I can’t sleep and it is mixture of this damn cold and the economy going belly up. Ironically, I just watched a report on CNN that reminded me that Citigroup was laying off about 2.6% of their global workforce (or 9,100 employees) and Goldman Sachs is laying off about 10% of their global workforce (or 3,200 employees). Granted, Citigroup is a staged layoff over 12 months, but it is still a sizeable downsizing.  Fidelity Investments is laying off 1,300 according to news reports.

While most of my friends won’t shed a tear for the traders and investment bankers who are losing their jobs, I think it still signals a trend. Layoffs are coming and who is next? That is what is keeping me up at night.

I don’t know if you remember, but back in the early 2000s there was a website called FuckedCompany.com (which by the way is dead) that chronicled all of the dot com layoffs, implosions, etc.  I wish we had something nowadays that listed what is going on with Corporate America.  Sure we have an imitator FuckedStartups.com but that really only focuses on dot coms (or as many of you know the Web 2.0 crowd).

I am more interested in reading about Corporate America, the Fortune 1000s, because that is where most of my money is invested and a stronger indicator of where the Economy is going. I heard rumblings of layoffs and Chapter 11s, but the closest thing I could find was TechCrunch’s Layoff Blog that seems to have some information on what is going on Corporate America.

I am scared that within the next year we will see a major US airline file bankruptcy and go under (hopefully not the one I have over a half million airmiles on, but since they haven’t partnered with anyone they are the likely one), a major US car manufacturer going under (ironic, since most foreign car manufacturers make more cars in the US than our US car manufacturers who oursource), and more banks will consolidate and merge.

I went into Bank of America today to do some basic checking related things.  You know, order new checks, get a cashier check drawn up, and order a duplicate debit/check card.  Everything was going great until I asked the Teller to please order me a duplicate card since my CVN (security code) on the back had faded away.  When I tried to use the ATM machine afterwards the card didn’t seem to work, whereupon, the teller informed me my card had been locked because I inputted the wrong pin a few times at the ATM machine.

The teller told me the computer system “accidentally” canceled my ATM card and once that happens…guess what?  You have to wait for your NEW card to arrive. Ok, normally this would not be a huge issue, but this weekend was one of the few weekends I can go shopping for Christmas.  All Bank of America did was give me a sorry, and insist that it is a computer error and not a teller error.  Of course I was irate but the Branch Manager came over and looked at the screen and said, “yup it is a computer error.”

So I call up the customer service number to complain about what happened and the manager told me that in reality, the Teller didn’t issue me a duplicate card, he issued me a NEW card.  So that whole story about it being a computer error was to just get me to leave the bank.  I became customer services problem then.

In the end they said they would expedite my card, and when I asked what kind of remuneration they give in situations like this.  They said that the fact they were expediting it in the first place was a remuneration.  I was thinking, “Hello!  If you hadn’t SCREWED up in the first place you wouldn’t have to expedite my card to me.”  I tell you I was so tempted to close my account right then and there, but the bank was gambling I was to lazy to cancel all my direct deposits and bill pays…and for now they are right.  BUT Bank of America, if you screw me a again like this…I am as so going to maybe close my account!

Well my buddy Amar is finally in Denver about to start his new role with a Big 4 accounting firm in their IA Audit department.  Should be exciting stuff for him, I bet he will really enjoy the work.  I am not sure, however, if he’ll survive the winter in Denver…anyway his first day is 10 September.

As for me, everyone (including my client) has asked me what is next…it is like everyone somehow expects me to do something amazing now that my MBA is complete or run off and get a new job.  It is all a bit weird if you ask me, can’t I just sit here at work and just work hard?  Or do I really have to make a life changing decision?