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About To Lose My Job

vacationhopeful

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It will take TIME .. time to adjust to a new routine, new activities, make new friends, etc.

When I was 'RIF'ed (reduction in force), I TRADED my house for the house across my street (from almost new BIG 4 bdr with central air, etc) to a 60yo bunglow with NOTHING (no DW, no A/C, 1 bath and UGLY pink metal cabinets in the kitchen). I went 100+ miles away to obtain an MBA. I rented the ugly house and STORED many of my worldly possessions in the separate garage.

Take any course that appeals to you ... even non-credit (like painting or cooking) or to become a travel agent, etc. CONSIDER putting the house up for sale, take in a short term exchange student (did that several summers when I could NOT travel ... 3-4 weeks with each French HS student staying in my home). I had no kids or husband.
 

WinniWoman

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Maybe try some freelance type work? Some can be done remotely, via sites like Upwork. Your marketing experience might lend itself to copywriting or similar type work, and you could do that from any location, including a remote one.

Just an idea, and I wish you the best of luck on your transition. I was laid off a few years ago and its a big adjustment. I hope you are treated fairly regarding your final pay, etc.


I like the idea of copywriting. One of my favorite courses in journalism school. Thanks. I will check out Upwork at some point.
 

WinniWoman

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It will take TIME .. time to adjust to a new routine, new activities, make new friends, etc.

When I was 'RIF'ed (reduction in force), I TRADED my house for the house across my street (from almost new BIG 4 bdr with central air, etc) to a 60yo bunglow with NOTHING (no DW, no A/C, 1 bath and UGLY pink metal cabinets in the kitchen). I went 100+ miles away to obtain an MBA. I rented the ugly house and STORED many of my worldly possessions in the separate garage.

Take any course that appeals to you ... even non-credit (like painting or cooking) or to become a travel agent, etc. CONSIDER putting the house up for sale, take in a short term exchange student (did that several summers when I could NOT travel ... 3-4 weeks with each French HS student staying in my home). I had no kids or husband.

When hubby retires the house will go up for sale most likely. Looking at the prices of homes or condos in NH, we might just end up with a bungalow. LOL!

But we are definitely too private to take anyone into our home. That won't happen.

I like the idea of taking a fun class- if the high school, which is just 6 miles away, offers one because otherwise I would have to drive far to the college and I do not drive at night as it is. Don't see well at night. You have to remember- I am in the boon docks here. This is not a major metropolitan area with tons of cultural activities within walking distance or with mass transit. This is why I would love to move to a college town in a rural area- like where my son lives- have a little of both.

But I am doing nothing first off. Have to clear my head and will have plenty of things to take care of this fall. Before you know it it will be the holidays and then the first of the new year will be around the corner. I always have a list. I am a person who never had time to work anyway- amazing how we all do everything with work taking such a huge block of time out of our days. Now I can get up at a normal time instead of 3:30 am. I will be able to exercise at a reasonable time- like in the daylight! What a concept! LOL! I won't have to precook all our meals for the week on Sunday morning, or pre-make my salad for the week for my work lunches. I can't wait to throw out that darn lunch box! Ha! Ha! I can now make our food each day. Food shop when I want. Clean the house when I want. Everything will be so different and I bet the weeks will go faster than they did when I was in the work drudgery.

PS Does anyone use travel agents anymore?
 

VacationForever

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PS Does anyone use travel agents anymore?

In the cruise industry especially, people use travel agents to get commission passed back to them. For example, a cruise line will pass on 15% of cruise price, excluding port fees and taxes, to the travel agent. Most large travel agencies like Costco and Crucon pass about 8 to 10% of that commission back in the form of a cash card (Costco) or additional perks (Crucon) like free drinks and onboard credits.

If you are a small independent travel agent, you will get the 15% from cruiselines but beware that savvy cruisers will ask for something back like onboard credits ($). You are essentially competing with the big boys/girls like Costco and Crucon. Then there are some not so savvy cruisers who need handholding and may need recommendations etc to book cruises for them. It is always a balance of service and how much you are willing to pass your commission back to the travelers.

For land tours, travel agents get about 10% back from companies like Trafalgar and Collette.

I use travel agents only for kickbacks as I do my own research. So yes, there is a demand for travel agents. But the competition is also significant.
 

pedro47

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The first positive thing after you leave that job will be; is when you go to your doctor for the first time and your blood pressure is normal 120/80). That was my first positive experience after I retired.

