[TheBulldozer]

In light of recent discussions about the fragility of working as an employee for someone else, as seen in the Pax Dickinson thread, I think it would be valuable if we vaulted the commentary beyond Dickinson's dilemma as a now unemployed man, guilty in some respects of being little more than an outspoken man, and into the hypothetical question of: What would YOU do if you showed up to work tomorrow and were fired outright by your supervisor. At this point it's worth investing time into thinking about it, because you never know in 2013, in our hypersensitive, fragile society.

Many of us talk about working for yourself and a completely location independent lifestyle, but truth be told 5-10% of us are living that way. While I work on the side, I'd say 90% of my income comes from throwing on a shirt and tie and grinding for 50 hours a week.

Here are some questions to consider, but feel free to expand in different ways:

Without revealing too much, what skills do you have?
Where would you go to put those skills to use?
Financially, how would you cope in the short term?
How would this affect your larger scale goals for yourself?
Would this in a way liberate you to push you to pursue your dream career?

--------
(Disclaimer: I'm about 30)
If I walked in tomorrow and was fired, I'd be pretty upset. This is a career that I've put my lifeblood into, and obtained advanced degrees for. I make good money doing it, and enjoy my lifestyle immensely due to the time off it gives me. To quote Tim Ferris, I take a two month mini-retirement every ten months. No work. No responsibility. Nothing. At my age, few people have the career security I have and the worldwide experience I have.

However, I would also have this great feeling of liberation. My skills are almost immediately transferable to any non-English speaking country in the world, though at what would likely come at a serious reduction in income. I would have to hustle my skill set extremely hard to make back my lost income.

If I were to stay in the US, I would almost certainly have to change careers. Unless I found a niche job, much of my education would be rendered useless. I would likely go into the real estate field because, it's an easy license to obtain, never goes dry in NYC, and I have a close friend who is making bank in the industry and could pull me in pretty easily. Additionally, I could survive for 6-10 months not making money and learning the trade.

Financially, I could float for a year to eighteen months in the US, and 6-10 months abroad. I have a decent combo of cash, easily liquid assets, and a couple of close friends as well as family who can get cash to me if I was in a bind. Long term cash is also available through bonds, retirement accounts and other savings, but I'm very hesitant to touch any of that until I'm much older.

Would love to hear your thoughts on this. I'm sure there are a million issues I glossed over that you'll make me consider.

No, I am not getting fired. I just think this would be a fun as well as an interesting and enlightening thought process for us career guys.

[Aliblahba]

Always have 10K in the bank for an emergency fund. If fired, draw unemployment and fly somewhere fun for a few months and look for a job online. The DR has U.S. type numbers so employers can call you there.

[MikeCF]

Here is my best advice.

NEVER never never never never quit.

Make them fire you.

That way you'll be able to draw unemployment.

Again, never quit. You want that unemployment benefits and in many (all?) states, you cannot draw unemployment if you quit.

They will try to bait you into quitting. Do not take the bait.

Make them fire you.

[Teedub]

Beat yourself up in front of your boss just before you get fired and then blackmail them for assault. It's worked before. I can show you a clip.

[Remington]

(09-11-2013 03:52 PM)Teedub Wrote:  

Beat yourself up in front of your boss just before you get fired and then blackmail them for assault. It's worked before. I can show you a clip.

Fight Club??? Kick your own ass in front of your boss.

[AnonymousBosch]

I'd honestly question using Facebook and Twitter at all. Remember, someone is always after your job. Why give them ammunition? Trust me, scheming or sexually-obsessed women WILL spend hours going back through every post you've made, and Facebook has a habit of spewing up supposedly-deleted posts from months back.

Make yourself High Value in your profession, and always be networking so you have somewhere to go. If you recognise a workplace is promoting a toxic culture of victimhood, start putting feelers out elsewhere.

The other week I realised I wanted out of the public sector so as to not have to undertake Sensitivity Training for something I honestly considered trite and ridiculous.

I used my contacts, found a higher paying job in the private sector, and handed in my resignation within two weeks of the incident. My (female) managers tried desperately to talk me out of it, realising their success is largely due to being competent and resilient enough to quickly deal with all the work they offload on me that is, simply, beyond them.

[Teedub]

(09-11-2013 03:57 PM)Remington Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 03:52 PM)Teedub Wrote:  

Beat yourself up in front of your boss just before you get fired and then blackmail them for assault. It's worked before. I can show you a clip.

