Update on me

As many of you know, I was laid-off recently. It has not been an easy transition from working every day since I was 16 (with the exception of a few weeks in my early 20’s) to nothing. I have been having my struggles with it. I had many feelings that were not healthy. Yes, I am depressed; however, I am getting better. It has taken a while for me get through this situation. I feel as I have wasted days away doing almost nothing. Hopefully, those days are behind me.

It really does seem easy for management to just let somebody go. It’s just “business.” Maybe, it is to them, but to me it’s life. I am lucky that my company gives a nice severance package so that I can put off the financial worries that come with being laid-off. In fact, I have basically been on “vacation” since my last day in the office. My official termination date is the 31st.

I, however, found out yesterday that they actually HIRED a new person (i.e. brought in somebody new) for a department that I was working in part-time. How does this make sense? By the time this new person gets up to speed with how to do the job, the person that I was taking over for will be back. But you know, “it’s business.” Well, I am going to move on. Clearly, they have.

Come next month, I will be hitting the job trail. I am not totally sure what I want to do. I am not totally sure that I want to be an IT person. I feel like I want to do something creative. But my education and job skill set are not of the creative variety. It is in this, that my conflict arises. I would love to write for a tech focused website or magazine. I would love to edit video or audio. These are where my passions lie, but I am trained to be an IT guy. I can’r really afford to let the conflict continue, I must make a decision and find a job. This isn’t just about me. I have a family now. I have a wife, whom I love very much. I have two awesome cats. I have a house and all the bills that come with it. I must not lay around too long or my severance will be up and then, the financially struggle will really begin.

I am taking some time during my “vacation” to get a few things done that I did not have time previously to accomplish. That feels good. I will continue to use my time wisely. I have a few projects that I would like to finish while I have some free time.

Job hunting can be a job in itself. But, you know, I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life. This might end up being a good thing. Only time will tell…