Q: Was that a joke, or are you serious?
A: Totally serious. Today was my official last day at the job where I've worked for the last seven years.
Q: Did you see it coming? Was it your own choice?
A: To the first question, yes and no. To the second question, no. I've been at my company for a long time, and I could observe my interests (human-centered design) gradually diverging from the company's client work (inbound marketing). The middle ground - website work - which supports my position, has constituted less and less of our work over time. So, yes, I could see this coming. But I'm very close to our CEO and my boss, and I long since decided to stick it out with him for as long as he wanted me to. I found out I was being laid off two weeks ago. Was being laid off my choice? Well, no! Not directly. We all want things to go better than they have been going, but that's not what's gone on. At the same time, my interests have moved more toward the product end of the spectrum, and that's just not where the company plays. It was certainly my choice to stay there as this gap widened. I wouldn't exactly call myself a victim.
Q: Do you have something else lined up?
A: No, I do not. I am talking to a few people about a handful of very interesting opportunities, and I am interested in exploring as wide a range of opportunities as I can before making any decisions. In the meantime, I am going to take a few weeks entirely off to fix my moped's carb, clean up the house, and shovel snow or whatever.
Q: So are you freaking out?
A: I have a family, and I am relentlessly mindful of the obligations that entails. I have found myself awake in the middle of the night a number of times over the past couple of weeks, struck by fear that I'd never work again. That's normal, right? But no. In general, I'm not freaking out. In a way that may end up proving to have been perverse, I think this is kind of fun.
Q: Do you need my help?
A: Absolutely! But I can't leave Pittsburgh. If you know of any interesting leadership positions involving human-centered design or UX management, please, please, please send me in the right direction. I have a solid resumé, deep and varied experience, and fantastic references, and I would be genuinely grateful for any ideas, introductions, etc. you might have.
End: Hello, I am here now.
A: Oh, hi! I was wondering how I was going to end this post!