Fight Club??? Kick your own ass in front of your boss.

Yes. I was joking mate.

[Aliblahba]

(09-11-2013 03:51 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

Here is my best advice.

NEVER never never never never quit.

Make them fire you.

That way you'll be able to draw unemployment.

Again, never quit. You want that unemployment benefits and in many (all?) states, you cannot draw unemployment if you quit.

They will try to bait you into quitting. Do not take the bait.

Make them fire you.

Hells yeah. You can ride out unemployment for a year or better. In GA it pays out like $350 per week. You can live somewhere south of the border on that, with a bit of supplemental income. Also when choosing a place, make sure it's easy and cheap to return, for job interviews. I made it back to Atlanta from SD in 3 hrs 15 minutes due to a strong tailwind.

Try keeping the flight around $500 if you can, so have a plan beforehand. West Coast guys can get down to Mexico pretty cheap, East Coast Players to the Caribbean.

From Atlanta:

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f...2013-10-01


San Diego:

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f...om+atlanta

NYC:

https://www.google.com/flights/#search;f...om+atlanta

A lot of companies hire sight unseen, which is good.

[Samseau]

(09-11-2013 03:51 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

Here is my best advice.

NEVER never never never never quit.

Make them fire you.

That way you'll be able to draw unemployment.

Again, never quit. You want that unemployment benefits and in many (all?) states, you cannot draw unemployment if you quit.

They will try to bait you into quitting. Do not take the bait.

Make them fire you.

I actually got fired last year from my job, for pissing off a bunch of women at my work. I worked with 80% females, it was inevitable. They found an excuse and canned me. However, my first online biz turned out to be a success, so it didn't hurt me.

I thought about collecting unemployment, but when I called the Mass hotline for unemployment I was put on hold for over two hours. Finally, the line went dead.

I thought to myself,

"It's easier to get a new job than it is to collect unemployment!"

And I never tried again.

[el mechanico]

So Ali, your advice to guys that get fired from the corporate world is to fly to the Dominican Republic and spend your savings?

[emuelle1]

I got fired in 2010. The job by that point had become so miserable and soul-sucking, I wanted to quit so bad, but my job search kept coming up empty. The day they fired me (which was the day after I lost my patience and called my supervisor a "fucking idiot"), I was so happy. I wanted to get a bottle of champagne for the out-processing.

The job market sucked, so I got a Real Estate license and did that while drawing unemployment for a while until I got a job in another state.

If I lost my job now, it would be total BOHICA (Bend Over, Here It Comes Again). I'm going through a divorce that wiped me out and maxed out my credit, plus I have to short sale the house which is impacting my ability to borrow more for my financial vampire ex-wife and the divorce mediator she chose.

One of my goals for the next few years is to build up an FU fund, 6 months to a year worth of expenses so I'm never put in this kind of position again.

For guys losing their jobs, I recommend being mobile. Be willing to relocate if you have to. Another engineer was laid off a month or so after I was. I had a job in 6 months, because my mindset was "I don't care what you call me, as long as you pay me. These are my skills. What do you want me to do?" He insisted on staying in the same location and wouldn't consider a job that wasn't "Electrical Engineer". It took him more than 2 years to find another job.

If the job I moved for hadn't come through, I was making a list of every part of the country where I knew somebody I could stay with for a few months to get off the ground and find longer-term accomodations.

[Hotwheels]

(09-11-2013 05:33 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

So Ali, your advice to guys that get fired from the corporate world is to fly to the Dominican Republic and spend your savings?

heh I was thinking the same thing.

I'd suggest using that money to set up one's own biz versus blowing it on booze and broads.

[Aliblahba]

(09-11-2013 05:33 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

So Ali, your advice to guys that get fired from the corporate world is to fly to the Dominican Republic and spend your savings?

Yes. Most guys in the corporate world don't get much vacation time, so getting fired opens up the opportunity to go abroad. And most of those those jobs are applied to on the internet. Stop hating you dirty little

[Brodiaga]

(09-11-2013 03:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Always have 10K in the bank for an emergency fund. If fired, draw unemployment and fly somewhere fun for a few months and look for a job online. The DR has U.S. type numbers so employers can call you there.

Google Voice and Skype work anywhere in the world, so the number is not a problem.

