So I got laid off today....

[J.]

....along with about 900 other people. Shitty feeling, it is. I'm trying to be very positive about this, but sometimes it's hard. We'll be alright financially. My package was pretty good for this cheap ass company:

1. Two months salary
2. My current paycheck as if I worked through the 15th
3. My money through the employee stock purchase plan
4. $1000 for COBRA (which will not be used for COBRA)
5. My bonus in May
6. Health coverage until May 1st (then I'll just get on my wife's for $30 a month; COBRA would cost $400 a month)
7. 2 months free assistance from an Employment Placement Program

Not to mention we got over $2000 for our tax return. So we'll be able to get by for at least 3 months. I've already applied for Unemployment, which will help a lot.

I honestly don't know what I want to do, but I know that I would love to be a high school baseball coach. Sounds gay, I know, but that's one job I would actually look forward to.

And at least I can look for something near my house instead of driving nearly 80 miles a day in commute.

As for the company* that laid me off, fuck 'em. Fuck 'em hard up the ass.

* - cannot name company until I get my package

 

[HarmonyDies....]

Good luck finding a new job! Deepest sympathies.

 

[NAD]

Whoa, that blows. Dude if you want to be a baseball coach, go be a baseball coach. Then you could show your team The Natural and you could explain to them that real men cry, too.

 

[Tide In Mind Out]

sorry to hear that
but its an opportunity for a fresh start. coaching doesn't sound gay! it'd be fun. if thats whatcha wanna do then go for it before you get stuck in another bleh job.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

Being laid off sucks, but it's good that you're treating this as positively as you can.

By all means, do what you want! There are lots more things to do in life than... well pardon my ignorance, but I don't know what your previous job was. Look at this as an opportunity to try to do better for yourself.

 

[J.]

I'll probably try to be a coach, tbh. There's a new high school opening up in fall 2006 literally 5 minutes from my driveway. I just need to find a full-time job right now so I can afford to take the necessary courses at school. Then just find a job teaching. It is really that simple. My sister did it, I can do it.

It helps that my wife's step-dad is a high school football/track coach. He might be able to hook me up somewhere.

No worries.......yet.

 

[J.]

well pardon my ignorance, but I don't know what your previous job was.

Sales/Technical support for a software company. Boring as all fucking bluefuck, but it paid well.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

 

[Demilich]

This sucks, J. Gotta hold off on the music-buying for a while eh? I'm starting to think that becoming a teacher sounds like a pretty decent idea! Not the best pay in the world, and it's not easy, it's a living and the 2 month summer vacation couldn't hurt!

 

[Krilons Resa]

Fuck them. Believe me, shit like this always turns out to be a positive thing one way or the other. You''l look back at it 5 yrs from now and laugh or maybe even be extremely grateful of it because it allowed you to move on to something a lot better. Shit happens, it's how we deal with it that defines who we are.

 

[lurch70]

Sorry to hear that J ... as far as the next job ... follow your heart, it will never lead you astray [/corny]

 

[SonOfNun]

I thought J. had some good news until I saw the "off" part. Sorry man.

Are the schools big enough down there that you can be purely a coach, or are you going to definitely have to teach some classes too?

 

[J.]

You have to teach a class, which I don't mind doing. I'd like to teach English, whether it be grammar or literature. Most coaches teach Health. The coaches that have tenure usually just end up teaching Gym.

The thing about being a teacher is that you can make good money if you want to. Coaches/teachers get paid more than just your standard teacher. Plus, if you're a sponsor of something like Student Council, Cheerleaders, French Club, my pals Club, whatever, you get paid more for that. An all that entails is that you are the contact if the students need help.

And like Demilich said, you get a two month vacation every year, while still being paid. Of course, during that time I'd probably get some retail job just to pull in some extra bucks and to kep busy during the summer.

Priority #1 right now is to find a full time job so that I can afford those few extra hours and certification classes.

 

[lurch70]

an old friend of the family that was a teacher used to be a lifeguard in the summer months. great way to keep in shape, get sun and get paid fairly decently.
was going to mention the babes ... but you are married

 

[JayKeeley]

Yeah man, that sucks. I know you're being positive, but still, that initial shock reaction is probably going to last a while. It's just the prospect of having lost an income more than anything I guess. Thank Wotan that you're wife has her job / salary.

