“ “You’re in a funny position,” Mr. Nawrocki said. “When you watch people have to leave, and you know they were good, you wonder why they had to go and you stayed. You’re scared because you’re thinking ‘Boy, that could have been me.’ ” ”

Watching those around you get laid off, whether within your company or just within your circle of friends, is a constant reminder of how fragile the idea of “job security” truly is. In the roller-coaster that is this economy, more and more people are afraid for their jobs every day.

In the people that we talk to, the overwhelming fear of job loss is becoming a constant theme. And it was what got Melina and I thinking about the idea of the Career Bailout. It’s a program for those who haven’t yet been faced with a genuine Career Crisis, but are facing the uncertainty of potential layoffs, firings or closures.

There’s a lot of that going on right now. We created the Career Bailout program to help you through it with as little stress as possible.