Forestry professionals are feeling the crunch of the economy just like everyone else, perhaps, in the eyes of foresters, even more. Permanent employment is a hurdle which not all foresters clear immediately after graduation. Even temporary employment, with pay at any rate, is an accomplishment to be envied. But, it is more important to remember in these "hard times," that foresters do have a purpose in society. It is important for us to hold on to our beliefs that professional foresters are needed to manage and utilize those complex organisms we know as trees. It is important to realize that the education we obtain yields more_ benefits than merely collateral for a job upon graduation. Perhaps the most comforting thought to remember is that we are not the only forestry students to go through "hard times."