MinnEcon Blog

Your career. What happened? Six words

Back in April, we asked a simple question: Tell us what the Great Recession's done to your career -- but do it in only six words.

We got great, creative responses to that six-word challenge. With Minnesota's latest jobless data set for release next week, we wanted to hear from you again.

We were genuinely impressed by the thoughtful and heartfelt responses we got back in the spring, although some of them were hard to read.

Charles Oakes of Willmar told us he had to lay off staff and cut budgets at a program he runs that finds jobs for adults with disabilities. He summed up his experience in six-plus words: Nonprofit leader, hatchet man now. Woe is us...

We're going to follow up with Oakes to see how he's doing.

Click on the map icons to read stories from April on the recession's effect on the professional lives of your friends and neighbors. Then add your story.

Here are my six words: Journalism reaper. Step ahead. So far.

That pretty much sums up my professional life the past two-plus years -- happy and lucky to have a job writing and reporting and hoping it stays that way.

How about you? What words best describe what's happened to your career in this recession? Unemployed? New entrepreneur? Back to school to retrain?

Post your six word career story below or use our handy form.

We'll feature the responses in an upcoming post. We need to hear from you.

BONUS: Check out the responses we got last spring on MPR's Facebook page

NOTE: Our efforts were inspired by SMITH Magazine's ongoing Six-Word Memoir project.