looks like I may be there awhile. Good because I found this "good job market" to actually be insane, looking for work as a database developer or anything else I'd done prior to that (application support, business analysis, something has to have some use to someone ... yea done more than one thing in my job life, probably not a great idea).

And I haven't been able to save much working yet. I guess how hard missing a days pay for xmas and new years, if you have to take time to go to the dentist, etc. would hit I didn't realize until I became contract (and I did not set my rate any higher than I would for a full time job - I was desperate period). After being unemployed for so long not able to save but bills get paid is hey BILLS GET PAID!!! And there was ahem pent up demand. I mean I didn't buy anything for a year so did some stocking up . So maybe I'll be able to save something eventually.

What saving I have done is mostly throwing about $600 so far in a Roth IRA, and feeling pretty foolish thinking: a lot of good that will do you when unemployed! Yea well it was symbolic, about keeping hope of being middle class again ... someday .... I think much about being middle class is foolishness, I am so done with most of it, the parts I ever even cared about. But the basics aren't = some minor degree of job security (more than contract work), healthcare, paid time off, not stressing about every penny (it's too hard to live that way), ability to make the rent. Ha.

About construction, my boyfriend works in construction, but is not a blue collar man, does administrative stuff, for which demand is not so great, so maybe he'd know some ins and outs of it. Some construction is all immigrant, but I don't know about all (some of it is government and unionized also, and that's not).