We welcome you to JobBank USA and hope your job hunting experience
is a pleasant one. We hope you find our resources useful.
May 2, 2004
Few things in life are as emotionally devastating as losing a job. Beyond the blow to one's self-esteem, there is the overwhelming question of how are you going to put food on the table and keep a roof over your head?
It is a question faced by hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents in recent years as companies have closed or moved operations elsewhere.
In today's special section, "Working in Michigan," the Enquirer attempts to take a comprehensive look at the job situation in the Battle Creek area, as well as provide helpful information to those who are looking for work.
In putting together "Working in Michigan," we wanted to look beyond the statistics and try to bring perspective to Michigan's economic situation. We wanted to report on what is being done to retain jobs and bring new ones to our area. Most importantly, we wanted to show what one can do after being told he or she no longer has a job.
In addition to telling readers about available resources, retraining opportunities and other tools that can assist in finding a job, we profile a number of people who have lost jobs and how they have gone about finding new ones. Some have become entrepreneurs, while others have turned their job loss into an opportunity to launch an entirely new career. Their stories are inspiring and we hope will help others who have become disheartened in their quest for a new job.
In a guest column on this page, Enquirer Photo Editor John Grap tells of his own experience in facing joblessness not once, but twice, and its impact on him and his family. It is a story, unfortunately, with which all too many area residents will be able to identify.
But "Working in Michigan" also illustrates that the loss of a job is not the end of the world. In many cases, people who have been out of work have gone on to find new jobs that are more fulfilling than the ones they lost. We hope the section not only helps inform our readers about today's economy but also helps provide some of them with the tools they need to find the jobs they seek.
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