Ensconced in a comfortable cocoon, then suddenly jolted into reality.
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“I’ve not gotten one single call from anyone yet,” said Aeron Miller, 47 years old, who has applied for county and state jobs in Maryland. Miller was in the Air Force for several years, then worked in civilian jobs for the federal government for about 20 years. She took a buyout in February rather than returning to the office, which would have meant a commute of up to two hours.
At a March job fair in Odenton, Md., for federal workers, Miller perused tables advertising careers in everything from public safety to sanitation, but didn’t see much she was qualified for—or that interested her. “I don’t know how to fix roads or go out when they have emergencies with the pipes flooding,” said Miller, who handled freedom of information requests at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.