Across the Board Budget Cuts - Fair for everyone?

Recently our nonprofit organization announced "Across the board budget cuts" and has asked everyone to reduce their hours and pay by 25% "across the board." This is a valiant effort in order to avoid layoffs, which our small firm would not be able to handle.

However, how does 'across the board' work with part-time workers? Some of our staff already reduces hours every summer voluntarily for their personal/family reasons. A 25% cut for them would be what they would normally do anyway. Whereas for full-time workers, it is a significant cut in pay and hours. What is a fair way to administer across the board cuts?

How do other agencies, companies, etc. make that happen?

Articles Like these frustrate me. Minority v. White?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_white_minority#mwpphu-container

We have seen several articles like these as the census comes nearer. Minority births, Minority immigration, and Minority percentage statistics to scare the historic White Majority away! These alarmist articles miss the point.

The world is becoming smaller. We are now dealing with emerging countries who are competing with us globally for better technology and education. And globally speaking, Chinese and Indians are the vast majority. Trying to protect our fragile racially conservative egos will only cause us to lose our competitive edge. Immigration has been our competitive edge throughout history. That is because we were formed as a nation of immigrants. Think about it. Starting from the European settlers, to the Irish mass immigration, to the Eastern European immigration, to the African slave trades, to the Japanese and Asian immigration waves, we have seen it all. And with every wave came a similar reaction from the "settled" folks. Fear mongering, discrimination, and sometimes worse. But what we feared actually is our strength. We are a country that is not defined by race but by ideals, and that makes a good country! Globally speaking, the world has always been shifting and immigrating. Immigration is determined by economics more than anything. High immigration is a sign of good economic conditions. Perhaps some people want higher immigration to our competing countries?

We lost the Olympic bid largely because our country was considered too hostile to visitors. Do we want to fall behind globally while pampering our fragile egos?

Time for something new?

After a year or so of ups and downs at Nonprofit law, I wonder if it is time for something new.

Several questions keep popping up in my mind. How soon is too soon to change jobs? Is a year too soon? How about 2?

How does one transfer skills from nonprofit to the private law world? Surely the case load is qualitatively different. The whole world of employment based immigration rarely enters the nonprofit world because of the income differences. However, this is often the bulk of the practice in the for-profit world. And employment-based immigration is a whole new beast to tackle.

So how would I go about convincing a potential private law firm employer that I am qualified for the job? Does beginning in non-profit mean I am pegged into the nonprofit sector hole for the rest of my career? It isn't that I dislike working at nonprofits. Actually, quite the opposite. However, there is limited growth at my current organization. I could not possibly wind up doing the same thing I have done for the past year for another 10 years.

I see some jobs popping up, but many of them require experience in the employment-based arena. That does not stop me from wanting to apply. Is it normal to feel bored of a job after such a short period of time?

I wonder. . .

Make up for Professional Women?

I was reading an article about indicators of the struggling economy, and below is a quote from it:

"You’ve got that recession look in your eye. Total eye-makeup sales at supermarkets and drugstores were up 8.5% in the one-year period that ended on March 22. In that period, more than $260 million was spent on eye makeup – in particular, eyeliner was up 9% and mascara almost 13%, the industry says.

The leading lipstick indicator – the past trend that lipstick sales rose in economic downturns as consumers settled for inexpensive luxuries – is not holding up. Lipstick sales are down 11%. But eye makeup has replaced lipstick as the indicator, devotees of this theory say."

http://www.kiplinger.com/features/archives/2009/06/10_Quirky_Economic_Indicators.html

This gets me to think - what are the implications of make up in the professional world? Or even more specifically, what are the implications for the various types of make up (i.e. eye make up vs. lipstick?). In the book I read, "Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers," Lois P. Frankel discusses the implications of wearing make up, as well as wearing much make up. Both of those, she says, are harmful to a woman's image as a professional and therefore impede on her chances of moving up the ladder.

