This is going to be a difficult post to write. As of December 31, I'll be out of a job. My company sold the publishing part of their business to another company, so I've been laid off. I would have marked my 30 year anniversary with them on January 18, 2012.
I can't say it's a big surprise. There's been talk about this for several years. I don't even blame my company for doing it. Publishing isn't their core business, so it makes sense that they'd sell it. I'm just in shock a little because starting over somewhere else is very scary, but it's especially so when you're almost 54 years old and have never worked anywhere else.
I'll develop a coping strategy. I'll make goals and schedules. I'll figure out what skills I'll need to get a job in a different kind of business. But not right now. I need to concentrate on getting through the next 2 months at work. I'll take January as a month for mental rest. After that, I'll attack this situation with as much energy and determination as I can.
Luckily, I'm getting 24 weeks of severance pay, as well as 10 days of unused vacation pay, and I can collect unemployment for up to 2 years. My husband has his job. We don't have a lot of debt to pay off. It's not the end of the world, but it's not a fun situation to be in. No matter where I end up, my life will never be the same. I hope I have the strength to deal with this gracefully.
My next posts will be back to the usual subjects. I have pictures from a couple fun meals I've had this week. No matter what, I won't let this situation stop me from enjoying my life as much as I can, within my new budgetary limits. :-)
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Oh Sharon, I'm so sorry. That has to be so scary after being with the company for almost 30 years! Hopefully, new doors will open and it will be one of those blessings in disguise things. But going into the unknown is never fun! Exciting, challenging, and a whole lot of other things, perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI hope all goes well for you!
Laura (otherwise known as Arulba - an anagram of Laura B.
Thanks, Laura! I'm trying not to over think it right now, but it's hard to keep my mind from dwelling on it. I'm going to put together some goals for the start of the new year. I know one of them will be to get back to losing weight. I'll have more time for exercising and no excuses not to do it.
ReplyDeleteI never would have guessed what your user name meant. That's very cool!
I sure hate to hear that. It's hard when it's the only place you've worked for so long. Many of us are facing similar possibilities as the economy continues to lag. It's good that you're getting 6 months of severance plus vacation time, though. That will give you time to decide what you'd like to do. I'm not sure what you did in publishing for your company, but there's still some opportunities with editting/copy-editting/etc with online publishers (such as in the ebook community) and manga publishers, if it interests you.
ReplyDeleteI'll keep my fingers crossed for you!
You've mentioned before that this is soemthing you've seen coming eventually. I have great faith that you'll be on top of things and in a great place to start again once your current situation ends.
ReplyDeleteJukebox, I'm lucky that I'm in a more financially secure position than a lot of people who lose their jobs. I do have my age and lack of experience doing other kinds of work going against me, but I like to think I have a lot of positive qualities, too. They had to keep me around for 30 years for some good reason. :-)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about checking out online publishers. Thanks for the idea!!!
Thanks for the encouragement, Rue! I know it's going to be a little scary, but I have time and I'm very willing to go to community college to learn some new skills. I keep telling myself that this could be a great opportunity to try something different. Staying positive is going to be the key. I can't let this get me down!
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