U.S. Loses 533,000 Jobs in November, the New York Times reports.

The largest one-month loss in over 30 years. The economy is now guaranteed to be in the longest recession since the Great Depression.

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

Prediction: The learning-and-performance industry is about to take a big big big hit. I'm thinking a complete disaster. I'm thinking maybe my MBA will come in handy. Master Burger Administrator. I actually worked full-time as a short-order cook for a year before going to college, so I'm ready. BIG GULP!

Polish up your resumes folks. Cut way back on holiday spending. Put in extra time at the office so they won't think you're quite the dead wood you seem to be. Stop eating the expensive part of meals, like the entrees and desserts. Encourage your family to become anorexic. Burn all your George Bush paraphernalia. Even if you're one of the 19% of people who still think Bush is a good president, don't tell anyone. Tell Corporate that there was a mistake in your job title, it wasn't supposed to be "Instructional Designer" it was supposed to be "Productivity Designer"; it wasn't supposed to be Director of Learning and Emerging Technologies" it was supposed to be "Director of Much Better Performance"; your CLO title didn't mean "Chief Learning Officer," it meant "Cutter of Learning Overhead."

Remember, in times like these, even if you can't have your dream job in being a "Learning Professional," being an earning professional is good.

My hope is that in times like these, the best of us will survive/thrive, perhaps by doing the right stuff.