Where do you live? Portland, Oregon
What was your last job title? Photo editor
In what industry? Photography/software
How did you find out you were losing your job? In a board meeting where the president told us that she was closing my department.
Did you have to leave immediately, or did they give you a few weeks to get used to the idea? The company has been slowly going under and there have been several waves of layoffs. The president of the company had been very transparent in that she wanted to keep as many people on board as possible for as long as she could. We had been on furlough for several months before my layoff. I had the rest of the week to collect my things, pull portfolio images off the server, etc. and was invited to be in the work space after this week to use the internet to look for work, make copies, use any equipment for job search.
Tell us a little about what you did: I stayed through the week, gathered all of my personal files and pulled work files off the server for use in my portfolio. I still have a great relationship with people in the company and stop by every once in awhile to say hello.
What was your favorite part of the job? The great people.
What was the worst part? The repetition, monotony of production work.
Did you feel like you were making a difference? Yes, as much as I could.
What have you done since you've been laid off? I have been training to become a life coach and will be certified this month. I have also taken in lots of freelance work, mostly making logos and illustrations.
Have your spending habits changed since you've been laid off? (Have you cut back on anything? Given up coffee?) Yes, I am more frugal...shopping primarily at second hand stores and buying food at discount outlets.
Do you have big financial worries? Kids in college? Etc.? I am a single mom with young kid in childcare, car, student loan, etc. no yachts or mansions.
How many jobs have you applied for since you've been laid off? 10
Are they in the same part of the country or a different part? Same.
What kind of job are you looking for next? Will it be in the same field or a different one? Why? Part time graphics work so that I can build my life coaching business, which will pay more and be very rewarding, personally.
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