Please relax and chill and enjoy
 

silentg

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Enjoy your week on the Cape. Put the job out of your mind as much as possible.
I’m fully retired and DH should be retiring early next year.
We have vacations planned before and after he retires. Making the most of our timeshares and TUG has been a big influence on me and how we travel.
You have received great advice from TUG, but follow your own instincts.
I believe in Karma and vindication, it may take a while but when it happens it’s a nice feeling
Safe Travels,
Silentg
 

artringwald

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DRI: The Point at Poipu, 3 deeded weeks, 1 of which is in The Club.
I like the idea of taking a fun class- if the high school, which is just 6 miles away, offers one because otherwise I would have to drive far to the college and I do not drive at night as it is. Don't see well at night. You have to remember- I am in the boon docks here. This is not a major metropolitan area with tons of cultural activities within walking distance or with mass transit. This is why I would love to move to a college town in a rural area- like where my son lives- have a little of both.
When you're ready for it, there are many free courses available at Coursera and EdX in a wide variety of subjects. You can drop out at anytime if you don't like it and you don't have to do the homework unless you want a completion certificate. To get credit for homework assignments you have to grade the homework of other students. Most the courses are taught by colleges professors from major universities. The one I enjoyed the most was History of Rock. The most interesting one to me was Financial Markets because it was taught by a Robert Shiller, a Nobel prize winner and he invited many well know people as guest lecturers.
 
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bluehende

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When you're ready for it, there are many free courses available at Coursera and EdX in a wide variety of subjects. You can drop out at anytime if you don't like it and you don't have to do the homework unless you want a completion certificate. To get credit for homework assignments you have to grade the homework of other students. Most the courses are taught by colleges professors from major universities. The one I enjoyed the most was History of Rock. The most interesting one to me was Financial Markets because it was taught by a Robert Shiller, a Nobel prize winner and he invited many well know people as guest lecturers.

The financial markets course looks interesting. Was it a basic course or more involved?
 

artringwald

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DRI: The Point at Poipu, 3 deeded weeks, 1 of which is in The Club.
The financial markets course looks interesting. Was it a basic course or more involved?
I don't have any background in economics, and it was very easy to understand.
 

WinniWoman

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The first positive thing after you leave that job will be; is when you go to your doctor for the first time and your blood pressure is normal 120/80). That was my first positive experience after I retired.

Please relax and chill and enjoy

Thanks. I actually have really good blood pressure- amazing, I know.
 

DaveNV

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Mary Ann, I've been following this thread, and comparing your experiences to mine. I have a different situation, but it's no less stressful. My Manager is someone who has an agenda of "me first" for the favorite-children he manages, while the rest of us are left to prove every day why we deserve to be employed here. It's a very long, old story, and details are irrelevant. Suffice to say, I've been here a long time, nothing surprises me any more, and I've always kept one eye on the day I can quietly retire and walk away.

Yesterday late afternoon an email circulated from the Department Manager, (my manager's manager), announcing yet another rearrangement of job duties and who-reports-to-whom within the department. Yet another upper-level manager will be recruited, (how many do they need?), and the department restructured for about the fifth time in the last three years. My team wasn't named as one that will be changing, but I just sat back and tried to take it in, thinking, "Here we go again!" It always feels a bit like shuffling a deck of cards.

And then a thought occurred to me that made me laugh right out loud: 323 days. That's how long it is until I can retire. And suddenly I realized there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. This never-ending rollercoaster of working here will finally come to an end, and they can recruit someone to replace me. Or not. For some reason, I just don't care. :)

Be well, make peace with your life, and enjoy yourself. Your health and well being are the most important things to manage. The rest will sort itself out.

Dave
 

"Roger"

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Best wishes, Dave.

Five reorganizations in three years?/! Typically reorganizations are just the shuffling of cards with no real changes. Likewise upper management often sees how it could use more staffing while they consider those below them are simply not working hard enough (with no first hand experience to back this up).

Knowing that the end is insight will sure help you manage a difficult situation. Happy trails ...
 

VacationForever

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Best wishes, Dave.

Five reorganizations in three years?/! Typically reorganizations are just the shuffling of cards with no real changes. Likewise upper management often sees how it could use more staffing while they consider those below them are simply not working hard enough (with no first hand experience to back this up).

