After nearly 20 years in IT I was laid off last July after 12 years as a SysAdmin for SunTrust Bank along with over 3000 others in various technology divisions within the bank. The bulk of the work and a lot of TARP money went to India, Mexico and Canada as they offshored as much as possible and what little they couldn't went to cut-rate outsources. Now I'm going back to school starting next month for a 2-year AS degree as an Aviation Maintenance Professional, basically an airplane mechanic as I'll have my FAA Airframe & Powerplant licenses plus Avionics Certifications. After 3 years in the field then I can get my Inspection Authorization license. My intent is to stay local at one of our nearby airfields and stay away from the airlines as my desire is to be happy rather than rich, as it certainly pays less than IT. At least I won't be in a cube waiting for the next round of layoffs as no one is going to fly their Cessna to Bangalore for an annual or overhaul. I'm especially looking forward to learning more about diesels as they're coming on strong to replace gasoline engines in light aircraft. As I'm already a pilot (SEL & SES) it gives me a little extra opportunity to log some flight time too!