Scribbled by Matt Wilkinson

“…And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile… And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife…” ~ Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads

• Large Automobile… Nope, our little Toyota doesn’t count, nor does the 77 Belmont Bus
• Beautiful House… Check
• Beautiful Wife… Check

Two out of three, I’ll take it. Like many of us, the holidays make me introspective. I have a lot of things in my life to be thankful for and to be proud of. And yet I feel like I have so much more to accomplish. It’s a feeling of restlessness, combined with a feeling of being on the verge of losing everything I’ve worked so hard for. I have a feeling some of you can relate to my experiences.

It’s been nearly a year since I was downsized from my position as an IT director for a biotech company just outside of Chicago. I was fortunate in that I was given a severance package, including outplacement services. I dutifully organized a job search, networked as much as I could, and also sought out other ways to make a living until, until what?

I just wasn’t prepared for the mind games you inflict on yourself when you lose a job. I had to swallow a serious chunk of pride when I strolled into the state unemployment office (I’ve got a Masters Degree, what am I doing here?!). I’ve experienced “involuntary job separation” twice before. Once right after college in the early 90s, and once when the company I worked for was acquired and my division was dismantled in late 2000.

In the first case, I ended up moving home to Mom and Dad’s, but I was young enough to bounce back. In the second case, it was actually a windfall because I was given a severance package, and I had already lined up a job with one of the businesses that was spun out, working in the same office. The money was pouring in.

But somehow, this time was different. IT jobs were on the wane, at least the ones I was used to. The overall job market was so much different. Competition for jobs was up, the number and quality of jobs was down. There was also more at stake for me personally. I had purchased my first home in 2002. On the plus side, my wife had just started a new job with better pay and decent benefits. The day I was given notice of my job loss was the same day she gave her resignation notice to her former employer. How weird was that?

I have a point, believe it or not. Be open to something different. Be flexible. Learn something new. Don’t beat yourself up. Adjust your lifestyle, but treat yourself from time to time. Ask for help and advice, but also give it when you have the chance. Most importantly, and I can’t stress this enough, have faith in yourself.