I've been laid-off three times First time I got north of 6 weeks warning, and it was pretty good (along with 6w severance) Second time happened on a Friday af

I've been laid-off three times First time I got north of 6 weeks warning, and it was pretty good (along with 6w severance) Second time happened on a Friday afternoon at 4:40 - was pretty lousy: just a "your services are no longer required" after 5 minutes on the phone talking about how good a job I was doing. Third time was a Monday morning after a late-Friday 1:1 with my manager who was talking about the company's financial issues (though ... somehow they managed to hire someone the week after for double what I was making ... so there's that) - but I got a month's severance The first time got me out of HP The third time switched me to my current field (analytics, away from datacenter management and automation) If you're prepared for it (you do have at least a month's (preferably 3-6) worth of expenses in savings, right?), it can be a liberating, almost - dare I say - "fun" experience When you're given warning (at least a couple weeks, if not more), it's basically your employer telling you: "go find a new job; we'll keep paying you for X period, but you can coast here" When you're given no warning (like a call at 4:40 on a Friday afternoon) and no severance (as happened that second time), it can be downright infuriating/stress-inducing/terrifying (even with savings (though mine had recently taken a hit due to some other emergencies that had come up)) I know some folks who volunteered to be laid-off - they were open to leaving and/or wanted an excuse to leave, and wanted to help others in the process My "commitment" to my current (and any future) employer is entirely based on their continuing to pay me I thought I'd be one of those lifers when I graduated college and got a decent job with a youngish, exciting company Then they got bought And I was part of the acquirer's WFR (work force reduction) 18 mos later Since then, I've had a different outlook: I have a contractual relationship with my employer - I do work, they pay me. I'd like to be where I am for a while (and that's been true almost every place I've worked since I was a teenager) ... but I'm no more emotionally-tied to any given employer than is appropriate for the job at hand Companies come And companies go You're a fit, and then you're not (and you might be again - I've seen that happen several times with different companies, too) The best career advice I know to give is this: do your absolute best for your employer so long as they're doing their best for you. As soon as you cannot, or they will not, find somewhere else to be ...and never be the one to burn the bridge (but carry a can of gasoline and a match in case you must) - you never know when the other party's soaked it in gasoline, wrapped the support in dynamite, and is carrying a lit flare across the top