Laid Off

JNieporte said:
I'm trying to keep it as positive as I can. I've never been laid off or any other form of "involuntary termination" so I'm feeling a bit bad. It was explained that this decision was based on seniority only, but it still sucks.

I'm not a drinker, smoker, or drug user, so that's great. I'm already heavily working out (Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu, along with some knife combatives) so I'll have more time for that now. I'm not a religious person, without going into detail.
The job situation here is bad; WalMart isn't even hiring. I'll be filing for unemployment for the first time in my life, and for the first time, I feel like a failure. I don't like it. Anyway, thanks for listening.
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You're not a failure brother, unless you allow yourself to be. I went through the same thing at first, depression and anxiety hit like a ton of bricks when I realized how bad the job market truly is, but cj65 hit the nail on the head when he said stay busy. I have gotten so much done lately, I am in school so I really have thrown myself into that, plus I made myself fully available to my parents and grandfather, who took full advantage of my newfound "time on my hands". :D
Also you have to really put things into perspective and realize there are a whole lot of people suffering more who don't even have there health to keep them going, so always remind yourself of that.
Sorry if all this sounds corny, but its true.
 
file for and get the unemployment done asap. cross your t's and dot your i's. any mistake could delay the unemployment check. stay motivated. double your physical exertion to stay in shape. don't splurge and save your dimes. batten down the hatches and ride this storm out.

i've been in your shoes since april. i've been spending time with the wife and kids (3). lot's of free stuff like the beach. the beach. and more beach.:D we don't eat out and watch our grocery bills (coupons, sales).

hang in there people, for this too shall pass.
 
Vinnie the Nose said:
You're not a failure brother, unless you allow yourself to be. I went through the same thing at first, depression and anxiety hit like a ton of bricks when I realized how bad the job market truly is, but cj65 hit the nail on the head when he said stay busy. I have gotten so much done lately, I am in school so I really have thrown myself into that, plus I made myself fully available to my parents and grandfather, who took full advantage of my newfound "time on my hands". :D
Also you have to really put things into perspective and realize there are a whole lot of people suffering more who don't even have there health to keep them going, so always remind yourself of that.
Sorry if all this sounds corny, but its true.
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Your words are inspiring.
 
Guys-I feel your pain. I was also laid off unexpectedly at the end of February. It is a heck of a blow to your self esteem to go from a 100k plus job to unemployment. I have a wife and two kids to support, and I felt like a complete failure as a father every time I looked at my kids. Then I realized two things - 1) that my kids still love me and believe in me, and 2) I need to do what I have always done - work my ass off. I put the effort into looking for a job, working connections, and generally staying busy, and I just been offered one job, and about to be offered a second one, both with very good companies. Keep a positive attitude, have faith, and good things come to those who work hard for them!
 
I get laid off work every Spring, for the past 19 years. I work at a college, but not during the Summer. Since I'm still "employed" (but not working or making any money :() I don't get any unemployment money. At-least I can look forward to going back to work in September, but 'till then, I'm screwed.
 
I have been layed off since January 3, when our plant, and 11 others in OK, MO and TX all closed. I have already exhausted my initial unemployment benefits, am now receiving extended benefits. After that there is Tier 2 benefits payed forr by Uncle Sam. Since I was layed off in a plant closing mass layoff, I am pretty much guaranteed to get them as well.

You know it is bad when the staffing agencies around here have no work, and the folks at the unemployment office acknowledge that fact.

As Bill Clinton was found of saying, I feel your pain.
 
Hang in there JN. As one of my co-workers says, "Opportunities!". I haven't been laid-off yet, but have been furloughed for 3 days a month and am looking at a 5% pay cut on top of the 3 furlough days or a fourth day of furlough. I'm looking forward to California state government being shut down for one week a month. :D
 
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I got layed off at the end of March after nearly 10 years with the company. I feel your pain, stay positive.
 
JN - listen to these guys , there's some good advice here from people with experience.

I've lost my job 3 times over the last 27 years, it was never fun and always at a bad time.

I'm in the same boat as Gus... I'm an IT manager in a field where hard work is never noticed or appreciated and constant end user complaints is the norm. My company went through a major restructuring last year so I consider my job to be at risk too.

