Well, today I joined the ranks of the unemployed.

[vanbean]

I went in to work and was told my position had been eliminated.
Shit.

[shireen]

1. i'm sorry to hear that

What kind of work was it? What are hiring prospects like in that field?

:hug:

[snooper2]

2. What do you do for a living?

[truebrit71]

3. That sucks...totally unexpected??

Did they offer some sort of package..??

[vanbean]

8. Totally unexcpected.

I am in the IT field. They gave me a small severence, and I can retire. But I am in no way ready to do that.

[CoffeeCat]

30. My husband is in the IT field...

...and he was laid off recently.

I know how how you feel. We went through it and are still going through it. I know
you're probably in shock a bit and adjusting to this new reality. I can tell you, that
it GETS BETTER. Seriously. You won't always feel as gobsmacked as you do right now.

I wanted to let you know about a couple of things that we've learned as we go through
this situation.

1.) Apply for unemployment IMMEDIATELY--if you haven't all ready. There is some lag
time and you want to get that money coming in ASAP.

2.) You're in IT--and the good news is that contract jobs for IT are plentiful. My
husband got contracting jobs right away. Contact recruiters or companies for which
you would like to work--and see if they are contracting. You might be surprised.
We were. Also, check with your state and local government and their hiring situations.
Our state has cut EVERYTHING and the budget is a big concern--so there is a hiring freeze.
Because they're not hiring full time employees, they're hiring contractors. Check out
the State or local government employment pages.

3.) Did you know that you can collect unemployment while you are contracting? YES, it's true!
When you contact, you are considered working for yourself--and technically unemployed. If you
get some contract work and unemployment--you can find yourself getting close to your previous
salary--depending on what you do and previous pay. Most of the IT contract jobs I've
seen, pay $40-$60 per hour. Double check with your state unemployment laws.

4.) Health insurance. This is a pain in the butt isn't it? And if you're contracting, you
won't get benefits. Does your company offer COBRA? I know it's expensive, but hear me
out. Look over your COBRA information. In most cases, companies give you 60 days to
enroll in COBRA. Here's what some people do. Go without insurance for those 60 days.
However, if something does happen to you--notify your HR dept and let them know that you
want to enroll. Then, you're covered. It's a gamble, because technically you are uncovered.
However, you save the money and take the risk--knowing that you can enroll if something
unfortunate does happen. With that said, PLEASE DOUBLE CHECK this with your HR department
as you exit--to ensure that there is no hidden fine print. Ask them about doing this
and the upsides/downsides.

Best of luck to you. I know how hard this is. Again, it does get better--as you go
from shock to action. Just allow yourself some time to get used to this new reality.

If you want to let us know where you are or what type of IT you do--please add more info.
Others may be able to help.

Take care!! :)

[vanbean]

39. Wow! Thanks a million CoffeeCat. I love DU. It is sure nice to know

I have friends with good advice. I have been doing IT work since 1985, and I know programming, networking, administration,.... I know the ropes, I'm a quick study, (even though this sounds stupid), and I have great references. Thank you for the post, that is great info. (BTW, I am in NM and relatively close to Albuquerque.)

Thanks to all of my DU brothers and sisters. It means more to me than I can express right now. I'll get by.

Thanks again to all of you.

[alp227]

44. I'm trying to get in that field, and now cuz of this post I'm worried

Maybe I'll have to move to India and get paid sh*t wages just to work that job?

[RockaFowler]

4. I am so sorry

:hug:

Please take care of your self

[leftstreet]

5. sorry

suckz

[KansDem]

6. Damn!!!

No warning? You arrived at work and the boss just said "adios?"

:(

[vanbean]

10. Yes. They were shocked and blind-sided too. It was the corporate

people who let me go, not the local folks. Bastards.

[white_wolf]

11. That's messed up. There was a post here the other day asking how brand loyal you are.

It got me thinking, perhaps the question should be how loyal are corporations to their customers and employees? Clearly, they aren't.

[vanbean]

19. I learned a long time ago that you are just a number to a corporation.

Corporations are not benevolent.

[KansDem]

26. Sorry to hear this...

Many of us who are working like to think we're safe in our jobs, but reading of your situation and similar situations with other DUers only reminds us that none of us is safe...

Take care and hope things change for the better!

[madrchsod]

7. well that sucks...hope you find a better job

[Fumesucker]

9. ...

:hug:

[Bake]

12. So sorry, and good luck!

I've been there. Hang in there.

Bake

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. I am so sorry...

That is really a nasty thing to do to you. Esp. without warning.

Be gentle with yourself...

