I Thought My Job Was Secure

Yesterday, I was on vacation. I had to take excess accrued leave by the end of May, or I would lose it. I was doing household projects and sort of working on my consulting business and a few new ideas.

Today, I’m unemployed. Laid off from what I believed was a secure position. The irony is that I have been doing career advising for the last six years.

I still do a little career consulting, but let it wind down after I moved to San Antonio to be close to my son in high school.

Now, the advisor gets to practice what he preaches. But I do not want a salaried job again. Business, entrepreneurship, and marketing have always interested me more than practicing law or working at a law school.

Today is the beginning of my rebirth into work I can be passionate about. I want to see how many people I can help. I want to be creative and live a free-agent lifestyle. Only do work that stirs my passions and lets me spend significant time in the zone.

This is not the first time I have been laid off. During the Russian Debt Crisis in 1998, I was let go from an in-house counsel position with an investment bank. And, my wife had our daughter one week before the notice. 

Getting laid off was one of the best occurrences of my life, although I didn’t think so at the time. At least financially. Within five years, I was living the life in New York City as the local managing partner of one of the largest one hundred firms in the county and making over ten times my prior salary.

While I’m a little concerned because of the cost of health insurance for myself and two kids, I’m not fearful. I’ve been through much worse. On Memorial Day, I marked my twenty-seventh year of sobriety from severe alcohol and drug addiction, and I haven’t had a depressive episode for years.

My career has not followed a straight-line path. I’ve had more “wow, I can’t believe I’m here” moments than I can count. I’ve also met many warm, engaging, and generous people. And, a few who were not my cup of tea. But I don’t judge until I have walked in their shoes.

What’s next? I have no idea. It’s up to me! Since it’s up to me, I will put my blood, sweat, and tears into whatever I pursue. And, whatever I pursue will be in the service of others.

It may sound odd, and a little crazy coming from someone laid off less than four hours ago as I write this, but I am grateful. I’m thankful for the people I worked with, and for the law students I tried to assist. 

I’m grateful because this is the first time I’ve written anything for a few years except for work-related assignments. For someone who once wrote a 200-page book in a month on a dare, and $10,000 bet, it is time to pour myself out to the world again.

The most important thing now is to remember those who have died of the virus and their family and friends. Our job losses, furloughs, and pay reductions pale compared to those suffering directly and indirectly from the virus.

If I can assist anyone who reads this, please let me know. You can leave requests and tell your story in the comments section below. You can also email me or call me. I’m happy to jump on a call or Zoom session even if it is just to commiserate and start the process of transition and career rebirth for the many millions of folks who thought they were secure in January and now must confront serious issues.

Let’s do this together! It’s all about the people in our lives and how we can serve them.

What are you going to do today to begin the process of your career transition and rebirth?