Come up north, supossedly there are a few groundschools starting in the fall. (My company won't be having one unfortunately, though on the flip side, if you end up hired and layed off again by next season you're more than welcome). I feel your pain, I'm a young guy in this industry too. You'll do fine. As for the rest of the popcorn inducing histeronics, it sucks he lost his job. There's no sense in being a dick about it, he may have had it easier or harder than myself or others but the fact that someones lifestory as of yet doesn't meet your quantized measurement of what makes life "hard" as opposed to "easy," means nothing. The future is completely unknown and a man can go from riches to rags as fast as vice versa. The economy sucks, morale is low, everyone's furloughing/firing, and the Dooooooom Apocalyptic hellscape is charring the lands with a crispy sense of irony. But guess what, it'll get better. Alex will find a job (it might not measure up to what he once flew before, but hell, we all make lateral moves), aloft will make it through the suckiness of a boring aviation gig. TXAviator will locate aviation work to supplement the money he blows on me when I show up at the club he works and he has to buy me drinks. Doug Taylor's rampantly uncontrolled blood pressure (triggered by this and many other threads) will eventually subside, and the world will go on. To Alex, sorry bud, that sucks, but for what its worth, you're in good company, a goodly collection of skilled pilots are sitting on their thumbs right now, it'll just take a little time for this to blow over, and in another year, we'll all be back to where things we're about four or five years ago. If there's anything I can do in the northern areas, as I say to most people, let me know, and I'll fill ya in. Beyond that, good luck, and keep the greasy side down.