I got laid off today, OPPO.

"davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com" (davesaddiction)
06/01/2015 at 14:17 • Filed to: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Corporate restructure; my office will be no more soon. Not exactly surprised by the news, but still sucks for many here today. Thankfully Mrs. addiction has a good job and we’ve done well to reduce debt and save up for such a rainy day in the past several years. Uncertainty sucks, but I’m looking forward to the next chapter. We’ll see what’s around the bend...

DISCUSSION (52)

Alex B > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:20

Well, maybe this is opening a new door to a greater business venture! Good luck.

FKA-RacecaR > Alex B
06/01/2015 at 14:21

Sorry, did not mean to reply to you.

dogisbadob > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:21

Sorry to hear about the layoff :(

Sucks when they give you no notice.

FKA-RacecaR > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:21

Way to keep your head up! I am sure with that attitude you will do fine in whatever direction you head. Good luck!

McMike > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:26

for such a rainy day

Hope the sun comes out soon.

TheTick247 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:26

Best of luck. I’ve been in a very similar situation for the last 3-4 years. Got a couple of part-time/freelance gigs, but they don’t measure up to the income lost. Today one of them just informed me they’re cutting my hours, so I’ll be joining you in the job pool (no peeing!) soon.

Hope you’re able to find something in short order and learn from my mistake. If you find something that works as an emergency stop-gap, don’t get complacent.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > McMike
06/01/2015 at 14:27

Thank you, my friend.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > FKA-RacecaR
06/01/2015 at 14:27

Thanks. Might be time to make a big change. We’ll see.

Nothing > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:28

Sorry to hear about the job. Hopefully a good severance package was part of it. When I was laid off in the early 2000s, employees at my location were given 6 months severance for every year of employment. At least that was a good help for a bit, too.

Good luck to you, sir!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > dogisbadob
06/01/2015 at 14:28

We’ll be here for two months transitioning, so not a true layoff, I guess.

Party-vi > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:28

Boo and fucking hiss. Bastards.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Alex B
06/01/2015 at 14:29

I hope so. I was ready for a change, honestly. Thanks.

RallyWrench > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:33

That’s a bummer, but it sounds like you’re in the right mindset to move onward & upward with whatever’s next. Good luck!

CalzoneGolem > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:37

You’ve got road and you’ve got time so get out of here.

fhrblig > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:38

That is the suck. Here’s hoping you get a better job that pays a lot more.

BeaterGT > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:42

Onto better things (and more toys)!

PushToStart > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:43

Sorry to hear that :(

Best of luck to you and your family. Uncertainty does suck, but you're approaching it optimistically, which is the best way!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:55

What do you do and what area are you in? you should include it above so OPPOs can lookout for you if something is open in their company!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 14:59

That sucks, sorry to hear. My company just laid off a ton of people too - third round in 4 years (which is tough seeing how great the economy is in general out here, but our specific niche has been having a rough time of it).

Hopefully you’re in an area with a pretty strong job market and are able to keep your head up about this and make the most of it to make sure your next job is even more satisfying.

Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 15:06

Well hope you land on your feet! Could always become a full time writer for Oppo, we are our own FP now!

nermal > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 15:17

Boo. :-(

As somebody who’s been there, your best course of action is to get ahead of the curve in looking for new work. Take a day or two to mope about and feel sad for yourself, but after that put your head down and get started with the job hunt.

There will probably be a large contingent of your soon-to-be former coworkers applying for the same jobs as you, so be prepared for that in your interviews.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheTick247
06/01/2015 at 15:21

Thanks. Best of luck to you as well.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Nothing
06/01/2015 at 15:23

Thanks. Decent severance, but nothing like that. Not even close. I’ve got almost ten years in - I would have been overjoyed at a severance like that.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Party-vi
06/01/2015 at 15:24

Yup.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench
06/01/2015 at 15:24

Thanks.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CalzoneGolem
06/01/2015 at 15:24

I really need to...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > fhrblig
06/01/2015 at 15:25

Thanks. Doubt-able, but one can hope.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BeaterGT
06/01/2015 at 15:26

Let’s hope so. Thanks.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > PushToStart
06/01/2015 at 15:27

Thanks, my friend.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
06/01/2015 at 15:28

10 years industry experience as a geological/GIS tech for an oil and gas company in Tulsa.