My wife got laid off just as we decided to have the second kid, so the timing was good. Her severance package was great. She's a full time mom now so we've adjusted to being a single income family. [Man, it was great when we were DINKs haha]. But still, life is ALWAYS better with dual income.

The teaching idea sounds good just because it sounds like something you'd want to do. Have you been thinking about this long? I'm just wondering why you didn't take the classes before? Also, sponsoring the cheerleaders???? Fuck me, the best thing about American sports has got to be the cheerleaders. Yep, even better than the ring girls in boxing. Oh to be a Dallas Cowboy.......

 

[JayKeeley]

By the way, my sister is a teacher. It's a good skillset because you can take it anywhere in the world. In her case, she landed a job in Hong Kong about 9 years ago and she's still there. The perks are great, especially the lengthy holidays. Just imagine, you get summer holidays again!!!!

 

[J.]

Yeah man, that sucks. I know you're being positive, but still, that initial shock reaction is probably going to last a while. It's just the prospect of having lost an income more than anything I guess. Thank Wotan that you're wife has her job / salary.

Oh yeah. I'm still not over the fact that when I wake up tomorrow morning, I literally have no place to go. I can't even go driving around for the hell of it, because gas costs so much these days. I'll probably just take it easy for until Monday morning, when I have to go downtown to attend some seminar for job placement shit. They'll write up my resume and make it look all fancy, then I just send it around to places.

But man, I hate looking a job. Looking for a job is a job in itself, and one you don't get paid for.

The teaching idea sounds good just because it sounds like something you'd want to do. Have you been thinking about this long? I'm just wondering why you didn't take the classes before? Also, sponsoring the cheerleaders???? Fuck me, the best thing about American sports has got to be the cheerleaders. Yep, even better than the ring girls in boxing. Oh to be a Dallas Cowboy.......

Yeah, it's always been in the back of my mind. It's a secure job, the pay is decent even for a student teacher, and that only lasts, at most, one school year. And you are guaranteed a sizable raise every year.

I just never took the classes because I got the job with the software company within a month of graduating college, and never looked back. I regret it now.

One thing I've learned already is that life's too short to do something you don't enjoy, even if the pay is good.

 

[SonOfNun]

My mom is a teacher as well. They get almost three full months off here. So long as you are teaching high school, it should be fun and you can actually interact with the students. Just don't teach the wee kids, what a pain and not worth it.

Our coaches teach a wide variety of things, we've got guys in Math, Science, Gym, etc. A lot of them in math for whatever reason. English is a good idea though, that is also where I would want to be, my favorite topic.

 

[JayKeeley]

I dunno man, I think I'd rather teach the younger kids. You get less lip. Teenagers are fucking mongrels for the most part.

J - can you transfer the skills you gained to another job? Since you have a plan to get into teaching by a certain date, there's nothing stopping you from going independent. You're in the right town for independent contracting - check out a company like Chevron. More than half of their staff are independents, and you get paid an annual salary in 6 months. Then you can either renew the contract or just leave when your time's up.

 

[Papa Josh]

Welcome to the club bro, it's a shitty feeling indeed. I remember Soundwaves laying me off. And then the whole fiasoc with Alamo Drafthouse.

Best wishes to you in your time of down.

 

[SonOfNun]

I dunno man, I think I'd rather teach the younger kids. You get less lip. Teenagers are fucking mongrels for the most part.

Teaching the younger kids is just a harder, much more stressful job. You have to teach every subject and teach different stuff all day long, while a high school teacher usually just hands out a book assignment and repeats 3 or 4 times a day. A LOT more planning, creativity and all-out work goes into teaching the younger kids, plus your essentially babysitting and I know that from what I've seen, it is a lot harder on the teacher. High school kids are usually past the phase where they see fit to argue with the teacher (middle school/intermediate) and can be treated as adults.

I've been around all different kinds of teachers in my life and the high school teachers have it so easy, they don't even realize it. Elementary is pure madness.

Also, English is a great subject to teach because it is so broad. You can do a hell of a lot with Literature and make it very interesting. Just lay off the grammar, boring stuff.