Coming across this article is bittersweet for me. I work in the field of Engineering where you eat what you kill and there hasn't been any new projects lately so nobody is eating.

A Senior Project Manager just got the word that he's out and here's your severance and good luck to you...

But what remains behind after a good friend and a hard worker is let go is a collective feeling of guilt from the remaining group. Why him? Why not me?

This is the second round of lay-offs that have brushed past my cubicle and tugged on someone else's construction vest. This is the second time Human Resources has told us that they have tried to crunch the numbers every which way but something's gotta give.

In the 70s, I remember waiting hours with my parents in line for gas and not getting new clothes for school. But as a kid, I never realized how much stress my parents were enduring to keep all four of us housed, clothed and fed.

Now I do. And I know that my story isn't unique. There are many of us holding our breath on Fridays (Firedays) to see if we get another week of the company pay. But the interim stress takes a toll on everyone. Even if I'm not the one laid off in round three, it seems that the guilt of moving forward is almost worse.

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