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I lost my job

Some really great advice and words of wisdom so far...so thank you! It's made me feel better. As I mentioned I'm a Safety Professional that's worked for 8 years in power generation but could work in safety just about anywhere.

Finding a job won't be hard at all. It's finding a job that pays what my current one does and also...I REALLY REALLY don't want to move my family. That's the hard part.
 
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I do not know enough about your field to know if it can be done remotely (sounds like not if involved in construction and/or manufacturers like that).

But one dynamic I wanted to highlight for everybody...

I have a good number of friends who live in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut, kind of in and around Hartford and Springfield.

Despite the pandemic, they have told me rents and housing prices for those small metro areas have shot through the roof lately. Their theory is that professionals in Boston and New York, who are either expecting to remain remote workers for a long stretch of time or even permanently at this point, are starting to flee to exurban locations.

They want to stay within striking distance of a long drive or train ride into the major cities in case they are needed for meetings but, day-to-day, being at the edge of a large city's orbit is fine if you only rarely have to make that commute. So somebody from Boston might move up into southern Maine or western Massachusetts, but they are not brave enough to move to Colorado to disconnect completely from their home base.

So two dynamics here...

(1.) The concept of a "bedroom community" expanding from anything within 30-45 minutes of an urban center to anything within more like 2-3 hours of an urban center might help revitalize small towns as "work from home communities."

(2.) Those people are fleeing obscene real estate prices in major East Coast cities and their inner suburbs to cheaper extreme exurbs. That being said, for people looking to move into large cities, that might create an opportunity for them because real estate in those places might finally deflate a little bit for those needing to be closer.

Office workers turning into teleworkers reduces the competition for real estate and on transportation infrastructure for people who really do need to be physically present. This lowers prices and commute times for the remaining population.

The whole situation argues for a flattening of housing prices between urban, suburban, exurban, and rural, which might not be perfect or as extensive in Iowa as it might be in California, but that should make it easier on people wanting to move.

I do not know how strong this effect is going to be in Des Moines (as it has turned into the sun in the center of the Iowa solar system economically the past few decades), but I am already noticing plenty of signs of this new normal out here. Most of it for the better for decompressing housing prices and highway congestion.
 
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SCyclone said:
Don't know if you are knowledgeable about construction, but contractors in our area are crying for skilled labor. It would likely be a very different sort of work experience, but most are giving workers 10-12 hours of OT each week. Our business is booming, oddly enough.
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A lot of commercial construction companies can use a safety professional.

Your job now is to get another job. Spend as much time doing that as you would if you were still employed.
 
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3. Treat looking for a new job like a full time job. Set hours aside where all you're doing is making connections/calls/research online. Leave no stone unturned.

As someone said, "I have no clue what a safety engineer does." What department were you in? If it were me, I would broaden my job description, talk about the industry segment you are in.

By this weekend, have a list of all employers with 50 or more employees within 75 miles of your hometown, and know what their business is and how you might fit in.
 
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Safety in the wind industry doesn't generally need you to be in a certain location, but you travel a lot. I used to work in EHS when I worked on the turbines. A lot of the guys I knew traveled a lot, but didn't live near any sites, so it is possible, but for a married man with kids that kind of travel is brutal, which is why I don't do it anymore.
 
Sorry about your job loss. I’m not the kind to tolerate unemployment much but that $600 a week kicker would be mighty tempting (and I think they will eventually extend it in some fashion along with a possible extra something something in the next round of stimulus for people without a job). Don’t rush. Try to hit gold for a month or so before settling.
 
I dont know your religious beliefs but having lost a job was devastating to me for awhile and I was very negative about everything. Until I realized it was the way I needed to be grabbed a hold of spiritually. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if I was in a good place spiritually, so I really dived into super deep questions that brought me so much peace and tada a job was waiting for me that I really enjoyed and I was so much happier. (Lee Strobel: The Case For Christ on youtube) was super helpful.
 
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mb7299 said:
I dont know your religious beliefs but having lost a job was devastating to me for awhile and I was very negative about everything. Until I realized it was the way I needed to be grabbed a hold of spiritually. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if I was in a good place spiritually, so I really dived into super deep questions that brought me so much peace and tada a job was waiting for me that I really enjoyed and I was so much happier. (Lee Strobel: The Case For Christ on youtube) was super helpful.
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I had a similar experience, though not as spiritual. I had my first job out college for 7 years. I grew weary of it and quit to try something else. It took me a good 2-3 years to get over it. I realized through the help of a friend that I was centering my identity around my work. I was putting way too much emphasis on that job/company to be my identity, so when it was gone, I had a huge void in my life. That experience was rough, and I willingly quit (wasn't fired). But it was much needed and I'm a better person for it, 5 years later.
 
