October 17, 2011
Wake-Up Call: How a Young Bachelor Rebounded after Getting Laid Off
Though the U.S Senate recently voted against President Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, everyday workers — employed and unemployed — still find ways to push forward, with persistence, faith and a will to remain positive by any means.
Despite continuously devastating setbacks, many professionals are finding motivation within themselves to triumph over the woes of unemployment. One of those is Marc, 32, a bachelor who managed to recently regain momentum after being out of work for two years.
THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED
When Marc went to work on February 18, 2009, he assumed it would be business as usual. He’d worked for one of the nation’s leading telecommunications companies for nine years, moving from a customer service rep to manager of large business accounts. With a team of 13 staff members, Marc took pride in his career and enjoyed his work.
Though others had been laid off in the company, Marc was sure that he was safe and even joked at times that he’d be with the company forever. As a young, single professional with no kids, Marc was often the go-to guy for special projects and big accounts. His experience and ability to work long, late hours often resulted in more work, especially since so many others had been laid off. When he was called into his boss’ office that day, he assumed it was to discuss a new project — until he saw another colleague leave in tears.
Marc was given 30 days notice of his termination.
Completely shocked and unprepared, Marc had no idea of what to do next. He had never been unemployed and had spent almost of all his adult years working for a company that no longer needed him. For the first year, in a state of denial, Marc decided that he’d make the use his severance pay and unemployment insurance to vacations, spend time with family, and live an adventurous stress-free life. “I did all the things that I could never do because I was always working so much.â€
A WAKE-UP CALL
Marc was in no rush to get back into the job market until the day his mom gave him a much needed wake-up call. “She asked me how long I was going to live like this.â€Â This was the just the reality check that Marc needed especially since his money had begun to run out.
It had been years since Marc had been on the job market, and he honestly thought it wouldn’t be that difficult to find a new job. “I never had a hard time finding work in the past. I didn’t think it would be this difficult.â€
After a few months of sending out tons of resumes and even going on several interviews, Marc got no job offers. The intensity of being unemployed at the height of the recession began to take a toll on him. He found himself at a disadvantage because he never completed his bachelor’s degree. “I had friends with master’s degrees who also couldn’t find a job. So, I knew if they were having a hard time, it would be even harder for me.â€
There was a slight gleam of hope when Marc took a position with another major telecommunications company in March 2010. However, after three months he realized he couldn’t afford to keep the job because the cost of the commute was actually more than what he was being paid. He was once again back to being unemployed (this time with no unemployment insurance) and had become very discouraged. “There were days that I didn’t get out of bed until 4 p.m. I guess you can say I was depressed.â€