Knowing that the end is insight will sure help you manage a difficult situation. Happy trails ...
Hey, I worked in a Fortune XXX company for 13 years and reorganizations happened every 3 to 6 months within every business group, division, at every level below. If your group does not reorganize frequently, the senior manager must not be good or creative. I really believe that in every large Fortune XXX business, the same can be done with 50% of the people.
 

DaveNV

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Best wishes, Dave.

Five reorganizations in three years?/! Typically reorganizations are just the shuffling of cards with no real changes. Likewise upper management often sees how it could use more staffing while they consider those below them are simply not working hard enough (with no first hand experience to back this up).

Knowing that the end is insight will sure help you manage a difficult situation. Happy trails ...

Thanks. It's not awful, just an ongoing PITA. There have been changes, some greater than others, and I'll admit, some of it was for the better. But in this case it's "this team now reports to this person, and that team reports to that person." No changes in job duties of those team members, just for the figurehead they report to. It seems like a lot of noise to make the organization seem more "mainstream" than it really is. The term "balance of power" comes to mind. They did a huge reduction in force last Winter, with lots of layoffs, then they turned around and hired back a bunch of the people they'd laid off, when they realized they'd cut a bit too deeply. I just kept my head down and my keyboard busy. Move along, nothing to see here. ;)

As the old joke goes, "The only reason I hang around here is to see what happens next!" :)

Dave
 
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Luanne

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I worked for the phone company. Over my 30 years of employment we changed names, ownership and went through numerous reorganizations. For years I was doing basically the same job, but in Operations, Billing and Marketing. By the time I retired I was sick of the whole thing and oh so ready to leave. By the end my boss was in Atlanta (I never even met her) and most of my co-workers were either in a different location or worked from home most of the time.
 

Egret1986

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And then a thought occurred to me that made me laugh right out loud: 323 days. That's how long it is until I can retire. And suddenly I realized there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. This never-ending rollercoaster of working here will finally come to an end, and they can recruit someone to replace me. Or not. For some reason, I just don't care. :)

Be well, make peace with your life, and enjoy yourself. Your health and well being are the most important things to manage. The rest will sort itself out.

Dave

My husband and I find ourselves in the same place with our employment. I've been with mine almost 30 years and he's been with his 20 years. I'm 60 and he's 58. We've started the countdown (not days yet, but within sight). It's a shame that things degrade so much that by the time you're nearing the end and moving onto the next stage that you're counting down the days (months, years o_O). We are not counting down because we anticipate being free "to do what we want, to a degree, unfettered), but because we're so over the BS going on. Our employers no longer remotely resemble their former selves.

The Times They Are A-Changin’
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

Yes, health and well being are the most important things to manage now.

"There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. "

Stress is unavoidable, but you've just got to do your best to try and minimize it. MaryAnn has been through major stress. My husband and I are fortunate not to be dealing with the issues that MaryAnn has gone through. But, who knows, what the future holds. :shrug:

I'm hopeful MaryAnn is having a calm and relaxing vacation, and is anticipating her "new life". :p
 

WinniWoman

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Mary Ann, I've been following this thread, and comparing your experiences to mine. I have a different situation, but it's no less stressful. My Manager is someone who has an agenda of "me first" for the favorite-children he manages, while the rest of us are left to prove every day why we deserve to be employed here. It's a very long, old story, and details are irrelevant. Suffice to say, I've been here a long time, nothing surprises me any more, and I've always kept one eye on the day I can quietly retire and walk away.

Yesterday late afternoon an email circulated from the Department Manager, (my manager's manager), announcing yet another rearrangement of job duties and who-reports-to-whom within the department. Yet another upper-level manager will be recruited, (how many do they need?), and the department restructured for about the fifth time in the last three years. My team wasn't named as one that will be changing, but I just sat back and tried to take it in, thinking, "Here we go again!" It always feels a bit like shuffling a deck of cards.

And then a thought occurred to me that made me laugh right out loud: 323 days. That's how long it is until I can retire. And suddenly I realized there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. This never-ending rollercoaster of working here will finally come to an end, and they can recruit someone to replace me. Or not. For some reason, I just don't care. :)

Be well, make peace with your life, and enjoy yourself. Your health and well being are the most important things to manage. The rest will sort itself out.

Dave


That is incredible. Re-organizing to me means the big shots are trying to "justify their own jobs". Make it look like they are doing something constructive. When the regime changed at my job one of my clients said to me that with all the changes they will make, the end result will be the same. He is so right. He, like me, has seen it all before.

So it's great that you are able to sit back and laugh! I love that! Less than a year from now and you're out! That's what you need- that light to get through one day at a time.