[el mechanico]

(09-11-2013 05:45 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 05:33 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

So Ali, your advice to guys that get fired from the corporate world is to fly to the Dominican Republic and spend your savings?

Yes. Most guys in the corporate world don't get much vacation time, so getting fired opens up the opportunity to go abroad. And most of those those jobs are applied to on the internet. Stop hating you dirty little

Well since you have first hand experience maybe you can share how it worked out for you while you were down there.

[Aliblahba]

^^^ It worked out great. I think I started a thread on it somewhere around here. Stop trolling. That Mac is making type girly.

[Parlay44]

(09-11-2013 03:40 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Always have 10K in the bank for an emergency fund. If fired, draw unemployment and fly somewhere fun for a few months and look for a job online. The DR has U.S. type numbers so employers can call you there.

It sounds easy to up leave for a few months. I'm sure you can do that if you don't have any real bills like rent, mortgage, car payments or child support and still live at home. Unfortunately you're tied to these responsibilities.

The truth is typical corporate turnover is 2-3 years. So you should start looking for a new job around the 2 year mark. You'll make $10k more per year. It's much more that the measly raise they give you.

If you got laid off you'd probably ride it out on enemployment and enjoy the summer.

[Aliblahba]

(09-11-2013 06:30 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

It sounds easy to up leave for a few months. I'm sure you can do that if you don't have any real bills like rent, mortgage, car payments or child support and still live at home. Unfortunately you're tied to these responsibilities.

If guys put themselves in that situation, then they deserve to stay put and suffer. Like Emech.

[Christian McQueen]

Like MikeCF said, force them to fire you.

I was fired once upon a time (actually several times in my life, due to my nature of not giving a fuck, nor adhering to condescending bosses) for calling a customer a 'Cunt'. I happened to yell it quite loud and clear for the entire store to hear. I was the manager of a jewelry store and she was being a cunt.

They fired me. I applied for unemployment and was denied.

I filed again and asked to go to court. They granted me a hearing. I represented myself AGAINST the company's FEMALE attorney and I won of course. The judge overturned it and I received over 2 years of unemployment.

When I walked out of the courtroom with one of my girl's I brought haha, I smiled at the lawyer and said, "No reason to get upset sweetie; I'm sure you've been called a 'cunt' before".

One of my finest moments.

Don't fuck with McQueen in court.

[Parlay44]

(09-11-2013 06:35 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

(09-11-2013 06:30 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

It sounds easy to up leave for a few months. I'm sure you can do that if you don't have any real bills like rent, mortgage, car payments or child support and still live at home. Unfortunately you're tied to these responsibilities.

If guys put themselves in that situation, then they deserve to stay put and suffer. Like Emech.

What situation? Life? Are you still living at home at 30?

[Aliblahba]

The house and my vehicle is paid off, no bills other than cell phone and insurance. This is how I can go run off for months in the DR. Stop hatin', Emech is rubbing off on you. Or your Mac.

[Ensam]

I second the travel plan. Right after I graduated from college I worked with a guy in his mid 30s. Every time he got laid off (which happened every 2 or 3 years in that line of work) he'd take six months off and go to Thailand or something like that. He had a blast and didn't have much trouble getting a job when he got back. Solid plan and a good reason to keep your financial obligations as small as possible.

[Parlay44]

(09-11-2013 06:47 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

The house and my vehicle is paid off, no bills other than cell phone and insurance. This is how I can go run off for months in the DR. Stop hatin', Emech is rubbing off on you. Or your Mac.

Well your situation is unique and not the standard. Maybe you come from money or fell into 100k job really young. Who knows.

Most people go from school to apartment to house. I make a good living but it's still tough. NJ is an expensive state.

[Aliblahba]

(09-11-2013 07:00 PM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

Well your situation is unique and not the standard. Maybe you come from money or fell into 100k job really young. Who knows.

I earned my way into contracting in Iraq/Afghan. A lot of guys I worked with put themselves in the same boat and started living overseas, usually the Phils or Thailand. You can't do that when you tie yourself down the U.S.

[RougeNoir]

(09-11-2013 03:51 PM)MikeCF Wrote:  

Again, never quit. You want that unemployment benefits and in many (all?) states, you cannot draw unemployment if you quit.

I don't agree with this. When you try to re-enter the job market, they will want to know why you got fired. The fact you got fired can prevent future job prospects. You would be faced with a choice of $900 per month for about a calendar year and no work or you can have long-term employment viability. $$$