What To Do Now?

[Freckles]

Well it finaly happened. 34 years I have worked differant jobs with a company, with 8 years in my last position. Last week I was told that my job was being eliminated. They gave me an option to work on the line or find something else I would like to do. I have only one week to make up my mind but I can't retire for six more years. I will make a dicision soon. If anyone ever thinks this won't happen to them, it can!!

Freckles

[IFallsRon]

I got the word last spring, the day after Easter, that my position was being eliminated. They kept me dangling around for seven weeks. I was dead man walking. People wouldn't make eye contact with me. It really gave me some insight into the the personalities of my supervisors and people who I thought were my friends. I still do some side work for the place but not enough to make it worthwhile.

[Gissert]

Kinda in a similar spot myself, though I am still working. 20 years invested, and we are going through a bankruptcy and wage/bennie reductions. My position has a real possibility of being eliminated.

Trying to make up my mind on what to do.....

[cold one sd]

The way things are done today is really getting bad. My company has layoffs whenever the bottom line looks bad. Lay people off and crack the whip on those that are left. Or threaten to outsource your work if you don't take a pay cut. I am retired, but my heart is with those of you that are still in the workforce. I think corporate greed is going to make it much worse too.

[upnorth]

I have had it happen twice after 10 years, actually those places closed so I didn't even have the option of changing jobs within the company. I know how you feel.

[harvey lee]

One never knows when the job they have is going to go.Its a tough deal as my wife has gone through the same thing.It always seems to work out in the end.

Sometimes one wonders why they cannot be right up front with a person but it seems some just dont care unless it hits close to them.

I do wish you all good luck.

[BobT]

I think one of the biggest challenges is our willingness to be retrained. I hear it all too often: "I'm too close to retirement to bother learning all this new technology."

Don't get me wrong. I fully understand and even at 47 I have begun to have thoughts like this. It's as if as we get older we get tired of learning or the knowledge outgrows us faster than we can keep up. Our brains just don't absorb information and knowledge as fast as it once did. Even though you more mature folks have forgotten and stored more data in your cranium than we have been exposed to, it's becoming obsolete data and unless we are willing to put forth the effort, albeit probably a lot more effort than the younger folk need to put forth, we can stagnate ourselves out of a job.

I'm in electrical design and the technology is growing by leaps and bounds. Many is the time I have wondered and even doubted myself because I felt the technology is growing too fast for me. Fortunately, my position takes advantage of my past knowledge. I work primarily with modification and rebuild of older equipment and it's amazing how those engineers and designers that work with our new equipment don't even remember how to work with the old anymore. Even with that, I still believe there could come a day when I too am obsolete unless I do what I can to keep myself somewhat current.

Bob

[MIKE IN lINO III]

Parted ways with a company after 11 yrs. Best thing that ever happened to me.

Better hours, less stress, same pay.

I guess it is greener on the other side.

It was scary at first but you just need to beleive in yourself and your skills.

Good Luck,

Mike

[echotrail]

Sorry to hear that, I know it stinks! Even with my part time job every fall I hear about company cutbacks, spending freezes and job eliminations. It's the 4th fiscal quarter and managers only get a yearly bonus if minimum profits are met. They get pretty nervous. You should tell the company you will work the line and continue looking for other work. If you find something of course take it and give your old outfit the same one week notice(or less)and tell them why. Good luck!

[Steve Bakken]

I agree with echo. Take the line job. Anything is better than no income. Milk it out and vigorously look for another job in the meantime. I like the one week notice idea.

[BigWadeS]

I agree with working the line, however; just remember this, Minnesota is a work/hire at will state, you just like an employer can end employment at any time without notice and without ramifications....good luck I went through this 2 years ago, and in the short term it sucks, in the long term everything works out and everything happens for a reason