June 12, 2015 at 8:37 am
Jeff Moden (6/12/2015)
Eric M Russell (6/12/2015)
Also build up a cash emergency fund enough to cover three months of basic living expenses. You may end up needing that to pay bills or at least move into a new apartment.I got laid off just once in my life and it scared the hell out of me. I had nothing liquid that I could draw on for cash and the separation pay was just enough to last for a month (which was better than nothing). It was in my younger days so it took me a month to land another job but it did teach me a lesson and I've been squirreling away cash with an automatic withdrawal since then so I don't miss it. If I had a family, they'd be safe because I've got more than a year of "we can survive on this nicely" cash set aside that is accruing a decent bit of interest that I can get my hands on tomorrow if I need it for such a thing.
I can't describe how frightening the layoff was because of not having a war chest. I still wouldn't want to be laid off ever again (knock on wood). Having more experience now than then, I could probably find a job in fairly short order but it wouldn't be nearly as frightening thanks to the war chest and I could make sure that I was finding a good job with the right environment. Hell, I might even enjoy the time off. 😀
We seem to share a lot of common experiences. A decade ago, I was suddenly laid off when my wife was six months pregnant, and we had a contract on a new house. Like yourself, I appreciated the one month severance pay, especially considering I had only been working for the company a few months. I did some contract work for a former employer, spent 8am - 8pm looking for my next job and fortunately landed a one year contract position only six weeks later. The mortgage lender was understanding, and we even closed on the house later that summer.
Finding oneself between jobs is a critical decision making point in one's life, and being forced into a decision that's not well thought out simply because of immediate financial concerns is a bad place to be in.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 12, 2015 at 9:32 am
jasona.work (6/11/2015)
Jeff Moden (6/9/2015)
On that note, give me some idea of where you'd actually like to work, area wise.Jeff, realistically, I'd probably (for the right price) go as far as Ann Arbor. For the most part though, staying in the Metro Detroit / suburbs area would be preferred.
When I was last looking, I was considering and applied for a position out at Domino's Farms (never heard from them.)
I thought they only existed in movies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0YaNuOPDY8
June 13, 2015 at 7:00 am
To all: Thanks for the suggestions and recommendations. The good news is, I got word yesterday that my fears may be unfounded, and I may stop being a contractor and become a hire. So there's that. That being said, I'm going to work on getting in the habit of once a month or so, updating my LinkedIn and keeping it up-to-date.
Jeff: If / when the time comes, I'll get in touch with you.
As for the local Detroit SPID group, I've been to a couple meetings, but not consistently. Usually if the topic sounds interesting I'll try to attend. Maybe I'll start going every time, after all it never hurts to learn new things (unless it's whether getting hit over the head with a shovel will hurt, then it does hurt...)
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