I know it's a cliché, but every time I've lost my job something better did come along and sometimes you don't realize it's a better right away.

Good luck and if you ever need to vent email or PM me.
 
A lot of good advice here. I'll throw a few more ideas that I've been doing (see previous post, underemployed for almost 7 months now).

Don't feel like you need to sit in front of a computer for 12 hours a day applying for jobs. I'm not saying don't apply for jobs, but keep it too a respectful level and make sure you get up and move around. For every 50 mins on the computer, take 10 mins to stretch and move around. When I lost my job, I sat in front of a computer forever, applying to every job I saw. I kept thinking, "the more I apply too, the better my chance of getting a job". I also grew more stressed and started to gain weight from the worry, lack of exercise, and poor eating habits.

Make sure you network. I volunteer to do free computer work for some of the local, non-profit charities and businesses in the area. Many folks who start and are associated with these have $ and have access to a wide network of friends and contacts. Getting a good rep with these people can help your networking and that is by far the best chance to land jobs nowadays. It also helps gets ya out of the house and worrying.

Take advantage of any local programs associated with the crappy economy. My local library has had free "practice interview skills" and "resume workshops". The local church has a support group for people to talk about their situations and to support one another. Some use to vent frustrations, others pass along websites or organizations that be helpful. You get peoples phone numbers and email addresses, if you see a job that might interest them, you let them know and vice versa. If Alice is a nurse and you see a job, email her. She might help ya find that IT job you are looking for. Again, a great way to network and have a few extra set of eyes looking for jobs that might interest YOU.
 
I got laid off in California 12/29/08. I have been living on unemployment. The A-hols in this state say there is a "crisis" but NO public employees have yet been laid off anywhere, and their average starting pay here is over $70,000 per year. Dealing with the unemployment department I have spoken twice to (( NOT APPROPRIATE )) employed there who were asking me to spell words such as "street" and who had no idea how to operate a computer. I am pretty disgusted, and if the North Koreans build a nuke, I pray they will launch it ASAP at Sacramento.
 
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JNieporte said:
I'll be filing for unemployment for the first time in my life, and for the first time, I feel like a failure. I don't like it. Anyway, thanks for listening.
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First off, DON'T feel that way. It's not your fault the economy is in the toilet. It's not your fault you lost your job. Don't look at unemployment as welfare or a handout, that just makes it harder to swallow. It's there to protect us when things go to hell.

I lost my job in September, and spent about a week drunk because I couldn't help but think it was my fault. Then I said "this is enough... this is going to be hard, but I'll make it."

Signing up for unemployment was the hardest thing I've ever done because I felt useless and felt like I was taking a handout. But in the end I realized that I worked my backside off for a long time, this money is here to help me until I can get back on my feet.

It took a while, but i finally found a job last week. It doesn't pay what I was making, but a job is a job right now and at least it'll pay the bills and put food on the table.

Granted, I live alone and my girlfriend and I split the food costs pretty much evenly (ie, we'll eat here one night and at her place one night, or with her mom), so I didn't have it as hard as some. But it wasn't a fun nine months.

Hang in there, get the unemployment started. Give yourself a week to unwind and then start hitting the job websites, news papers, everywhere. Apply for everything.

Good luck.
 
Got "let go" from my "management" job after complications from an emergency Appendectomy- had recurring infections/abscesses that later were diagnosed as Stage 3B Adenocarcinoma (Colon Cancer). 2 surgeries since January & chemo until the end of September or so. I have a part-time bar gig to look forward to when I can dependably show up more than 10 days per month or so. Dying to get back to work. Screw it, I'm not above a paper hat if that's what it takes. Press on.
 
Rugger said:
Got "let go" from my "management" job after complications from an emergency Appendectomy- had recurring infections/abscesses that later were diagnosed as Stage 3B Adenocarcinoma (Colon Cancer). 2 surgeries since January & chemo until the end of September or so. I have a part-time bar gig to look forward to when I can dependably show up more than 10 days per month or so. Dying to get back to work. Screw it, I'm not above a paper hat if that's what it takes. Press on.
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There are many worse off than any of us (who have no access to bladeforums.:D) Very inspiring Rugger!
 
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