My degree is in graphic design and I still do freelance logo design work on the side.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
06/01/2015 at 15:31

Thanks. Hope you stay safe if it comes again.

Industry I’m in (oil and gas) is suffering due to commodity prices, so we’ll see. Might be my time to transition out of it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Lumpy44, Proprietor Of Fine Gif
06/01/2015 at 15:31

Hahaha. I love that idea... Thanks for the good words.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > nermal
06/01/2015 at 15:32

Yup, already getting feelers out. Thanks for the motivation.

BeaterGT > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 15:33

Could be worse, at least your wife hasn’t left ya!

dogisbadob > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 15:43

Cool. Glad you at least got two months, but of course I wouldn’t stay the whole two months if possible. Still, good luck.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > dogisbadob
06/01/2015 at 15:45

Thanks.

Agrajag > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 15:45

Sorry that change was forced upon you, but I’m sure you’ll come along something soon. Best of luck.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BeaterGT
06/01/2015 at 15:45

True statement.

horspowr1001 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 16:02

The attitude of corporate America really pisses me off sometimes a lot. You guys had the foresight to make some smart financial decisions though, so I think you’ll be gainfully employed again in no time. Good luck!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 16:06

I had actually been shopping around for a while and just got an offer the day before they announced the layoffs - so I immediately gave my notice, in case it might have helped someone else on the team keep their job. The shaky condition of the business was certainly a factor in making me look around, and I think I’ll be much happier at my new job (it’s somewhat car-related too!). I read one of your other responses that you have a few months to transition out - so hopefully you can leverage that time to get something lined up for after too.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/01/2015 at 16:39

Damn, I got nothing in Tulsa and any graphic design work would end up being pretty entry level, and require a move to michigan.

good luck, let me know if I can do anything to help you out buddy.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Agrajag
06/01/2015 at 20:27

Thanks, my friend.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > horspowr1001
06/01/2015 at 20:27

I hope you're right. Thanks!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ZHP Sparky, the 5th
06/01/2015 at 20:28

I hope so - congrats on your new gig!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
06/01/2015 at 20:31

I do appreciate it. If you come across any design jobs that would allow for working remotely, pass them on - thanks!

BoulderZ > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/02/2015 at 01:27

Sorry to hear it. No matter how well it turns out or how much you might have been ready for a change anyway, it still sucks. I just did that last fall. It did turn out to be a great thing (new dream job, a raise, better benefits, shorter commute), but it was awful at the time. I saw your response re: GIS work in oil and gas. FWIW, I’m a geologist (hazards and earth surface processes, remote sensing) and while I was looking I noticed there are a ton of GIS jobs on the CO Front Range. There were some excellent ones on USAjobs.gov (tailor for Tulsa search if relocation isn’t a thing), and on clearancejobs.com (if you have/had that already), ESRI has a large office here, and DigitalGlobe often has good GIS openings, plus CU and CSU. In any case, good luck and enjoy the severance and free time. I didn’t do enough fun things with my few months off, and I do regret that.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/02/2015 at 09:07

Will do!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > BoulderZ
06/02/2015 at 09:35

Thanks for all the leads - I really appreciate it. Moving away from Tulsa really isn't on the table at this point, but I'll definitely look into what you've shared. Congrats on the new gig!

AthomSfere > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/02/2015 at 09:55

Went through the same about a year ago. Best thing that ever happened to many of us. We were apparently all over worked, under appreciated and under paid as we all know now.

Best of luck!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > AthomSfere
06/02/2015 at 15:27

Thanks! It did up okay for me when I went through this 10 years ago; I hope I can say the same in hindsight this time.

texas-geek > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
06/16/2015 at 13:56

Sorry to hear that Daves, I hope you find a cool next gig soon!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > texas-geek
06/16/2015 at 13:59

I do appreciate it! Got a couple good leads - hopefully one will turn into something more solid soon.