Not being a new comer to the job search discipline, you'd think by now that I wouldn't get too excited about having to go through the whole process again.....but you'd be wrong.
First and foremost, I know God in is control, but why do I feel like "this" on Sunday night before the first round of layoff notices go out tomorrow morning? Perhaps it is the whole uncertainty of the future thing. I like where I live, I like what I do, and even I like where I do it. Who would want anything to change? Even if you are miserable in your job, the prospect of being laid off and having to search again just seems to trump the other feelings of misery. Of course, we'd all like to think that we're in control of our own destinies (an illusion), and having something happen to us is most disconcerting.
We all are disturbed at the prospect of change while in our comfort zone at a job, regardless of how "bad" we thought it was. We realize the prospect of having no job at all is very real and no longer an academic discussion at lunch with our coworkers.
I'm watching people who've been at my company 25+ years struggle with the feelings that go with the question "what will I do if I'm laid off," and that's just no fun to watch. Mind you, I'm not having happy feelings at the prospect of being laid off, but I'm not struggling with feelings over the fact that the last time I had to look for a job was when Ronald Reagan was president.
Think about where you were 25 years ago and HOW you looked for a job. Are newspapers still the first place you'd look for a job today? Will you go "pounding pavement" and knocking on doors (you won't get past the security desk)? Will you look for any job just to get into the company and work your way up? If you've had to look for a job this century, you know that all three of the questions above no longer are possible (or are rarely possible). This fact, in and of itself, can lead to panic.
I was at a job search resource group and sat down next to a man who'd been in his job with a large, well-known company for 25 years. We talked a little, and though we were both out of work, I felt bad for him. The only good thing I could tell him was that being at that job search group would help him tremendously and that he should throw himself fully in all its activities and workshops. Still, there was a look of doom and gloom on his face that my encouragement just couldn't seem to erase.
Now, we all should keep the perspective that there's always someone worse off than I am, but even knowing I'm not months from retirement or have been in the company 25+ years with no clue how to find jobs in the outside world doesn't seem to make these butterflies settle down in my stomach.
First and foremost, I know God in is control, but why do I feel like "this" on Sunday night before the first round of layoff notices go out tomorrow morning? Perhaps it is the whole uncertainty of the future thing. I like where I live, I like what I do, and even I like where I do it. Who would want anything to change? Even if you are miserable in your job, the prospect of being laid off and having to search again just seems to trump the other feelings of misery. Of course, we'd all like to think that we're in control of our own destinies (an illusion), and having something happen to us is most disconcerting.
We all are disturbed at the prospect of change while in our comfort zone at a job, regardless of how "bad" we thought it was. We realize the prospect of having no job at all is very real and no longer an academic discussion at lunch with our coworkers.
I'm watching people who've been at my company 25+ years struggle with the feelings that go with the question "what will I do if I'm laid off," and that's just no fun to watch. Mind you, I'm not having happy feelings at the prospect of being laid off, but I'm not struggling with feelings over the fact that the last time I had to look for a job was when Ronald Reagan was president.
Think about where you were 25 years ago and HOW you looked for a job. Are newspapers still the first place you'd look for a job today? Will you go "pounding pavement" and knocking on doors (you won't get past the security desk)? Will you look for any job just to get into the company and work your way up? If you've had to look for a job this century, you know that all three of the questions above no longer are possible (or are rarely possible). This fact, in and of itself, can lead to panic.
I was at a job search resource group and sat down next to a man who'd been in his job with a large, well-known company for 25 years. We talked a little, and though we were both out of work, I felt bad for him. The only good thing I could tell him was that being at that job search group would help him tremendously and that he should throw himself fully in all its activities and workshops. Still, there was a look of doom and gloom on his face that my encouragement just couldn't seem to erase.
Now, we all should keep the perspective that there's always someone worse off than I am, but even knowing I'm not months from retirement or have been in the company 25+ years with no clue how to find jobs in the outside world doesn't seem to make these butterflies settle down in my stomach.
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