Journal: News & Comment

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Losing job, part three: it's over!

Two days ago, I picked up my severance and vacation pay from Multiactive Software, which had laid off 38 of us (of some 190 in the U.S. and Canada, or about 20% of the staff) the previous Wednesday. It was the official end of my four and a half year working relationship with the company.

While there, I held five different jobs and sat at fifteen (yes, 15) different desks on three different floors. Only about ten people remain from when I started -- and at least two of those fired last week had been there longer than I had.

I had been planning on leaving anyway. I had been there too long (an eternity in high tech), and wasn't fond of the direction in which the reorganized upper management was taking the company. So being laid off -- with the bigger severance, employment insurance eligibility, and nice reference letter -- was, on balance, beneficial.

The main difficulty is that I'd rather work only part time, since I take care of my daughters (ages three and one).

To that end, I had two meetings yesterday about technical and marketing writing contracts with Sierra Wireless and Stargate Connections. Things look pretty good only a week after I lost my job -- sure, I'd prefer something permanent part-time, but I won't turn down interesting work available to me now.

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