I was laid off from my last job (of just shy of 27 years).

It was entirely expected. In fact, I lasted about two years longer than I thought would be the case.

The corporation shed all of its non-domestic engineering (it was a Japanese company). It also let go a bunch of other folks; including many in Japan, which was a big deal. My whole team was let go. A couple of engineers had moved on, beforehand.

I stayed until the end, because I wanted to be there for the team. I also knew that the company would provide a substantial “discretionary reimbursement.” They don’t give “severance,” and are careful to mention that this is not “severance.” The reason that it’s not “severance,” is because they use it as leverage to get you to sign a “non-disparagement” agreement.

I got a year’s salary. It was capped.

I had no problem signing the agreement. Even though it was a layoff, I had (still have) no resentment against the company. I feel that many of the decisions that were made, leading up to the layoff, were terrible, but I was not consulted. In fact, my warnings went unheeded (it was entirely predictable, years in advance), but working for them was one of my proudest life achievements. They were (for how much longer, I’m not sure) one of the best imaging companies on Earth. I worked as a peer, with some of the top engineers and scientists in the world.

As I said, the layoff, itself, was no surprise. What was a surprise, however, was the way I was treated by the industry, after the layoff. That treatment prompted me to just toss in the towel, and decide that I was in early retirement.

I’m sure that I could have gotten a fairly decently-paying job, if I had been willing to accept some pretty shabby treatment, and spend a couple of years, desperately looking, but I didn’t need to. All of the engineers that worked for me, eventually did quite well (we were a pretty leet team). As their manager, the rules were different, for me. I was not interested in another management position. I wanted to return to my engineering roots.

I knew that this would be a “hard sell,” so had spent many years, building a portfolio, and was willing to take a significant pay cut (I could afford it, and it would have been an insane bargain for other companies). I was quite willing to work for “risky,” or high-pressure environments, like a startup. I was looking for work that interested me. I’d spent my career, doing work that did not interest me, and having what work I did, misused or sidelined.

I just didn’t expect the incredibly shabby treatment that I received. It was a shock.

I know that my engineers were treated more respectfully, than was I. I’m pretty sure that my background as a manager had something to do with it, and that I was older than most of them. My network was pretty much useless, as they all knew me as a manager, so I had to go in, “cold.”

As it turned out, it was probably the best thing that could have happened. The last five years, have been some of the happiest in my life. My physical and mental health have drastically improved. Once I got over my butthurt, I was fine. I have worked harder than I ever did, as a wage slave, and have learned more than I dreamed I would (I’ve always been a good learner).

I have done all this work on my terms, using my development techniques, and at my pace (which is actually about five times greater than when I was working). I tend to be working from sunup, to way past sundown, seven days a week. I love working, and working hard. If no one is willing to pay me, I'll do it for free. My GH ID is solid green[0] (not an exaggeration. I only have one day, in the last year, when I wasn’t checking in Swift work, and that was because I was taking a Swift class, on that day).

I’m very fortunate, in being able to do this. It was the result of decades of frugality, conservative fiscal discipline, humble living, loyalty, and hard work. Old-fashioned stuff, that generally elicits guffaws, these days.

I feel bad about the folks encountering sudden, unexpected job loss, early in their career. It can be devastating, and leave traumatic scars. The tech industry has been spared a lot of this, but the piper has come calling, for us, as well.

But it can also be a chance to reset the baseline for a new life. One of the most significant watersheds in my own life, was when I almost got my ass fired, early in my career, for being an arrogant knucklehead. That was the seed, that started the humility and discipline that gave me the ability to be where I am, now.

How’s that for talking about a layoff?

[0] https://github.com/ChrisMarshallNY#github-stuff