May the tornado be attracted to the management moron that decided to “restructure” you. My condolences.
Don’t burn your bridges with the old firm, not yet at any rate.
I used to work for a company that would lay off people willy nilly, then realize they had work that needed that expertise. They would then bring that person back as a contractor at much, much higher rate.
No plans to do so. I’ve been in this industry for a long time, and many of the “bridges” are in the same boat as me today.
My kids all played sports from an early age. Two are on scholarship with D1 colleges and the third had lots of offers, but wanted to focus on his studies. Early on we learned the 24 hour rule. Many many times we wanted to fire off a harsh e-mail complaining about some coaching decision etc. After waiting 24 hours it is amazing how your attitude can change.
I have deep and good connections in my industry. My VP was crying and I wasn’t. I’m sure I’ll get through it but it has been my life for almost 30 years so it sucks to have it pulled out from under you. I don’t agree with it, but I’m sure that my tenure which equates to pay was a deciding factor. My reputation was still good.
This sounds familiar… my dad was offered a can’t-refuse package just 1 year short of 30 years. It was a mystery how the company could afford to lose someone with so much institutional knowledge, but a few months later he was rehired at a contractor. Higher wages, no benefits.
Spud–list yourself as a consultant, for that software!
Because your old firm might hire your services as a freelance consulant.
For more pay.
Also, you may be wrong about nobody else using that software.
So, try being a Consultant.
And charge extra.
I’m really sorry. Losing a job in your 50s has got to be one of the worst ages to lose one.
Tornado touched down on 21st street supposedly.
Condolences.
Well, the typical way to do it is to take your annual salary, divide by 1000 to get an hourly rate (which is twice your regular rate to accomodate for lack of benefits). Then you add a multiplier to account for the job.
Right in line with what you want to do for a decent time period? no multiplier.
Pretty short and/or not really something you want to do? Double the rate.
Client is a jerk? Triple the rate for an asshole tax.
They are truly desperate and you are the only one that can help? 5x 
Sounds like that 5x bracket may be for you!
amongst most of my peer group, people get laid off on a routine basis every 5 years or so, so you kind of get used to starting over. It must be hard to not have had that happen for 29 years and then wham.
I think you’re selling your skill set short. You developed and managed a special software program. That’s a skill. You can go develop another one, or learn a new one and manage it. If you sit down and think about it you can probably come up with some other skills that will look good on a resume. Take a week off and relax and then put yourself out there.
I agree. There’s got to be some transferable skill there - you might just need a little bit of training in some popular industry framework (I dunno - Agile, Six Sigma or PMBOK or something) to unlock the potential of what you already know how to do.
A similar (although not quite so severe) thing happened to me about 8 years ago. I held out for a bit hoping I would be called back as a consultant, but eventually, just cracked on with a bit of retraining and found another job. After that happened, a desperate call came through for the support and consultancy for the previous job, but I was able to just politely decline it.
I like how you think. Also, +1 on “you’re selling your skill set short”.
There may be forms of schadenfreude better than getting a call from your old job and being able to say “oh, sorry, I’m already someplace else”, but I haven’t encountered them. May you be able to do that.
Been there, done that, still have the T shirt. Good luck with the future job search. Don’t underestimate your skills. You survived this long and kept a 30 year old legacy alive. You can do anything!
Start with three times your pre-firing hourly rate, go from there. Good luck!
I’m so sorry you’ve had the crap knocked out of you for the moment, but I look forward to when you smugly update this thread.
To the OP. If you think your skills are going to be needed in the immediate future at that company, find out how to make yourself a consultant. (it’s not hard, and usually not that expensive depending on your stat) Then make a list for yourself of the skills and knowledge you have that the company’s legacy system might need, write a nice letter and send it to the office’s that are now managing that system. Tell them you’re available for consulting on the issues in a brochure that you attach.
Others here could probably give you advice on how to do this better than I.
If they call, stick it to them in charges.
My wife took a couple of days off so we went to a matinee of War Dogs at a theater that serves beer. Much better than working on my mid-year review.
I think I’ll like this until the paychecks stop.
Same here. People in my field seem to change jobs every 1-5 years.
29 years is tough though, for no other reason that you don’t get to develop those job hunting skills. I always kind of feel bad when I’m consulting at some company trying to reorg their processes. They always have these people who have spent like 10+ years doing some esoteric obsolete function that’s going to be replace by technology.
My advice is:
- Enjoy your time off.
- Do a bit of job searching every day
- Network…network…network. Go to sites like Meetup.com, your college alumni sites, anything that provides an opportunity for you to talk to other professionals.
- Stay positive. I don’t mean that in a bullshit Pollyanna kind of way. I mean in it in a “Who Moved My Cheese” sort of “what actions will I take today to facilitate my job search”.
File for unemployment immediately. Too many people wait too long. Although with severance pay, I’m not sure how that works.
It really is difficult for 50 plusers to find work after layoff. Took me 5 years to find full-time work. I hope you have much better luck.
I got no callbacks whenever I applied for jobs. My only leads were from recruiters who found my resume online. Be sure MS Office is in your skill set.