:hug:

[MADem]

14. Are you at "retirement eligible" (aka Social Security) age?

You might have an argument for age discrimination.

Be careful what you sign.

Be interesting to see if someone younger than you with less experience was kept on, while you were shown the door against your will.

[vanbean]

18. I just turned 59. I have always had very good performance reviews.

I have been told they will fill the position, so I have a case for age discrimination, but it is a huge corporation with lots and lots of lawyers, so I am screwed there, I think.

[treestar]

25. Still go consult with an employment lawyer

Plaintiff lawyers are used to going up against corporate lawyers - one area where the is hope - the suits are not sympathetic defendants.

[vanbean]

27. I will go see one, probably as soon a tomorrow.

[undeterred]

28. Age discrimination is very very common and almost impossible to prove.

I'm out there too. I'm sorry this happened to you.

[MADem]

34. Maybe some lawyer will take you on contingency? Perhaps you can get

some direction, anyway, from legal aid?

I think it stinks what they're doing to you.

[SharonAnn]

35. They may "sweeten the pot" with a settlement for you. Cheaper than a lawsuit.

[boston bean]

15. I'm very sorry to hear that.

Losing a job when it is not expected, can be very hard to deal with emotionally.

And then you get to thinking about all the bills.

I hope you are able to keep afloat while looking for another job and hope you find one soon!

[MineralMan]

16. That sucks! nt

[Shagbark Hickory]

17. I'm hoping you're gonna say you were

were a technician at a Nuke plant. Or were a coal miner. Or oil driller. Or maybe you worked at Bank of America.

But you're probably not going to say that.

[vanbean]

20. Thanks to the kind soul who made a donation for me. That choked me up.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

23. I wanted to do something nice for you...

So you would feel a little better, a little less isolated...

:hug:

[vanbean]

41. It worked, Thank you again. I'll remember that for a long time.

[vanbean]

21. Dupe

[City Lights]

22. So sorry to hear your news.

Best of luck to you in your job search. :hug:

[lynne]

24. At least they waited for you to come into work. I got a CALL while on vacation!!!

- they wanted me to drop my vacation plans and come in for a meeting at the last minute. I told them I couldn't come in and if they had something to tell me to tell me over the phone.

Welcome to the club! I'm starting to think we should have tee-shirts or badges or something . . .

OH, and best of luck to you and hang in there!

[Odin2005]

29. No warning, even? Jesus!

:(

[raccoon]

31. Sorry to hear that. nt

[lbrtbell]

32. That's how I was once fired, too

Totally unexpected. :(

I'm so sorry for you, and hope you can get work again soon.

[riderinthestorm]

33. I am so sorry about this. Come on over to the lounge for a drink! MFM's on a roll with jokes

and we'll have you right in no time.


(seriously though, major suckage).

[mnhtnbb]

36. So sorry to hear this. My son works in IT and he went through layoffs twice--

both times, no notice, second time he got a small severance.
First time as he was leaving at 7 PM told not to come back to work
the next day. Second time, escorted to HR and out of the building,
along with 75% of his department.

He's been in his current job now for 3 1/2 years (with a local
town government) and I'm getting nervous as I keep reading about
the layoffs hitting local and state governments.

Good luck.

[closeupready]

37. So sorry about that.

:( K&R

[Le Taz Hot]

38. Sadly, we are legion.

[Blue_In_AK]

40. I'm so sorry.

:hug:

[Phentex]

42. I'm very sorry to hear this...

I hope you find something soon.

[TBF]

43. Recommending for visibility -

Lots of IT folks on here so maybe someone can help.

My field is not IT, but I was laid off in 2006 when my company lost some major business. I knew we were slow but figured they'd just move folks around, no such luck. I had never been laid off previously so my mom had to coach me on how to apply for unemployment. That meant also applying for jobs and I had a new one within a couple months. Less money, but much more in line with what I wanted to do.

I know it is much worse now than even 5 years ago, but I'm hoping your experience will open some doors for you. Let us know how it's going.

[stanwyck]

45. Our thoughts are with you. You have a community here nt

[one_voice]

46. That sucks!!

I will keep good thoughts for you! :hug:

[applegrove]

47. vibes to you.

[spin]

48. Good luck. May you find employment soon...

My best wishes to all those who are unemployed. I am very fortunate as I am retired and I am not looking for work as that would take a job away from someone who needs it far more than I do.

That may change if the stock market and my 401k totally collapses which just might happen.

I keep telling myself that the economy will soon improve. I've seen a lot of recessions in my life, but this is definitely the Great Recession. Let's just hope that it doesn't become another Great Depression if isn't already.

[woo me with science]

49. I am very sorry.

This country is getting scarier by the day.