It's a depression.
Here's a quote that has been rolling around in my head since last Wednesday:
I was laid off last Wednesday from the only corporate job I've ever truly enjoyed. The architecture business is in dire straights in every American city; it was only a matter of time before the axe fell at my office, which also fell on two of my co-workers.
Not to worry for my co-workers, though. They have skills that could be billable work in the near term for the firm if things turn around, and if they aren't employed elsewhere if things turn around. If. As for me and my fabulous liberal arts degree, I would most likely be the last person called back. There are no guarantees for me, and my position could be available for re-hire within two weeks' time, but at half the hourly rate I was paid. I do not pretend to even hope that my position will reappear, which the HR department told me could happen...maybe. No guarantees. Of course.
I'm not really as upset by this turn of events as I could be. I've owned my own business and I understand ups and downs and issues and what's going on with our economy. I also know that, if the firm were my business, I would have done A LOT of stuff differently that the Board of Directors (ex-bureaucrats, pedantic professional ex-college students, and old folks that need to retire five years ago) did and DIDN'T do leading up to these layoffs. I'm still a little angry. But not so much.
It's a new adventure for me, again. I'm always ready for an adventure, and I thrive on adversity in a highly positive way. I don't depend so much on others for my well-being, and I'm always motivated to learn something new. I am not afraid of being out of work, and luckily, I'm in a good financial position to weather this. No debt, no kids, no health issues, and no reason not to move to start a business or take on a new professional challenge.
Is it wrong that I'm sort of upbeat about being laid off? The disappointment factor is certainly there, and I am still in shock a little, but I'm more excited about new opportunities than I am worried about income. I am blessed with so many interests, skills, and good friends that I just can't be too morose about this.
I'm going to be alright.
When it happens to somebody else, it's a recession. When it happens to you, it's a depression.(I think Mike Shedlock over at GlobalEconomicAnalysis.blogspot.com said this...If not, apologies. He writes a killer blog.)
I was laid off last Wednesday from the only corporate job I've ever truly enjoyed. The architecture business is in dire straights in every American city; it was only a matter of time before the axe fell at my office, which also fell on two of my co-workers.
Not to worry for my co-workers, though. They have skills that could be billable work in the near term for the firm if things turn around, and if they aren't employed elsewhere if things turn around. If. As for me and my fabulous liberal arts degree, I would most likely be the last person called back. There are no guarantees for me, and my position could be available for re-hire within two weeks' time, but at half the hourly rate I was paid. I do not pretend to even hope that my position will reappear, which the HR department told me could happen...maybe. No guarantees. Of course.
I'm not really as upset by this turn of events as I could be. I've owned my own business and I understand ups and downs and issues and what's going on with our economy. I also know that, if the firm were my business, I would have done A LOT of stuff differently that the Board of Directors (ex-bureaucrats, pedantic professional ex-college students, and old folks that need to retire five years ago) did and DIDN'T do leading up to these layoffs. I'm still a little angry. But not so much.
It's a new adventure for me, again. I'm always ready for an adventure, and I thrive on adversity in a highly positive way. I don't depend so much on others for my well-being, and I'm always motivated to learn something new. I am not afraid of being out of work, and luckily, I'm in a good financial position to weather this. No debt, no kids, no health issues, and no reason not to move to start a business or take on a new professional challenge.
Is it wrong that I'm sort of upbeat about being laid off? The disappointment factor is certainly there, and I am still in shock a little, but I'm more excited about new opportunities than I am worried about income. I am blessed with so many interests, skills, and good friends that I just can't be too morose about this.
I'm going to be alright.