Laid Off/On

About two weeks ago, I was brought into my boss' boss' office and was told that I was being let go. The reason had nothing to do with my performance as a worker, but rather due to lack of funding. You see, our section was responsible for supporting two divisions. One of those divisions decided to create their own operations support team. Therefore, we lost our funding from them. My team was forced to lay off two of us and since Mike and I were the last two in, it made sense to make us the first two out.

That being said, the last two weeks have been a roller coaster of emotion for me, which is why I have not been blogging. I was incredibly disappointed. I've never been laid off before, but let me tell you that it is one of the worst feelings in the world. Losing all your benefits and that steady income all at the same time is never fun. Then, I gathered as much motivation as I could and started the job hunting all over again. I had to update my resume, update all my profiles on companies' websites, and go through more dreaded interviews.

In total, I had four interviews; two of which went really well. So well that they wanted to schedule me for second interviews with general managers, but they still have yet to call me back. More despair.

Last Friday was supposed to be my last day at Microsoft Studios. I had already cleaned out my office area, saved all my important documents and e-mails, and said a lot of good-byes. But then my boss started to act a little funny. There was something in his voice, or something in his delivery that was shining a small glimmer of hope for me. He called me up to his boss' office.

I went in and immediately sat down. The smiles on both of their faces only meant one thing. I can keep my job. Turns out that one of the guys that had not gotten laid off took a better offer elsewhere in the building leaving a position open for me. I took it without any hesitation.

It made my weekend. Halloween was that much more enjoyable because I knew that I would be going back to work come Monday (more on Halloween later). Oh, and don't worry about Mike; he has also found another position within the building. I couldn't be more thankful to my boss and my team for appreciating my work and keeping me on. I also have to thank Bethany for her support and trust that she gave me. But most importantly, I have to thank God who I spoke to every sleepless night for these past two weeks and who answered my prayers beyond what I could have ever asked for.