I Got Laid Off Today
I got laid off today from Plumtree Software where I was a Sales Engineer. I knew something was up when I got a cryptic e-mail from my boss on Friday... "Howie come see me at 9am on Monday." This caused me to mildly stress about my job. I spent the weekend wondering what if I got fired. Drinking helped. As I was walking to work I got a call from my boss, "Howie, can you come in a little earlier." Seems he was anxious to give me the axe. I walked in to his office and there was an HR woman whom I'd never met before sitting down. She introduced herself. My boss started, "The company had a bad quarter and we're having a reduction in force (RIF). Your name came up and you're part of it." I smiled. "I gotta say, you're taking this quite well," He said. "It's not personal." I said. "No it's not." said the HR lady I'd never met before. Then they went into all of the things they owe me and all of the things I owe them. The question of stock options came up. I said with pride that I bought all my options (now worth a measly $2.50) and that I had been an employee for three years. They seemed somewhat stunned by that. Both of them have been with the company less than a year. Not that three years is all that much but in terms of a software company it is a long time. My boss escorted me out of the building. "I'm really sorry about this." He said. "Don't worry about it."I replied. I was even starting to surprise myself. I think I was going for the Academy Award of how to be nice as people are murdering you. I'd make a good Englishman, stiff upper lip and all. I'm surprisingly calm for what just happened. I've seen acquaintences of mine take it a bit harder when they got laid off. I'm sort of relieved actually. Kind of like during a really long game of Monopoly and you finally go bankrupt and now you're free to go play outside and not sit there getting pummeled by the guy with hotels on Boardwalk and Park Place. Maybe now the reoccuring dreams consisting of hotel rooms and airplanes will stop. Maybe I can focus on being what I truly want to be, an artist. Maybe I'll learn something completely new and be grateful that the economy sucks and therefore I was given the opportunity. Who knows. What I don't want to do is run right out and do exactly the same thing somewhere else. That would be somehow missing the point I think.