On the one hand, make-up seems to emphasize a woman's femininity. On the other hand, it makes her more noticeable. Naturally more petite than men, women are often in the shadows. With slight help of an eyeliner or a lipstick, certain features stand out a little more, in a subtle fashion. Normally, I don't wear much make-up, but when I do, it is a little eyeliner, and a little lipstick. So what are the different effects of eye make-up and lipstick? I think a red lipstick indicates confidence and power. Bright lips draw attention to a woman's spoken words. On the other hand, eye make-up emphasizes the eyes. Eyes, the windows to the soul, can indicate a more submissive role of listening and looking, or of "paying attention" but also of an empowering act of making eye-contact, depending on the person's demeanor.

Yet, for some reason, lipstick stands out to me as a confidence indicator. Bright lipstick. I would wear a bright lipstick in court, but perhaps eye-make up is ideal for creating a warm, comforting, and trusting relationship with a sensitive client.

Thoughts?

Big Law may start to cut associate pay

So, I have heard that several Big law firms are starting to cut associate pay - to - $144,000 instead of $160,000. You won't find any sympathy here, new big law associates! As for the people who are laid off....you should know that there was no reason for them to lay you off. They could have reduced pay for everyone just a little and avoided lay offs.

That is what stinks about the minds of people in charge. It is easier for them to trim their workforce, including new associates and staff members, than it is for them to announce pay cuts. I have a very hard time sympathizing with the big firm business model, but that may be because I am missing something.

Anyone care to explain?

Loans, Loan Repayment, Public Interest work and FRUSTRATION!

Hello,
As I have stated before, I have started working in the field of public interest immigration law. Being prudent, my next thought was that I should look into loan repayment assistance because that was heavily advertised in my law school and we were all encouraged to do public interest work. Bad news followed!

I missed the mark for qualifying for loan repayment assistance at my school because after making all the payments while I was unemployed I went just below the qualifying loan amount. So I was making them pay too little! Then I thought, maybe there are other programs that will help me out. I found out that federal perkins loan can be forgiven if it is not consolidated. ONLY IF it is NOT Consolidated! Well, I consolidated mine!!! So, No assistance for me because I was being too prudent and forcing myself to make loan repayments while I was unemployed, and because I consolidated my federal perkins loan.

I am very frustrated right now. I figure, if all the doors are closed, I may need to find a window, but I can't right now and it seems as if I just have to suck it up and pay off my loan little by little, unless our new President does something about it. Unfortunately, realistically speaking, that may also mean that I will not do public interest work for too long. Who wants to make little and pay off huge debts at the same time?

Lesson: Pay attention to all these things BEFORE you start law school. If you think you will work in the public interest - if there is even a chance that you will - look at the law school's requirements for public interest loan assistance. Then you know whether you SHOULD in fact take out more loans and not beg your family for financial assistance. Perhaps it will make more financial sense to NOT consolidate, and maybe more financial sense to take out those private loans with the high interest rates after all.

I hate being punished for being financially responsible, but that unfortunately, may be what happens in life. Play smart.

Four Months Later . . .

Hi again. I am sure anyone who has followed this blog has had changes in their lives in the past 4 months, and I have too. Good changes.

A year ago, when I was looking for a job in the city, a good friend suggested a job outside the city. At the time, I ignored it and went on looking and tormenting myself with bad jobs and unemployment. I decided I would try to get that job outside the city after all. So, I emailed the director of this nonprofit (mentioning my friend of course), set up a phone interview, then set up an in-person interview. All went well and I was hired! But I had a month long vacation scheduled right afterwards. I went on the month long vacation and the director agreed that the start date would be a month later.

I have since moved. To all those who are in large metro areas, I say look outside your area because that's where the jobs are! I really did not want to move and my husband really did not want to move, but we both have moved, bought a car, and are adjusting fabulously. The best part of all this is that the commute is only 7 minutes (not 90 minutes like my previous job that was in the city but involved a bunch of changes from trains to bus). Parking is plentiful. I feel much saner and more at peace with life in general.

So the plans to go off on my own are on the back burner for now. I am learning a lot, which always helps. I actually like nonprofit work quite a lot. And the pay is a little higher than in the city as an added incentive to move. How lovely!

The challenges? None compared to the challenges I just came out of.