketed, from basic houseutilities to provisions. Gas prices keep going up. Owning a car -- or at least being ableto afford to drive it -- is considered a privilege. But the crisis does make all othermodes of transportation feel like hell. Strike is a word that easily becomes part of youreveryday life. Today there might be a subway strike; tomorrow the taxis won’t be onthe streets. I won’t know unless I check a pretty smart website that actually putsall strikes into one simple calendar. Excursions, small escape tripsduring the weekends and drives by the beach, are a thing of the past. Try explaining thata date. Going out? It still costs $10 for a drink in most places, but now everyone wantsto find the places with the cheapest drinks possible, because every euro counts.Unfortunately, enjoyment is something I have not experienced in a long time, because nomatter what, bitterness and talks about another friend who just got sacked happen everyother minute. This broad-based depression brings a sense of defeat amongmen here, but also anger. We’re no longer able to make it on our own. It makes youfeel incompetent. This anger comes from the fact that most of us have to pay for thegovernment’s mistakes of bad managing and numerous misspent funds. There are basically two options right now for us. The first is to narrow expectations ofgetting promoted, shut up and keep working, even if that means earning less when theemergency contribution taxes from the state keep asking for more. Hopefully the governmentwill find a solution. Option number two is to jump away from the ship before it sinks; theiceberg has already hit us. Even if you’ve never thought of immigrating, it is now adefinite possibility. Look for opportunities elsewhere, maybe gain another universitydegree or just start over in a different country. Many of my friends have alreadyrelocated to London and Amsterdam, but they’re still a long way from stability.Australia and Canada keep coming up in every conversation, but few have the means (andguts) to actually go to the other side of the world. I am hoping to do so. People facingthe same problems in the States might find it an extreme step, but it’s a stepforward, nonetheless. Hard times mean that you have to make the best outof what you have, even if that means having to endure living with much less money orstarting from scratch in a different continent. But you do it anyway, because your futureis everything. Continue Reading

http://www.askmen.com/money/career_900/952_men-in-crisis.html ]More...[/url]