ICTWoody
No longer a junior member
Just as I was about to roll out at noon on Thursday for the holiday weekend I was beckoned into the conference room with the partners of the small ad agency where I work(ed). This wasn’t too much of a surprise based on the amount of billable work I’ve had in the last few months. The writing was on the wall.
While there have been some good meetings and promising leads the long and short of it is that the PPP money was about gone and there was nothing left to do to try and keep the agency alive than to furlough about 40% of the staff. By 1pm they had informed 2 designers (me being one of them), a writer, 3 developers and the office manager that we would not be returning after the long weekend. At least not anytime soon.
I didn’t clean out my desk, I didn’t turn in my key... I just don’t have to work for a while. I’ve filed for unemployment and I have some side hustle stuff going on. I’ll be fine. Hopefully this is truly a furlough and in a few months I’ll be able to return to my team and pick up where we left off.
It’s a weird range of emotions to be going through. Much different than when I was laid off from a previous agency in the economic downturn that was 2009. There is a strange optimism now. I’m looking forward to not being bored at work doing busy work and struggling to fill my timesheet.... which has been mostly “professional development” for a few months. I have some investment opportunities I’m exploring and the time off will allow me to maybe explore the next phase of life. And at the end of the day, I may just return to work. Or not. We will see.
I’m looking forward to spending more time with my girlfriend, who as an elementary teacher is currently on the extended summer break, facing almost as much uncertainty as I am. God, 2020 is a clusterfuck.
Anyway, this week is going to be spent getting my ducks in a row. Oh... and I should probably try and sell some odds and ends to pad the coffers. Need to add that to the to do list.
Thanks for letting me write some stream of consciousness tonight. Lots to process right now.
- Woody
While there have been some good meetings and promising leads the long and short of it is that the PPP money was about gone and there was nothing left to do to try and keep the agency alive than to furlough about 40% of the staff. By 1pm they had informed 2 designers (me being one of them), a writer, 3 developers and the office manager that we would not be returning after the long weekend. At least not anytime soon.
I didn’t clean out my desk, I didn’t turn in my key... I just don’t have to work for a while. I’ve filed for unemployment and I have some side hustle stuff going on. I’ll be fine. Hopefully this is truly a furlough and in a few months I’ll be able to return to my team and pick up where we left off.
It’s a weird range of emotions to be going through. Much different than when I was laid off from a previous agency in the economic downturn that was 2009. There is a strange optimism now. I’m looking forward to not being bored at work doing busy work and struggling to fill my timesheet.... which has been mostly “professional development” for a few months. I have some investment opportunities I’m exploring and the time off will allow me to maybe explore the next phase of life. And at the end of the day, I may just return to work. Or not. We will see.
I’m looking forward to spending more time with my girlfriend, who as an elementary teacher is currently on the extended summer break, facing almost as much uncertainty as I am. God, 2020 is a clusterfuck.
Anyway, this week is going to be spent getting my ducks in a row. Oh... and I should probably try and sell some odds and ends to pad the coffers. Need to add that to the to do list.
Thanks for letting me write some stream of consciousness tonight. Lots to process right now.
- Woody