Survi(Thri)ving

There’s no better feeling than giving your boss notice, letting everyone know what you’ve decided to leave your job and pursue something that you’re passionate about. It’s a feeling of power, control and confidence that is thrilling and motivating. You’re in control of your life.

Getting called into a conference room on a Monday morning and being informed that you no longer have a job due to corporate belt-tightening issues sucks. In my case, I decided to not finish the day, walk out and go get sushi and see “Crazy Heart” at the movie theater. I felt numb, robbed and sick to my stomach (I would wind up coming down with the Flu that evening and being sick in bed for a week, oh life’s ways…) and I didn’t have any idea of what was going to happen next.

I was planning on quitting my job in the Fall to pursue other options, but having that option taken from me suddenly made planning my life a little more complicated. I hadn’t been fully unemployed, ever and besides a small amount of money I was able to pick up on a contractor’s basis, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it financially.

Here ’s my “all options are on the table” emergency triage plan I did and suggest you consider trying if you’re ever laid off:

• PANIC! Seriously, freak out, cry, throw up, punch something, drink whiskey… get it out of your system. I got the flu and had to stay in my loft for a week immediately after getting laid off, so I didn’t even have to deal with temporarily losing sanity while keeping face in public. You need to try and move past the emotional part of losing your job as fast as possible because there’s no room for wimps or whining when it’s time to start kicking ass and getting back on your feet.
• ESTABLISH YOUR SUPPORT STRUCTURES: You know that saying “don’t burn bridges” right? Yeah, times like this are why. Karma is not a bitch, karma’s a sneaky ninja that waits till you trip up to blow poison darts at your neck. Reaching out for help and being able to accept help, in whatever ways possible, from your network, is important. Being embarrassed about losing your job is counter-productive. Acknowledge the situation, tell people you’re looking for work and be willing to take small, less than ideal gigs on the short term to a) give you a little money and b) let people know you’re willing to help them if they help you.
• TAKE MONEY OUT OF THE EQUATION: Deferring bills and payments when you have a job is one of the dumbest things you can do. If you have cash-flow, you can downsize your life as much as possible to pay your bills. When you have limited to no cashflow, it’s time to call up the student loan establishments, the credit card companies and whomever else you owe some skrilla and figure out how you can chill out for a bit on writing them big checks until you figure your job situation out and also (very importantly), not get hammered on your credit score for doing so.
• CASH OUT- YOU’VE EARNED IT: Unless you’ve never paid taxes in your life, you will have earned a certain amount of unemployment insurance benefits from the government. Although this money doesn’t come in forever, you can buy yourself some time in re-building your life and career by collecting unemployment. Different states have different laws about who can collect, how and for how long, but you need to get on initiating the process of setting up your claim immediately after you’ve been let go. Your former employer is legally obligated to give you all your termination paperwork asap, so don’t wait.
• PLOT FOR A LITTLE BIT: “Should I stay or should I go?” That’s what I asked myself. I moved half way across the country for a job that lasted 5 months and I had dedicated enough time to that job that I wasn’t able to make much of a social life outside of work. I was ready to leave Madison and try life somewhere else. But where? Luckily, I have no kids and at the time, was single. The world was my oyster. I have friends who are laid off and have families, homes, etc and it’s not so easy to pick up and leave like I did, however, the question(s) about location and job preference are worth asking. Depending on your situation or perspective, your safety net and ability to stay in a holding pattern may be smaller or entirely nill. But, I’ve found that asking questions of what you’d really like to change about your life is actually harder than the process of making it happen. What little money you have is better spent on traveling, going to conferences, networking and anything else that’s going to get you up, out of your house (and funk) and experiencing new things that may land you somewhere you never expected to be right for you.

Getting laid off seems like a burdensome thing to most, at first. I know people who’ve dealt with severe depression over it, however, a dose of perspective and support can help not only keep you afloat, but actually enable you to thrive during this transitioning time in your life and career. Even if you got launched out of a job you loved and wound up flat on your ass on the curb, the direction for which you were thrown a loop just may be a who new path that you were meant to take in life and it could be the best thing that ever happened to you.

*SIDE NOTE* I truly believe that “career experts” are only as valuable as their ability to be helpful. I don’t call myself an expert, but I’m always willing to lend a helping hand to someone in need. If you’re ever in a tight spot and would like some input or someone to listen to your situation, shoot me an email james[dot]r[dot]moreau [at] gmail [dot] com