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On Friday, at 8:15 a.m., I will sign an "Involuntary Separation Program Agreement and Release"

At 2:30 this afternoon I was called into "the conference room". Yes, I have been laid off due to the company's financial situation. My last day is Friday.... this Friday. Yeah, no shit, the currant owners have run a 142 year old company into the ground in a matter of 18 months.

One good thing about being loyal to a company and putting in years of service is that when you get laid off you get two weeks pay for every year you've worked there. Luckily I have been given a severance that will allow me almost five months until I enter panic mode.

What pissed me off is the man who gave me the news I'd only met once for maybe five seconds. He knows nothing of what I do, how I do it, and the fact that nobody, literally nobody knows the programs I use. Of course it's difficult to lay someone off that hasn't done anything wrong. On paper my position could be eliminated. So be it. BUT, I got no greeting handshake, no apology, no thank you for your nearly 10 years of service, no eye contact. Just business and move along to the next one.

I'm looking at this as a blessing in disguise. I'm getting a severance. If I find a job with in three months, I have a chunk of money I can pay down, and in some cases off, my debts. So this is good, right? Plus, it's a push for me to get out of a job that I got stuck in, too comfortable. I could be getting a larger pay check somewhere else, I'm sure. But I had it sooooo good where I was. Great boss, wore jeans every day, I could take the day off with only a day's notice. I guess it's time to grow up and get a big girl job.

This is hopefully the beginning of something positive.