Are we almost there yet?

This year has been a learning great experience so far and according to the calender we're about to hit the halfway mark. Gone early in the year were the great expectations, lofty aspirations, and the goals that were the game plan for the year 2009. They were replaced mid year with actions such as scaling back, realigning expectations, and survival. It's no secret there was a downward slide in the staffing industry, but trick for management has been to make it a controlled slide instead of a auto motive industry-esque free fall. I've heard stories of two local IT staffing departments being decimated from 80+ employees to 4 in the last 8 months. It's made me feel fortunate that we've only had a 50% reduction in 2009 and that we still have plenty of work to keep our business here for a long time to come.

Early esimates gave this recession a 12-18 month lifespan. Being the optimist I am, I'm looking at the former as my new goal for 2009. Even if it is, what does that mean? What comes back first? What economic indicator has to rise in order for America  to feel comfortable investing again? Specific to our industry, when will VC funding come back to funding risky biotech or will it ever come back like it had?

It's funny how you learn many life lessons as a child. Rewind the clock about 25 years to the day and you probably would have found me in the back seat of a 1976 rust colored Malibu on the way to Nantasket beach on a hot summer day. Ignorant of the sizzling hot black vinyl seats burning my thighs while thinking of crashing surf, salty air, and soft sand beneath my feet. Knowing that this long car ride, although really not that long at all, will all be worth it when we arrive I couldn't help but have one burning question on my mind.

Are we almost there yet???