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mb7299 said:
I dont know your religious beliefs but having lost a job was devastating to me for awhile and I was very negative about everything. Until I realized it was the way I needed to be grabbed a hold of spiritually. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if I was in a good place spiritually, so I really dived into super deep questions that brought me so much peace and tada a job was waiting for me that I really enjoyed and I was so much happier. (Lee Strobel: The Case For Christ on youtube) was super helpful.
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A lot of good advice here.

A couple things I would add. I'd sit down and find out how long you can easily last on your severance, unemployment, cash savings, your wife's income, and temporary reductions in spending. Knowing how many weeks or months that would cover would bring me piece of mind as I move into the job hunt.

Second, in terms of college savings for you kids and retirement savings. If you have been putting money away for both of those consistently if you need to reduce for, or skip, a year don't feel too bad. In the grand scheme of things one year that is reduced won't completely change the outcome in either case, the thing to think about right now is getting back to the point where you can be doing that saving again. Not worry and let it effect you if you can't do it right now.
 
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This sucks, so I'm sorry. I once found out my job was going to be eliminated and I had 4 months to find a new one. I did, but I went off the deep end in the process ;)

Give yourself a couple of days to clear your head and develop a plan of attack.
 
For those who have applied or hired using LinkedIn.....I've noticed many of the job postings that get sent to me don't list a salary. How can I find out the potential salary of a job at another company? (assuming it's a similar position as the one I currently have)
 
HardcoreClone said:
For those who have applied or hired using LinkedIn.....I've noticed many of the job postings that get sent to me don't list a salary. How can I find out the potential salary of a job at another company? (assuming it's a similar position as the one I currently have)
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You can try Glassdoor.com or Indeed.com. They will sometimes have salary info available, but it relies on information from users. So, not always accurate.
 
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throwittoblythe said:
I realized through the help of a friend that I was centering my identity around my work. I was putting way too much emphasis on that job/company to be my identity, so when it was gone, I had a huge void in my life.
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So much this.

Sorry, I'mma hijack this thread for a moment. This is something I so needed to hear.

I left my teaching career last June to start my own business. Things were about to take off, but the pandemic took off first. So, I've been trying to maintain contacts and grow during this time.

But, it's become time for me to get a side hustle while still trying to grow the business. In addition to working on my business, I'm also looking for opportunities in the training/teaching/leadership development areas.

What I've learned is that my whole identity was (and, to an extent, still is) tied into being a teacher. There are days that I wonder if I made the right move.

To the OP - I, too, value my family more than anything. This past year has given me time to connect and be present with them that I hadn't the prior ten years. I get tempted with returning to the classroom, then I remember how much of my life became wrapped up in my students and assessing, planning, prepping for the weeks ahead. As a former English teacher, the reading of essays was non-stop.

Good luck, hang tough, stay awesome. Reach out to your supports as needed. You got this.
 
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throwittoblythe said:
You can try Glassdoor.com or Indeed.com. They will sometimes have salary info available, but it relies on information from users. So, not always accurate.
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Second this. Not going to be perfect but for 1 example the 3 roles I've had over the past 5 years at my current employer are pretty much spot on.
 
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Gunnerclone said:
Sorry about your job loss. I’m not the kind to tolerate unemployment much but that $600 a week kicker would be mighty tempting (and I think they will eventually extend it in some fashion along with a possible extra something something in the next round of stimulus for people without a job). Don’t rush. Try to hit gold for a month or so before settling.
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Economists tend to like unemployment benefits for two reasons...

(1.) They are an "automatic stabilizer." They reduce demand (either through the premiums paid on them or the "taxes" that are really just insurance premiums for an unemployment insurance benefit, if you think about it) during good times, which is a brake on inflation. During bad times, they automatically and quickly go to the people who need it most and are most likely to spend it, which supports demand in a downturn.

(2.) More to your point, they essentially subsidize a job search. This allows people take more care and time to find the right fit instead of jumping at the first offer. This has long-term happiness benefits for both employers and employees and, theoretically, leads to better job matching to enhance productivity. I know the balance is really tricky when you have bills to pay, but sometimes jumping at the first thing is not the best play.
 
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It seems obvious but don’t pigeonhole yourself to safety professional. If you’re a hard worker and have a brain there is plenty you can do, even for an interim period.
What are your hobbies? What do you know more about than the average person? Think broad and narrow.
 
ForbinsAscynt said:
It seems obvious but don’t pigeonhole yourself to safety professional. If you’re a hard worker and have a brain there is plenty you can do, even for an interim period.
What are your hobbies? What do you know more about than the average person? Think broad and narrow.
Click to expand...

Any jobs out there for a professional, top tier online *******? Asking for a friend.
 
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