Well, for a while until I find a new job. That’s right, I too have been laid off. But I don’t blame the current economy, I blame my company, Verizon.
[rant] They bought this company and decided to double the size of the company. Then after a year we have a lot of people who weren’t able to bill their hours because we didn’t double the sales in a year. (Who would have guessed?) So they’re laying off a bunch of people. [/rant]
Don’t feel sorry for me, though. First of all, I hated this job and this company. I’ve already had a contracting company trying to find me a job for a couple of months, now I can spend all my time looking for a new job. I’m still officially on payroll until July 14th, and I get two months severance after that, plus I have a good 6-9 months expenses in savings, plus unemployment. And I have very desirable skills. And this is a very good job market for programmers. My main problem is that I’m probably too expensive.
So right now I’m splitting my time between chores, gardening, reading, and oh yeah, looking for a job.
Getting laid off sucks! Sorry to hear about it, even if you don’t seem to be all that upset about it. I’m glad you have a little money saved up and can enjoy your time off without worrying too much about getting a job immediately.
Only if you’re buying! Or if you want to make the 30-minute drive from Las Colinas to my place for tuna-fish sandwiches.
Hey! I’m easy, but I’m not cheap! Maybe we could work a deal?
Help me talk Cheffie into buying!
I’d love to do something out of my house like you do, but my skills (Oracle and Unix) tend to be big business stuff. If I had just another $10,000, I could go back to school… hey, can I get a loan?
Yes, and it’s times like this that I bless my mother for having the foresight to go to work for AA!
This is amazing, Zyada; your story almost exactly mirrors mine. I was laid off not long ago (actually, I asked for it), was officially on roll until Monday, and will be receiving a few months’ worth in severance pay. Oh, and I’m also too expensive. With this cushion on top of my savings, I haven’t been looking for work at all and have instead busied myself learning Photoshop to add to my skills as an amateur photographer. Evidently, I have desirable skills, too, since I just got an offer the other day even though - hm, I guess I’ll repeat myself - I haven’t been looking for work.
Zyada, you may not be all that upset about losing your job, but my sympathies anyway–between the surgery and this, you’ve had things pretty rough recently.
Glad to hear that you’re taking all this in stride. I really do hope and believe that bigger and better things lie ahead. Good luck!
(sorry, long post)
Actually, DRY, that brings up something interesting.
Have you ever felt like fate was working to make your life better than it had ever been?
A couple of years ago, some completely random events helped me get a divorce from an abusive husband. This happened just when I had a sea change in attitude that ensured that I would never end up in another situation like that. BTW, the savings that I mentioned in the OP are the remains from the divorce settlement.
The message board was added to the Straight Dope web site 2 weeks after I separated from my ex. It’s been a source of support, entertainment and friendship ever since then - it really helped as I adjusted to my new life.
I’ve tried to connect with several guys since the divorce.
All the ones that didn’t work out, turned out to have some trait that would have made them bad matches for me. Then I met rjk
The surgery was to correct a 10-year standing health problem that was affecting my quality of life, including my ability to dance. The cause of the problem was finally diagnosed February. I found out about the procedure (not from my doctor) within a month and had it within two months. Had it not happened that fast, or had the layoffs happened any earlier, I would have been out of work and probably had passed on it. If I had gotten a new job any earlier, I would have had the mess of dealing with new insurance and being out for a week just when I was trying to establish a good reputation. It couldn’t have happened at a better time (unless I had gotten a good diagnosis years ago :mad: )
I just have a feeling that is going to be the best thing work-wise that has happened to me in a long time.
Yeah, I work for them too. I am in the DSL dept. There is a company wide freeze on hiring and I have heard of lots of job cuts. We are all a little worried about our jobs. I wish you luck in the future. It could be a blessing in disguise.
