I had two different employers go bust in 2002. First one was a startup acquired by a big corporation in 2000, but they gave up on us a couple years later. How

I had two different employers go bust in 2002. First one was a startup acquired by a big corporation in 2000, but they gave up on us a couple years later. How much the larger economic climate affected that, versus the indisputable fact that we were spending a lot more than we were making, I don't know. Got another job before the severance ran out. Second one was a small startup, which ran out of cash and failed to make payroll a few months later. The owners wanted to keep going on a shoestring and offered me equity to stay, but I didn't want to take that gamble. Again, I can't say how much of that was due to the economy (harder to find investors in 2002 than in 2000), versus the fact that the company was spending money and not making any. Got another job right away. This one was a profitable government contractor, I stayed there for years. My first piece of advice is to always have current, marketable skills. You don't have to chase every trend, but you should know more than one thing, just in case that one thing becomes the next buggy whip. My second piece of advice is not to put all your eggs into one basket. Salary is more reliable than equity. Savings will get you through rough times.