First post

Well here is the first post of my blog. I've heard of others doing this personally and I've seen stories of other people doing the same thing.

As the blog details, this is about me recently being laid off from my previous position on January 5, 2010, 2 years and 2 months to the date of my starting there. As saddened as I was to hear the news, I had a feeling that this was a blessing in disguise and I needed a change.

However the timing of it couldn't have been worse as my wife and I are expecting the birth of our first child in March. I don't know if it had to do with my years of experience of watching other people go through this or just from my management training in grad school, but I really took it well and was a professional and a class act in my departure. As well as I took it however, having to tell my wife about afterwards was not so easy, and was probably the hardest thing I'd ever thought I would have to do.

But I strived and moved on. Even though I was surprised that this happened, I had a feeling months prior that this could indeed happen. So I saved up some money, and kept my professional network updated. I did last month finish up my MBA and the timing of me utilizing this experience and degree came at a great time.

So far in the close to 2 weeks that this has happened, I have made huge strides meeting with multiple people and lining up meeting for a future time.

I hope anyone that reads this post and any future posts that the key to surviving a layoff is to stay positive and make sure you planned and prepared in advance.

If you stay positive and carry on, you eventually will get to a better place.

I will keep everyone posted in the coming weeks as to my progress. If all goes well, I will have something better lined up by the time my son is born, and in the future this will be an afterthought and something he will never have to remember.

To the first of many (but hopefully not that many) posts!

Brian Gaspar