What I Learned From Losing My Job

After 12 years, my position as a senior writer for USA Weekend Magazine was eliminated. I loved the place, but I understood that my industry was changing. It felt uncomfortable to join a statistical club that I had reported on so many times before from the detached perspective of a journalist. Now I had to find a way to support myself and my family, while finding a full-time job that suited my abilities and experience. Fortunately – unlike many of my former co-workers downsized at the same time, I already had clients such as Ziff Davis Enterprise, the publisher of this site, who kept me busy and kept some money coming in. The search for lasting employment, though, is like a full-time job in itself. Some view a layoff as a chance to recharge. I thought of it more like the lyrics from the song, a time to get busy living or get busy dying, at least from a career-relevance perspective. Along the way, I learned a lot about what it takes to stay sane and persevere until the right opportunity comes through. Here are some of the lessons I found helpful.