Is it really all doom and gloom?

I just had a friend phone me to tell me that after almost 12 years at the same firm, he's being laid off. I had another friend phone me yesterday to tell me how horrible his job is now. A couple weeks ago, the British newspapers screamed about 20,000 financial industry jobs evaporating overnight.

But does this mean that all is gloom & doom? Well, certainly times are hard but I'm not convinced that the sky is falling. Provided you're a quality professional, there are still some plum jobs out there. Even one of the top fellows at Lehman Bros. has land a juicy position in the public sector as the chief information officer for the US FBI.   

While our firm isn't hiring, we are still seeing a demand for our services. Operations Risk Management has had a spotlight shined on it, and that's great news for operational professionals willing to take some initiative. The payments industry still has innovative products being developed and this too offers opportunity.

It's easy to be a naysayer in this global market but if we look just a little further along the horizon, we'll see opportunities and a brighter day. So the choice is yours; to sit at home and cry, or to build on the potential and build your own brighter tomorrow. As for me, I'll be there for my friends who need a shoulder to cry on but I'll also be reminding them that they have the potential to build their own brighter tomorrow.