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Well I just got laid off...

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OP,
My condolences and it's great your family can find some humor in it. That's how I'd take such news as well.

You sound like a very well educated guy in Dallas(?) so you should have no problems getting a job. With experience you can trump any competitor.

Use job boards at your school, online job search, linkedin/network and napalm applications all over TX.

If worse comes to worse and you're having issues finding a job and hard-up for cash, then go West young man. Tons of jobs in Silicon Valley.

BTW, I know tons of people that work elsewhere while the family stays put in another town until things work themselves out. So don't be so against it as an Option B.........I've also known some who stay stubborn and inflexible and stay out of work for years and subsequently get stamped as an "untouchable" by HR due to being out of the workforce for too long. Bottom line: Better to have a job elsewhere than not.

I think you'll land on your feet sooner rather than later as you have experience and good education and in a fertile job area.

This type of thing happens to all of us. It's the "new normal".

...Go get drunk tonight and hook-up with your wife. :thumbsup:

Good luck!
 
AustinInDallas said:
I just told my wife and this was basically her response.
1x05_Charity_Drive_(10).png
Click to expand...
Ha. That location is about 3 miles from my parents' house. Funny that I recognized it instantly.
 
AustinInDallas said:
Where do I start looking?
Click to expand...

Sorry dude.

First, tell everyone you know. Network your buns off. The job boards are OK. If you have any connection with professional organizations or charity groups or church, any way to get the word out, work it.

Get some help polishing your resume. A lot of colleges and other not-for-profits have free services.

Look for a job like its your job. 8-10 hours a day. Hustle.

Good Luck!
 
mistercrabby said:
Sorry dude.

First, tell everyone you know. Network your buns off. The job boards are OK. If you have any connection with professional organizations or charity groups or church, any way to get the word out, work it.

Get some help polishing your resume. A lot of colleges and other not-for-profits have free services.

Look for a job like its your job. 8-10 hours a day. Hustle.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...
my university has resume services, I might go check that out tomorrow.
 
New home builders are also booming in southwest part of country.

Maybe do google search for local / regional new homebuilders headquartered in your metro area if they have any sort of IT / finance / business openings.

Another spin on the oil / gas / fracking is looking up who builds and maintains those man camps and see if they have openings for someone to maintain their wireless networks for oil field workers (?)

Same line of thought could lead you to all of those companies that support the oil services big companies and see what sort of openings they have.
 
MrDudeMan said:
what did they say to you when they told you the news?
Click to expand...

conference call with my boss and VP. started with really up-beat small talk. Then......

"So Im gonna be respectful of your time, the company is going some hard financial times, and we are doing some very difficult layoffs, and you are one of those"

then more small talk.

I should have interrupted him when he said "im gonna be respectful of you time" and said something witty like "well I think im about to have a lot of free time", but instead i just stayed quiet
 
AustinInDallas said:
conference call with my boss and VP. started with really up-beat small talk. Then......

"So Im gonna be respectful of your time, the company is going some hard financial times, and we are doing some very difficult layoffs, and you are one of those"

then more small talk.

I should have interrupted him when he said "im gonna be respectful of you time" and said something witty like "well I think im about to have a lot of free time", but instead i just stayed quiet
Click to expand...

was this completely unexpected or did you have a feeling it was going to happen?
 
AustinInDallas said:
Where do I start looking?
Click to expand...

looking? enjoy employment $... 6 months @400/wk. (700/wk in MA)
and if obama renews the federal extension in Oct, thats at least another 6months. (9months if your state is 6%+ unemployment)

so 1yr to 15months of getting paid 50% above minimum wage to sit on your ass.
plus you get federal substidy to obamacare because you didnt make much $.

win/win
 
JEDI said:
looking? enjoy employment $... 6 months @400/wk. (700/wk in MA)
and if obama renews the federal extension in Oct, thats at least another 6months. (9months if your state is 6%+ unemployment)

so 1yr to 15months of getting paid 50% above minimum wage to sit on your ass.
plus you get federal substidy to obamacare because you didnt make much $.

