The EE, for example, could easily get into an eng consulting group as engineers are still an incredibly high demand field. He simply doesn't want to take a "pay cut"..feeling that to be beneath him..thats how it appears.
When will these dumbasses learn that they are here to be exploited by the capitalist class? Past time they recognized their place. They should be happy to be employed at all (hell if it weren't for the generousity of the shareholders, their families would starve forchrissakes). When is all this nonsense about actually doing the same (CPI increases) year-to-year ever going to end? Don't these people know about starving people in India who would be happy to accept slave wages?