Laid Off - Part II

I don't remember much very clearly after that. You always hear that people shut down after getting that kind of news, and I did. Plus, I had been on the other end of two previous rounds of layoffs at the same company and knew the drill. My boss told me that I could leave and then come back tomorrow to transition some of my tasks. I took her up on that.

Lesson #1 - When you get laid off, don't go home knowing you are going to have to go back. Pack up your things and do the transition duties that day. It was HORRIBLE having to return to the office yesterday.

I called Lucas immediately and he said that he would meet me at home. He asked me how it went. I said that I was proud that I didn't cry in the meeting, though I was certainly crying then! I called my mom and my grandparents on the way home. All three were very reassuring that this crisis, like other crises, would pass. I called a friend of mine who I have class with on Tuesday nights and let her know what happened. She said that I was the third person she had talked to that day that had gotten laid off!

Lucas and I spent most of the afternoon on the couch - me crying and he giving me Kleenexes, telling me that everything would work out. I e-mailed my professor and told him I wouldn't be in class that night before I left work. I also e-mailed my group members on a group project and told them the same. Imagine my surprise when one of my classmates responded to my e-mail and said he had been laid off the previous week.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent on the computer, notifying HR contacts of my prediciment and applying for jobs. I had a hard time not doing anything, so I figured I might as well get started on the job search.