Faced with being laid off, a young father focuses on dealing with uncertainties and on choosing the future he wants.
In 10 months time, my contract, along with the contracts of my fellow employees and the management team where I work, will not be extended. I don’t want to go into the details as to why it won’t be extended, but let’s just say I don’t blame my employer for closing up shop in less than one year’s time. Furthermore, I am thankful for getting almost 10 months notice. The way I look at it, I am on enhanced employment insurance for the time being, with benefits!
But, of course, there was a little anger and anxiety when the news was delivered. I will have been working at this job for more than three years when the contract ends and I was looking forward to another two years in my current role before seeking management-level positions. Now the plan has changed and the “employment scramble” begins.
This will be the first time I have been laid off in my life. Previously, I have always been able to slide from one job to another on my own terms. But now, despite having so much time to find a new job, I find myself unsure of what step to take next. The main problem is I am very happy with my current employment in all aspects, especially pertaining to the commute (ten minutes if I drive under the speed limit) and the staff I’ve worked with. Sure, there are rough spots, but I learned a long time ago that no job is ever perfect.
To make a long story short, I have become very comfortable where I work. Now I will have to step out of that comfort zone and start all over. If I were single, I would be excited thinking about all the different opportunities, without a care in the world. But having started a young family with my wife and nine-month-old daughter, rationality sets in. Do I branch off on my own and begin my own business? Should I remain loyal to my employer and stay until the bitter end or take the first good job that comes my way? Or do I take the first job offered my way?
Questions, questions and more questions pop into my mind every day. Uncertainty is definitely not something I deal with very well, but now I need to make adjustments. My goal over the next few months is to continue to provide the same level of service I always have and to search not for just any job, but for the right job. I am fortunate to have the support of my wife, who doesn’t understand why I worry about finding a job when I have so many skills to offer employers.
Of course she also likes to joke that if I don’t find work before my contract is up, a friend of hers who is a manager at Wendy’s would be more than happy to give me a job.
Who knows where I will be in 10 months time. All I can do is concentrate on exhausting all avenues in my job search.
The biggest worry, however, is choosing my future before it picks me.
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