I was told yesterday that I would be lucky to get another year here. I have been thinking of leaving for a few weeks now but this just cements it. I’ve been investing in my future and I don’t want to be that guy who ended up with nothing. I definitely don’t want to be that guy who allows his future to be decided by some as----e. Nothing is guaranteed here - especially your position. Take it for what it’s worth. I hope and pray I find something soon because this is B.S.
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You work in IT probably. I would not be concerned about finding a job. IT stuff has too many problems and too much reach not to have support
Consider yourself LUCKY, even if it doesn't feel like it right now. I would have given anything to have that warning in 2017.
My manager (who I trusted and I thought respected my work) decided to not say a word until the day I got the notice. Nothing is worse than the surprise layoff when you think you are safe. I ended up in a dark place for several months trying to make sense of what and why. I used that time to get my whiteboard skills up, so it wasn't wasted time.
Ultimately, I realized he was just an a-s and the algorithm picked me. I'll never know if he fought for me or didn't really have my back to begin with, but honestly, it doesn't matter. It happened, and I moved on.
I ended up in a much better place - better pay, better project, and better manager. My only regret is that I stayed at Cisco for as long as I did.
For anyone reading this - even if you think your job is safe, PLEASE do the following: Assume the next round is your turn, prepare for it (mentally and technically). If it isn't, no harm. If it is, you will be ready for it.
Part of the reason I got out of the RTP tech industry rat race. I got sick of the stagnation, in fighting, ridiculous expectations, and the death spiral of poor management and executives. When I was in the job market, I was almost 50 years old. I reassessed my goals in life, what I needed for my last career, and what my priorities were. I worked with a company that actually appreciated the work I did to help target specific companies and industries to apply. First priority was that my family came first. Second priority was the ability to take a 15 year mortgage. Third priority was having a secure retirement plan (i.e. pension). Salary was never the biggest key, but it played a role.
Our target industries were the rail industry (I still wish I got that opportunity and still look at opportunities there) and city government. City governments rarely have any form of layoffs. Unlike county, state, and federal jobs, city government is required by law to have a balanced budget. They also have a pension plan that is far better than what a 401k will do. The rail industry was even better. The pension is massive, pay was as good as the tech companies. With my 12 year retirement plan the City job will have a $2,000 per month pension. The rail company would have been between $4,000 and $5,000. On top of this, both areas have the same 401k matches as the tech companies.
My advice is to reflect on one's self, decide what the most important things are in life for you and your family. Develop a plan that meets those goals and work within those confines.
"Nothing is guaranteed here - especially your position" --> which other company guarantees anything anyway? I always think of my employment as a temporary win-win relation. That relation lasts as long as both parties find a common interest in each other. Any party can decide to terminate it. You just have to live with that. Be wise, set money aside for the time you'll have to look for a job, and keep your skills up to date. Corporate history provides several examples of companies abruptly coming to a halt. Enron, Nortel, Lehman Brothers were all full of ambitious folks busy climing up the corporate ladder when someone pulled the rug right underneath that ladder. I'm sure some employees in those companies were told there was nothing to worry about.
There are plenty of companies out there. Take a look at the city skyline and how many confused people are out there trying to make things work that have no idea.
There are no guarantees in life - period.
If your profile is on LinkedIn, and you've done all the recommended things on it to make it show up in searches, you should have recruiters contacting you weekly, if not daily.
I have touched my profile in 3 yrs and I'm contacted weekly. I haven't responded to any recruiters, yet the same companies message me all the time. There are plenty of jobs out there, just the recruiters can't seem to figure out that just because I work at Cisco I'm not a network engineer.
My one recommendation to you is to be very selective about who you accept an offer from. Lots of companies have openings, but who's to say they're all good places to work? I absolutely abhor companies that are obsessed with time tracking. How long did you work on that ticket? How long did you work on this ticket? You need to "bill" 35 hrs of "ticket" work each week, but you have more than 5 hrs of meetings each week too! And micro-managers. Uggg.
It's always easiest to find a job while you have one, so be picky. If you do, by chance, get hit by the LR bus before you find your dream job, take what you can get and keep looking. Maybe the one you took in a rush will be a good fit, but in my experience every role I took after an LR from some company was not a good fit and I'd find a better role within a year and be in that good role until the next LR and do it all over again.
What role and BU?