I was laid off from Citi after 10 years with the company.
I knew layoffs were coming because they announced back in March that our larger group would be affected.
We even started training our replacements in April... but nobody told us exactly when we would lose our jobs. Then I got the call while I was on vacation with my family. I was on a plane heading home from Colorado, sitting next to my 7-year-old son who was laughing at videos on YouTube while my husband was working on expense reports. And there I was trying not to cry in front of everyone. We had just spent an amazing vacation together, climbing a mountain and enjoying the outdoors, and suddenly all I could think about was losing my job. After 10 years at Citi, this is how it ends.
What makes this so frustrating is that we were actually training the people who would replace us. Think about that for a moment. You spend years learning your job, helping the company, and building a career, and then they expect you to teach someone else how to do your work before getting rid of you. I started working at Citi 10 years ago after working as a bartender.
During those years I bought a house, raised my two boys, and built a better life for my family. My oldest is now 18 and my youngest is 7. I was proud of what I had accomplished and thought I had built something stable. Now I'm sitting here wondering what comes next. I know a job shouldn't define who you are, but after spending a decade with one company, it's hard not to feel like you've lost a big part of your life. I never expected to feel this lost over a job, but here I am.
The strange thing is that I knew this was coming, yet actually hearing the words still hit me harder than I expected. I'm worried about finding another job, keeping things normal for my children, and figuring out what I want to do with my life now. Part of me is even thinking about changing careers completely, maybe going into nursing or doing something that feels more meaningful. I've been through difficult changes before, and I know I'll get through this one too. But right now I'm disappointed that after 10 years, Citi couldn't even wait until I got home from vacation to tell me I was no longer needed. I spent so much time building my career there, and now I have to start over. I just hope whatever comes next allows me to spend more time with my family and worry less about whether my job will still be there tomorrow.
Peace out.