win/win
Click to expand...

everyone with the company is 1099, so i dont think i can qualify
 
MrDudeMan said:
was this completely unexpected or did you have a feeling it was going to happen?
Click to expand...

kinda. I was the "computer guy" for my department, so i would frequently have to teamviewer into my boss' computer and saw an email from operations that said one of our doctor's pay was late by like 3 months. I knew something was very wrong
 
rudeguy said:
network

If you need work right away, temp agencies are going nuts. Places are going with temps due to Obamacare and the temp agencies can't keep up.
Click to expand...

I suspect the temp agencies are going to be in for a rude surprise.

They offer work with no-benefits, yet pay you as a W2. That classifies you as an employee not a contractor. If they tried contractor, the IRS could get on their case unless the person is lawfully able to meet the contractor guidelines.

So W2 it is as an employee.

But ObamaCare requires employers to provide insurance coverage to all employees. I have not heard that they can have differing levels of employee classifications, insurance coverage.

So the employer could be fined for not offering insurance.

The first legal challenges in this area will be interesting🙂


Many of these temp agencies that are just body shops, making $10-15/hr off of your sweat will be scrambling for coverage. Will it be based on their home office location, your home or client location.

Someone is going to pick up that $4-5/hr in health coverage and it I'd not going to be the client.

Normal good employers will cover 75%. Good luck getting these temps to eat that.
 
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JEDI said:
looking? enjoy employment $... 6 months @400/wk. (700/wk in MA)
and if obama renews the federal extension in Oct, thats at least another 6months. (9months if your state is 6%+ unemployment)

so 1yr to 15months of getting paid 50% above minimum wage to sit on your ass.
plus you get federal substidy to obamacare because you didnt make much $.

win/win
Click to expand...

1099 does not qualify for unemployment.
No taxes paid in, no benefits paid out.

Most people do not set up S corp just for themselves.

Better to humble oneself for 6-9 moths to reset the unemployment clock.



AustinInDallas said:
everyone with the company is 1099, so i dont think i can qualify
Click to expand...
 
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EagleKeeper said:
I suspect the temp agencies are going to be in for a rude surprise.

They offer work with no-benefits, yet pay you as a W2. That classifies you as an employee not a contractor. If they tried contractor, the IRS could get on their case unless the person is lawfully able to meet the contractor guidelines.

So W2 it is as an employee.

But ObamaCare requires employers to provide insurance coverage to all employees. I have not heard that they can have differing levels of employee classifications, insurance coverage.

So the employer could be fined for not offering insurance.

The first legal challenges in this area will be interesting🙂


Many of these temp agencies that are just body shops, making $10-15/hr off of your sweat will be scrambling for coverage. Will it be based on their home office location, your home or client location.

Someone is going to pick up that $4-5/hr in health coverage and it I'd not going to be the client.

Normal good employers will cover 75%. Good luck getting these temps to eat that.
Click to expand...
These places are almost a license to print money, they charge 50-150% of pay. I think the one I'm working for is making $15/hour off of me, probably more (I have access to AP but I don't care to look it up). It took them about 4 hours of work to place me, if I get to my buy out period it's over $10K for that 4 hours + the miniscule time it takes to process my payroll/billing. Multiply that times the number of placements. Sure, some jobs take more work up front and of course there's the time it takes to land a client but come on... It's gross.

They can easily afford the costs of insurance.
 
DICE has a ER IT support specialist listed for United Healthcare in Dallas area.

Such indicates that you need to look into health care job sites.

Even though, not eligible for benefits, use state employment services.
 
do you have kids?

I decided awhile ago that if I ever found myself laid off or fired, I'd take a month or two off and just travel across the country for cheap (turn off my cable, internet, netflix, etc, load up my car with camping gear, and hit the road).

I've been working nonstop since I was 16, so getting fired will probably be the only chance I have to take that kind of time off work all at once until I retire.
 
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