My 3 Laid Offs

I was laid off 3 times in my short career in the IT field. While being laid off is a stressful event in itself, there were times where it was more stressful than others.

• The first time I was laid off was in 2008. I was fresh out of College and barely made a mark in the software development field. The company I worked for had hired me to take on the SEO role of a new project but it soon went downhill. The company, which had no other opportunities for me at the time, had no choice but to let me go. Since I had done good work for them, however, they helped me find my second job in the iT field by giving me a heck of a reference.
• The second time I was laid off was in 2010. The company I worked for closed its doors soon after it was bought out by an American company. Some were offered to relocate but I was against the move to the States.
• The third time I was laid off was in 2015. It was 2 months after Christmas - which is usually a slower time for any IT companies. I was on the “bench” for a few weeks until they finally gave me the boot. After roughly a month, they called me back in once things picked up again.

Here’s the thing; out of the 3 times I got laid off, only 2 were very stressful to me. Why? Well the first time, I was fresh out of college and in debt. If I didn’t find work quickly it would mean that I had to move back to my parents and start over. The second time? I had just purchased a new car and was still struggling financially.
Finally, the third time was not stressful at all for a very simple reason - I was debt free by that point and had amassed enough money to go a while before needing another job again.

I know that money doesn’t bring happiness but neither does poverty. There’s nothing that gives you peace of mind as having money in the bank and there’s nothing as stressful as being in debt.

My experience with the many laid off has made more disciplined with my money. I will always make sure that I have something stashed somewhere for a rainy day. I encourage you to do the same.