Even though I work for myself, am no longer a hostage to office politics and do have some reserves in the bank, I often feel stuck as well. The whole social fabric of the country has changed. The two income family is more or less a necessity. Job security is a joke. And everyone I know comes home tired, pissed off and totally stressed out.
T here is no escape.
If you work for a big company, every day is a new opportunity to get fired. You live in fear of being downsized right out of the organization. Everyone I know who still has a job seems to be doing the work of three people, mostly because four of their friends have already gotten laid off. That's where I come in. I'm that extra person who takes up the slack.