[69ConvertibleFirebird]

That was my first layoff ever. I decided that I needed to get out from under my mortgage. I put 4,000 shares on the table to cover the mortgage, pay off both cars and zero my credit card. Damn if the company didn't stop the sale for first time in its 33 year history. The share price was lowered from $33 to $28. I just lost $20,000 overnight. I decided I still needed to pay off the mortgage. The cars and credit cards would have to wait. I sold 4100 shares and paid off my main residence. Except for $3,400 per year in taxes, I'm pretty well set for a place to live.

Great job of taking responsibility for yourself. I'm being called arrogant, and getting ripped to shreds, because I worked two jobs to be sure to save enough to be able to retire - or at least work whatever job I want (similar line of work as yours - EE with embedded systems design and coding - DSP processing for NASA, etc.)

You just have to keep going at it...

[Myrddin]

The embedded systems work I do today is leveraging material that I taught to college students from 1980 to 1983. I'm finally integrating that skill-set into my regular job. The teaching job was done to augment my income as a newly hired Central Office Toll Equipment Engineer at Pacific Telephone in 1980. Between engineering all day and teaching all night, I was able to pull down $44,000 annually in 1980.