Remember - Losing Your Job Sometimes Turns Out for the Better

While I don't have a lot of experience being unemployed, I thought I'd come on here and post my thoughts on the subject...

A little background:

My wife and I lived in Michigan for about 5 years. We were both unhappy with our jobs (she was doing brainless work for someone with an MBA; I was working 60+ hours a week at an automotive engineering firm, and was rarely at home, and was always grumpy). There was a stretch for nearly 3 years where my wife and I never ate dinner together, as I was always at the office.

We had enough and we started looking for greener pastures, and soon decided to move to Austin, TX. My wife was first to find employment in Austin, and the plan was for me to keep looking for a job after she left, and to find someone to buy our house. She made the move in May, and found a place to live. I had an interview lined up in July and flew down for a visit, and the interview. When I returned, I found out that I had lost my job.

Luckily, I was given two month's severance pay. This gave me the time to continue my job search, find someone to rent our house (we decided renting it out was a better option than selling), and get the house packed up for moving.

While I was off, I had time to think clearly about what I really wanted to do, where I wanted my career going, and could actually think about how I was going to get there. Suddenly, when I read the job posting, everything just clicked, and I knew it was the job I was going to get. The job was in a field in which I had no prior experience. But, I KNEW that I could do the job, and I KNEW that it would be something I would enjoy. For the first time since graduation, I actually saw a future in this new job, and could see doing something beyond sitting in front of a desk all day. In my response, I expressed all this, and basically said that if they took a chance on me, they wouldn't be disappointed.

I must have struck a chord with someone who read the my reply, and I received a call back an hour later (I was outside taking care of some stuff around the house when they called). I told had two phone interviews with the owners and told them when I was coming to Texas. After I got into town, I had the first face-to-face interview, and it went well.

They offered me the job, and I accepted. I didn't start working until my two month's worth of severance was used up. So, thankfully, I never missed a pay check. It was like having a 2 month summer vacation.

The only thing better is that I'm working with better people. I'm working "normal hours". I eat dinner with my wife. I actually make dinner for my wife and it's ready when she gets home! (Something SHE truly enjoys). I make less money than I was making before, but I am MUCH happier with the work I'm doing, and find my new career just as rewarding.

As cliche as it sounds, sometimes bad things happen, and they turn out to be a blessing in disguise. For me, losing my job was difficult. It brought about some stress, that's for sure. But, it truly has turned out to be for the better.

Take the time off to think. Being unemployed may be one of the few times in your adult life where you actually have some time to think about something other than work, and family, and your future. Those thoughts will surely cross your mind, and may create some stress. The key is to think about what you want to do, where you want to go, and what you can do to make your life better for yourself. Once you figure that out (it's not easy!), good things will surely come.