Twenty Years in One Line

I wrote this article about a month after being laid off from Nortel in 2008. It was before I realized how lucky I was to get laid off at that time. Getting severance paid was a massive thing for me.

The Finality of Severance

As of Tuesday, October the 30th, 2008, I was officially no longer an employee of Nortel. The “severance machine” started grinding that past Friday. The portion of my severance I elected to take that year appeared in my bank account. My first reaction was shock seeing that value in my bank account.

After panicking that my instructions had not been followed for my severance (they had), I calmed down, became my usual philosophical self, and started hearing that old Peggy Lee song, “Is that all there is?“. Twenty years of my life summed up in a bank entry (a five-digit bank entry, so I am not complaining about the sum itself). It just seems so final.

Over my twenty years at Nortel, I have met and worked with some of the most amazing people. I have seen technological changes that staggered me when I think about how life was before these technological “miracles.” I have had four children, and many beautiful things have happened. Many sacrifices were made for work. Ultimately, I have one line in a Bank Statement to sum it up.

It could be worse. I know people that don’t even have one line in their bank account.

To The Folks, I Leave Behind

My other regret is I never got to send a “So Long and thanks for all the fish” e-mail. For those still on the inside at Nortel, please treat this posting as my “You’ve been a great group of folks to work with” posting. I learned a lot at Nortel. Let’s see if it is true that Nortel/BNR was a “great place to have worked at.”

With Severance in Hand Now, the Hard Part

I need to get a new job (some prospects) soon. I can apply this package to serious financial planning and debt reduction schemes. Finding a job these days is not simple; I have learned a lot but still have more to learn.

I leave you with this one factoid I have learned, 80% of jobs are found through networking, so simply applying to a plethora of employment is not enough. You must go out and market yourself and “press the flesh” like a politician to find your next job.