…and what if…

The company I work for ships most of its products to the United States, meaning if the 25% tariffs are put in full force on February 1st the repercussions could be disastrous. Am I worried? You bet! I could stand to lose my job or at the very least see my salary and/or my hours cuts drastically in a bid for the company to recoup their losses. The company itself won’t have to flip the bill for the tariffs themselves but the way I see it, if the US customers decide they don’t want to absorb the extra cost then they may force our company to cut their price or they may decide to go to one of competitors. If this happens I could see a possibility of the company doing massive layoffs, if not outright putting the key in the door. It may not happen but it is a possibility and so I’m left with the ‘what if…’ Well, if that were to happen as I see it I’m in a comfortable enough position 4 years from retirement to finish my working life in a lower-paying job, perhaps even a retail job part-time, maybe in a hardware store or some kind of electronics shop, who knows. Just something to carry me until my pension kicks in and I can start slowly trickling my retirement fund and enjoying life at my own slow pace. In fact, I’m really not too worried. Would it be tough finding work? Maybe, but I have many many marketable skills, I’m good with people, technology, I’m a quick study and a great troubleshooter and solution finder. I think I have many good qualities to offer a company. So, you see, given the right opportunity, I think I could shine for another 4 years at a company and maybe beyond if I found the right place. So for now I sit and wait and continue to work and not think about it too much.