Right- so sit back and see what happens next! Great entertainment! I, too, will be curious to see what goes on with my soon to be ex-employer one year from now.

Best of luck getting through your last year, Dave!
 

WinniWoman

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Thanks. It's not awful, just an ongoing PITA. There have been changes, some greater than others, and I'll admit, some of it was for the better. But in this case it's "this team now reports to this person, and that team reports to that person." No changes in job duties of those team members, just for the figurehead they report to. It seems like a lot of noise to make the organization seem more "mainstream" than it really is. The term "balance of power" comes to mind. They did a huge reduction in force last Winter, with lots of layoffs, then they turned around and hired back a bunch of the people they'd laid off, when they realized they'd cut a bit too deeply. I just kept my head down and my keyboard busy. Move along, nothing to see here. ;)

As the old joke goes, "The only reason I hang around here is to see what happens next!" :)

Dave

This is like what the new company at my job has been doing. Coming up with a new name for procedures we already do. Marketing "spin" on everything to make them seem high tech.. The new boss has been hiring back some people that were let go before he took over- just as per diems or part-time. My guess is they won't stay long or they will be let go once again at some point.
 

WinniWoman

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My husband and I find ourselves in the same place with our employment. I've been with mine almost 30 years and he's been with his 20 years. I'm 60 and he's 58. We've started the countdown (not days yet, but within sight). It's a shame that things degrade so much that by the time you're nearing the end and moving onto the next stage that you're counting down the days (months, years o_O). We are not counting down because we anticipate being free "to do what we want, to a degree, unfettered), but because we're so over the BS going on. Our employers no longer remotely resemble their former selves.

The Times They Are A-Changin’
WRITTEN BY: BOB DYLAN

Yes, health and well being are the most important things to manage now.

"There are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, anxiety, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections, a host of viral linked disorders ranging from the common cold and herpes to AIDS and certain cancers, as well as autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. "

Stress is unavoidable, but you've just got to do your best to try and minimize it. MaryAnn has been through major stress. My husband and I are fortunate not to be dealing with the issues that MaryAnn has gone through. But, who knows, what the future holds. :shrug:

I'm hopeful MaryAnn is having a calm and relaxing vacation, and is anticipating her "new life". :p


Thanks. When we first arrived on the Cape on Saturday I was actually very depressed and the gloomy weather didn't help. The entire time we have been here- no sun. It was freezing, too. On top of that, everywhere we have gone on the Cape the people working in the tourist attractions were all retired men and women- older than me, though- and they were talking about how great retirement was- but they liked working these jobs because they were fun. You would think this would be a positive thing to hear, but I actually feel so unsettled and not ready to embrace the whole thing yet. I can't really describe it. I guess it is an anxious feeling.

Then our ferry to Martha's Vineyard was cancelled due to rough water and wind and all I kept hearing on the news was about this Florence Hurricane and I wanted to just go home. Didn't help with the stress.

However- things got much better- we were able to rebook the Martha's Vineyard Ferry and tour for today. And the weather took a total turn to warm and humid. But still cloudy and foggy.

We also had another day of no rain- temps in the 60's, but windy- and were able to drive and explore the entire National Seashore. We got out just before rain yesterday to visit the town of Sandwich and the Heritage Gardens and Museums.

Tomorrow we go to Nantucket. So- all in all I am feeling much better now. I do dread going back to the job for my final week but it will provide good closure for me I think after this vacation.

You and your husband have been at your jobs way too long! When can you retire? Do it sooner rather than later if you can afford it. Enough of all the BS!
 

DaveNV

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That is incredible. Re-organizing to me means the big shots are trying to "justify their own jobs". Make it look like they are doing something constructive. When the regime changed at my job one of my clients said to me that with all the changes they will make, the end result will be the same. He is so right. He, like me, has seen it all before.

So it's great that you are able to sit back and laugh! I love that! Less than a year from now and you're out! That's what you need- that light to get through one day at a time.

Right- so sit back and see what happens next! Great entertainment! I, too, will be curious to see what goes on with my soon to be ex-employer one year from now.

Best of luck getting through your last year, Dave!

Thanks! I want it to be as painless and uneventful as possible. Unfortunately, they're ramping up for another major software upgrade, so there will be systems testing, module creation, and lots of "insert buzzword here" activities to do so the new program will work. And my job is right in the middle of that. :)

Dave
 
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