Just kidding! I'm looking for jobs. I need a job, until my blog hits it big. I can't wait to push the "monetize" button on the blogspot dashboard and see the cash flood in. Alas, the blog is not ready for prime time! And thanks to generous tax payers and Congress' fortitude I can ride this out for 99 weeks.
When I got canned, 2 days later I went to Cayman, for a fabulous vacation. It was made a little less fabulous by newly introduced budget constraints but it was very nice to get away and decompose. Also, how many times in your adult life can you go on vacation and not have to think about the pile of work that is accumulating for you back at home?
Before I left town, I wanted to be sure to say goodbye to my former colleagues that I knew I would miss. This was really important to me and I am so glad I did it. When you get laid off, you are escorted out of the building and there are no goodbyes. You just leave quietly and then people begin to notice that your cube has been empty for a while and all of your things are gone... and there were layoffs today... and... yeah, where's Annie?
Although I had emailed or texted all of my friends at work that were close a few hours after the rif, I decided to have a "retirement party" happy hour at my favorite bar. I invited all of my former colleagues that I knew would be supportive and help me find my next job. I was worried that it would be difficult to see everyone but I was really happy. Everyone was very kind and understanding. The guy I sat next to at my first job stopped by. It was an unusual mix but overall I think it worked out and made me feel much better about leaving.
Since I worked by myself in my former role I didn't have a team, but I had my own little team throughout the organization that I had worked with for different projects. In the days and weeks after the rif, I received calls and emails from colleagues at offices in New York and Chicago. The amount of support was greater than I could ever have anticipated. So many people looking to help me.
And I'm not too proud for help. I told the concierge at my apartment building about the layoff and the next evening he had 2 email addresses from people in the building that work in finance and are willing to help. I don't even know these neighbors but when I emailed them they passed along my resume. Being laid off has also gotten me free parking and reduced bar tabs. It's been 1 month, and I'm very confident that I will be okay because of the help and support from friends, family, colleagues and strangers.
Back to the job boards! Have a great week everyone.
