It took me 7 painful months to find an equivalent job to what I had. I can't even imagine how things would have been now with much more competition out there for the same jobs...
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Has anyone here considered becoming a teacher? Many people in tech who were laid off years ago turned into educators teaching subjects like math, chemistry, science, computers, etc. Most states are in need of teachers and have programs to help professionals transition into teaching by way of alternative certification. It's also a noble and rewarding profession.
Spend your time at HPE wisely by preparing for the bloodbath that will follow the spin/merge in March. Once things settle down later in 2017, there will be 10,000's of layoffs, and no one's job will be safe unless you're in upper management. Prepare yourself for the future by working under the mindset your job is going to be eliminated -- complacency is your enemy right now.
Plan, prepare, and act -- you still have time to control your job situation!
Actually the unemployment rate has dropped by nearly 20% in the past year, from 5.7% to 4.9%
If anything, this is a great time to look.
One thing I've noticed is that it's sometimes WAY easier to find work in a 'hot' market. For instance, I spent about six months looking for work when I was laid off, and I ran into two issues. The first is that no one wanted to pay me what I was getting before. And the second was that employers didn't want to hire me for jobs that paid a lot less, even if I was willing to accept a pay cut. The reason for that is because I found myself interviewing with managers who were ten years younger than me. Basically if you're going to interview for a mid-level job, they want someone 30ish to do it.
When I decided to interview in Seattle, I received multiple job offers, all paying more than what I was already making.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
I was WFR'ed in 2014 after 20 years with EDS/HP. My severance package and retirement plan savings were good. However, finding a similar salary position did not happen. The stress that losing my job put on my family was incredible. We had to move to another state for work and with that uprooted teenagers that were in their JR and SR years of HS. Ultimately, the stressors contributed to my marriage of 24 years ending. Things are better now and do continue to improve as time goes on but it is not an easy road. I wish only the best for anyone that goes through this.
@zcw Look in Nashville. IT Hotspot
This is the true face of being laid off... That's what Companies like HPE resist to acknowledge, looking at us as expendable "things" to play with in order for the numbers to look good. It is not about statistics or a balance sheet.... It is about human beings that suffer, and entire families that are turned upside down without any mercy. The saddest thing about all of this is that the people that design and plan they layoffs can sleep well at night. That's the part that I resent the most.
OP- You have 8 free sessions with EAP. I know how you feel, July was my last month. Keep the faith and use every tool HPE has offered. Please don't let this company take anymore than they already have. Prayers for you and your family.
At least Dell is not in auto-destruction mode...
Jumping to Dell is not the solution either. Dell loves PIPS ( Performance Improvement Plans) to boot people out
@zcw, I'm sorry to hear that. Things will be better, bro. Never loose the faith, and keep searching. I hope you don't take me wrong, but I humbly recommend that you seek professional help. You sound pretty much depressed, and the Holidays won't make you feel better. I think it might be a good idea to seek help asap in order for you and your family to better cope with your situation during the next weeks. There's always light at the end of the tunnel...
At least for me, it has been very difficult to find a job (I'm willing to relocate ANYWHERE). I've been out since July, and I'm already desperate, as the WFR money is quickly burning out... It breaks my heart how my kids and wife have been adjusting to all this mess. Although my wife constantly tells me that it's not my fault and we'll be fine, I feel guilty of making them go through this hell. It will be much more difficult during the Holidays... I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to cope with this... Sometimes I just wish I don't wake up in the mornings. Getting out of bed is becoming more and more difficult each day...
I'll still here, and have been actively looking for a bit more than 3 months now. I haven't been able to find anything here locally in Houston, and I resist to relocate - unless forced out. I hope Trump implements whatever he has in mind, in order not only to stop offshoring, but to bring back lost jobs.
Agree with the OP. I was laid off early last year, and without having any data or facts in hand, it feels like things weren't that bad as nowadays. I've read around here that the current WFR package is worse than what I got, so I guess I should feel "lucky".
Obama says the economy is much better, so all of us WFR-ed will get new better jobs in less than a week...
I hear you, bro. I'm from the Palo Alto "Class of 2013", and I know exactly what you mean...