My Voyage to Unemployment...

December 15th was my last day at the company I worked with since shortly after graduation in 2001. My voyage to unemployment actually started about two and a half years ago.

The main function of my job was facilitating and managing most things that had to do with training for new customer service associates. There are four major customer services centers. They are located in Chicagoland, Charlotte, Orlando and The Woodlands (near Houston). Two and a half years ago the company decided it was going to move most customer service out of the Chicagoland office.

With this decision and the way the economy was I felt my job was at risk. It wasn't something I worried about on a daily basis, but would always say that if I showed up to work one day and they said that it was it for me I wouldn't be totally shocked. The day ended up being October 25th. The company had been bought out, and with a merger came additional uncertainty about my job. So when the important HR women sought me out that day I knew exactly what was coming. She shared my position (with most of my team) was being eliminated, my last day would be December 15th, went over the severance information, said I could look for other roles in the company & sent me on my way.

As I mentioned I was not totally surprised. It isn't the best time to be looking for a job, but it isn't always a bad thing to get shaken out of our comfort zones. While there have been some challenging times since I found out, I do believe this is an opportunity. I did interview for one position before I left, which I did not get. It was humbling to know that after 10 years of often exceeding expectations they didn't want me twice.

I have severance for a little while, one loan with very generous terms and no other debt. For being unemployed I am in a good place. I am interested to see what is next.