A middle-aged man of my acquaintance — early middle age, but still: no kid — recently lost his job. Canned for no great fault of his, but you may be sure the ex-employer will try to foist blame on him by way of minimizing post-employment payments.
{sigh} I think what would I do if I were in his work boots?
Well: obviously, my goal would be to move on in the most efficient and effective way: a) to get into a new job ASAP, and b) to land a salary that would be as much as I was earning in the former salt mine — and preferably more.
Whew! We don’t ask much, eh? /eyeroll/
First thing to do, IMHO, would be to give myself a couple weeks of vacation time, simply to decompress. And during that time, think about what I’d really like to do and how to pull it off. Continue in the same line of work? Change careers? Go back to school for a degree that might open new doors? Apply for a job as a dog-catcher? Or…what?
This would be the time to look carefully at what’s out there: what kinds of jobs are available in your area, what openings exist, and what qualifications do you need. Also it may be a good time to consider whether you want to get a new degree or course of vocational training that would aim you in a new direction.
Next would be to network…network…network. Let all your friends know you’re in the market for a new job. But also join trade and professional groups (if you’re not already in at least a couple of them), show up at their meetings, and let those folks know you’re looking for fresh work, too.
Neither of these strategies, of course, guarantees that you’ll get any new opportunities…but sitting on your hands certainly will guarantee that.
Another avenue might be to go back to school: get into a graduate program or sign up for a new vocational training course. Several obvious advantages here, above and beyond keeping yourself busy: strong potential for networking opportunities, easy way to spiff up the résumé, and something constructive to keep your mind off your troubles.
Then…just keep on keepin’ on!
If you’re wanting to get hired by a new employer, start applying for jobs and keep on applying.
If you think you might like to start your own business, join a couple of networking and business groups. Show up: make friends, tell them what you can do for them, follow any leads they give you.
If you want to change careers, figure out what you think you want to do next, learn how to establish your qualifications for it, and dive in!
As you might have guessed, none of the options will be easy. But all of them are better than sitting on your hands. So… Forward! Head on down that lonesome road…