Berg said that for every $10,000 you were earning, it takes about a month to find a new job. There's time to plan. He recommended: make a list of assets that can be sold, determine fixed (vs. discretionary) spending, list what expenditures can be cut or postponed and how income can be generated -- then prioritize the crisis. Selling a second car might be an option in the second or third month of unemployment. Borrowing against a 401K or via a home equity loan is more severe -- hold out until the fourth or fifth month. Borrowing on a credit card? Bad idea.
If you're supporting someone in college, Berg said, help him or her look for more financial aid -- or a part-time job -- immediately. Use public transportation. Think creatively about how to extend the time before you have to do something drastic, such as sell the house. And bankruptcy, he said, should be the last consideration. "Don't think of it as an option. It's not a short- or long-term answer."
Carter offered a clear explanation of how to evaluate other investment possibilities in rolling over a 401K. And he said that energetic networking is a key to getting hired again quickly. Go out immediately and start renewing old acquaintances. Put together a résumé. Don't hide, he said. Be aggressive -- like, well, a good journalist.
About 30 people attended the session, more than half of them unemployed. If you were laid off recently and couldn't attend, check the Jennifer LaFleur-run web site for a more complete report on the evening. For the list of job openings that was distributed then or the information folder from Carter Financial, contact Gayle Reaves at (817) 321-9787 or gayle.reaves@fwweekly.com.
==================================================
PEOPLE & PLACES
About 50 aspiring journalism students and recent graduates from throughout Texas attended the 12th annual journalism workshop hosted at UTA by the DFW Network of Hispanic Communicators and the university's Communication Department. The students participated in a mock news conference, wrote a breaking news story, discussed ethical situations and heard tips on print, broadcast, sports and public relations. ... The Network of Hispanic Communicators recently elected officers: Ana Barrera Waggoner, president; Derek Castillo, broadcast VP; John Gutierrez-Mier, print VP; Stella Chavez, secretary; and Sandra Zaragoza, treasurer. ...
Print magazine published Star-Telegram senior design editor Mark Hoffer's annual Halloween maze illustration for 2003, "Igor's Laboratory," in its 2004 Annual.
==================================================
GET A JOB
The North Texas Commission in Irving seeks an assistant director of communications. Applicants should have a communications-related degree plus 3-5 years professional PR experience and Macintosh desktop publishing proficiency. Strong written and verbal skills, event planning and promotion, media relations and brand building are essential. E-mail cover letter and résumé to Lisa Fellers at lisa@ntc-dfw.org. ... The Texas Wesleyan U. Communications Department has openings for a director, a senior writer and a communications coordinator. More here. ...
The city of Seguin seeks a public information officer. Must have a bachelor's degree in journalism, PR or related field, at least three years experience, technology proficiency and knowledge of photography, design, layout, and basic printing and composition. Ability to read, write and speak Spanish preferred. Starting salary $32,864-$38,064. Apply at City Hall, 205 N. River St. in Seguin; call (830) 401-2473. ...
Feinstein Kean Healthcare, a subsidiary of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, has an opening for a media relations VP. Qualifications include 7-10 years experience, a proven network of contacts in national, regional, local and trade media and a B.S./B.A. or equivalent. Position can be based either in Cambridge, Mass., or Princeton, N.J. Contact Jo Anne Patrick at (609) 524-4033 or jpatrick@parkmadisongroup.com.
==================================================
COMINGS & GOINGS
Additions ... at the S-T: New Yorker and diehard Yankees fan John McAlley, an eight-year veteran of Entertainment Weekly -- he produced the first take on Norah Jones before she hit it big and orchestrated the controversial EW Dixie Chicks cover -- new arts editor, starting Jan. 3; he's looking forward to having a house, a dog and theater tickets that don't cost $150 apiece
Exits ... at the S-T: senior news artist John T. Valles, to The Advertiser in Honolulu, Hawaii
==================================================
READING MATTERS
"We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People" /
From the author: "Tomorrow's news reporting and production will be more of a conversation or a seminar. The lines will blur between producers and consumers, changing the role of both in ways we're only beginning to grasp. The communication network itself will be a medium for everyone's voice, not just the few who can afford to buy multimillion-dollar printing presses, launch satellites or win the government's permission to squat on the public airways." And from Simon Waldman, The Guardian: "This is a gripping snapshot of a period of profound change."
===================================================
PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Pamela Smith, Greater Fort Worth PRSA
A version of the following was submitted to the Star-Telegram in response to an Oct. 28 article, "Consultant's racial terms stir outrage," about a public relations practitioner who used controversial language in a media training for school employees.
On Aug. 2, 1985, the kind of abrupt changes in wind speed and direction that could not possibly happen, actually did happen and drove a Delta Air Lines L-1011 into the ground at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, killing 128 passengers, eight crew members and one motorist. After that day, pilots began spending more time in flight simulators being stressed to the max with all kinds of wind-shear factors. The theory: The more you can make pilots crash in simulations, the more they'll be prepared in real cockpits with hundreds of lives in the balance. continued
