Hi, Lisa. Best wishes to you! Even though there are likely to be wonderful opportunities, it is still hard to hear that your services are no longer needed, to pack up your belongings, and to say goodbye to friends and colleagues.
My turn came in the Fall of 2003. The company I was working for had a company meeting where they told us how well the company was doing and that 50% of us in the room would be getting envelopes with departure dates! My departure date, after 23 years with the company, was 6 weeks from the announcement. I was working on a project that the VP of Engineering was going to assume responsibility (yes, as a technical writer). I worked closely with a couple of people, including the product manager, to convince the company to give me a contract to finish the project. They did and I was happily employed for another six weeks on top of the six-week notice period. I decided to "celebrate" my sudden freedom from a job to go to by getting into my car and driving to visit some dear friends several hours away for a long weekend. It was a wonderful feeling! For the first time in many years, I didn't have a day job requiring me to show up Monday morning. A week later I started a serious job search, which, along with the contract, kept me very busy until the end of the year, too busy to "grieve" (as Donna noted). By early February, when I'd been seriously unemployed for a month, I found myself feeling a bit less celebratory and a bit more worried! I had a meltdown at a family gathering when someone asked one too many questions and offered one too many suggestion! But it was good to let it all out. Three weeks later I had a new job that gave me the first opportunity in my long career as a technical writer to use my language skills. I didn't even know what localization was when I took the job. Three years later I feel that one door closed and another wonderful door opened. In addition, the morning I started at the new job, another company -- that had me going back and forth for several interviews and writing tests -- called to offer me a job, too! You have an interesting journey ahead of you. I hope that you enjoy it. Carol ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com