A layoff and a new six-figure opportunity!

SoCalGuy858

tl;dr Got laid off 6 weeks ago but just accepted a new offer with an awesome company with a 55% pay bump and I wanted to share this to spread a bit of inspiration.

I got the dreaded layoff call about 6 weeks ago that ended 5.5 years with the same company. I certainly wasn’t expecting it, but who does? That aside… I was on the phone immediately with recruiters I’ve been in touch with via LinkedIn over the past few years trying to find my next opportunity. Over the next few weeks, I put out tons of applications and made tons of phone calls… got lots of phone screens and a few interviews, but thing seemed to go anywhere. I’ve always been a “jack of all trades”, whether in IT or security, and I started to think that it was hurting me. Out of the blue, I got contacted by a recruiter from one of the technical staffing firms I’ve been working with and was told there was an opportunity that she would send over than she thought might be a good fit. Lo and behold, the job description specifically stated they wanted a broadly-experienced, security jack of all trades!

Fast forward a week later and I’ve got my first phone interview for the position. It only took 15 minutes into the call for the manager to tell me I was already going to move on to the next and last interview… and they wanted to talk with me fast! Three days later, I walked into the company headquarters and met with the management team. An hour and a half later, we wrapped everything up and I was told it may take 24-48 hours to hear anything back, but it looked like they really did want to move fast…. I was extended an offer an hour later! The recruiter also mentioned at the end of the call that my new manager would be getting me a ticket to our local security conference next Friday (Triangle InfoSecCon in Raleigh)… a nice way to finish out my first week!

After 5.5 years with a company that clearly doesn’t value their people… I’ll be starting with a company that – from everything I hear and see – couldn’t be more different. On a personal level… this is also a game-changer for my wife and I: a 55% raise putting me over six figures at 26, fully employer-funded pension, 100% employer-paid health premiums, annual bonuses, and paid training (SANS, etc.)… I still can’t believe it.

My point in posting this is to convey the following points:

1. If you are ever in the position of a layoff or termination… try your best to not get discouraged. Keep at it with all of your might and you will get back into the saddle… it just may take a bit!
2. Don’t let job postings deter you If you don’t have everything they want… even if something says “mandatory”. If I had only applied for jobs that I was truly qualified for… I’d still be searching. The role I accepted stated that a bachelors degree was mandatory, as was experience with firewalls and network infrastructure… of which I have neither.
3. Piggy-backing off of the last comment… if a topic comes up that you’re not knowledgeable about, be honest. I was honest about my lack of experience with firewalls and network infrastructure during the interviews, and the consensus among management was “we can teach you that stuff!”
4. In today’s day and age, you’re just a number… so don’t be afraid to jump ship for a better opportunity if one comes around. Loyalty doesn’t mean anything anymore. I didn’t realize it until a few weeks after I was gone, but I was starting to get seriously numb to everything going on within the company…. Mainly the typical corporate crap, but it totally starts to wear you down. Despite my transition coming as the result of a layoff… had I not received that dreaded phone call 6 weeks ago, I’d still be in the same role, getting more numb as time went on. Always keep your feelers out there for the next opportunity.
5. Finally... the "six figure" comment. There are posts on here all the time about getting to that threshold, and all I can say is... keep at it and you'll get there. There's no magic combination of education, certifications, or experience that'll get you there.

Thanks for listening, y'all!

gespenstern

Congrats!

networker050184

That's awesome man. I can imagine its been quite the emotional roller coaster this past month or so. You came out on top though!

COBOL_DOS_ERA

Congrats on the new opportunity and good luck.

cyberguypr

Congrats!

Danielm7

Congrats that sounds like an awesome step up all around!

averageguy72

Congrats!

MitM

congratulations!!

UnixGuy

Congratulations! Really happy for you! you worked hard to build your skills ,and the opportunity came at the right time!

SoCalGuy858 wrote: »

...

In today’s day and age, you’re just a number… so don’t be afraid to jump ship for a better opportunity if one comes around. Loyalty doesn’t mean anything anymore. I didn’t realize it until a few weeks after I was gone, but I was starting to get seriously numb to everything going on within the company…. Mainly the typical corporate crap, but it totally starts to wear you down. Despite my transition coming as the result of a layoff… had I not received that dreaded phone call 6 weeks ago, I’d still be in the same role, getting more numb as time went on. Always keep your feelers out there for the next opportunity...

^^ This is a reminder for all of us who believe the promises made by managers....it's just business, no hard feelings. Goes both ways!

DZA_

SoCalGuy858 wrote: »

After 5.5 years with a company that clearly doesn’t value their people… I’ll be starting with a company that – from everything I hear and see – couldn’t be more different. On a personal level… this is also a game-changer for my wife and I: a 55% raise putting me over six figures at 26, fully employer-funded pension, 100% employer-paid health premiums, annual bonuses, and paid training (SANS, etc.)… I still can’t believe it.

Inspiring, great stuff man! Too bad Canadian companies don't take after like their American counterparts especially on the employee training.

MeanDrunkR2D2

Congrats on the new role! Great way to stay positive through all that nonsense.

pizzaboy

that's awesome man. Congrats

TechGromit

It's good you picked your self up and immediately started the search to find another job. All too often I see people go though "laid-off grief" where they waddle to self pity for weeks or months afterward before attempting to find another job. I had a co-worker that was laid off and thought it was great, he was taking the summer off, he planned to look for another job at the end of the summer. His good times were went on for 14 months till he landed another job, this during the recession, so it made things that much more difficult. Of course the better economy makes finding another position easier, but it's never a fun process, especially when unemployment pays a fraction of what your used to earning. Congratulations on the new gig. Nice linked-in profile too, I just signed up for Infogard.

quicany2345

Congrat on your new role

pharius

Congratulations. That is awesome!

E Double U

Congratulations from another jack of all trades

LordQarlyn

Great work on the quick rebound! Ten years ago I got laid off from a non-IT job, in the heart of the Great Recession. Took a couple months off, then started studying for IT certs while looking for jobs. It took 8 months but I got my first IT job and because it was deployed, I went unemployed to well into the six figures. I rarely get asked about the gap and when I have I just mentioned during that time I studied and passed five IT exams.

SoCalGuy858

Thanks, y'all! Looking forward to the awesome new adventure in front me!

coffeeluvr

Congratulations on the new job!!

Bluer_team

Congrats!!! And thanks for sharing this. Posts like this are inspiring, and I keep them in mind when I don't think I will get a job.

Mike7

Congrats! That was very inspiring.

E Double U wrote: »

Congratulations from another jack of all trades

Not JOAT, I prefer the term multipotentialite.

cabowabo

Congrats!

ypark

Congrats man! This is when all the time spent learning new technology pays off. If you were stagnant during those 5 years, you wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

SoCalGuy858

ypark wrote: »

Congrats man! This is when all the time spent learning new technology pays off. If you were stagnant during those 5 years, you wouldn't have been able to pull this off.

Thanks!

...and 100% agree! I was always doing what I could to take on new assignments and get exposure to different sub-disciplines, technologies, etc. Never stop learning!

SoCalGuy858

Week one on the new job done... I couldn’t be happier (well, save for the commute)! It’s going to take a while before I’m fully into the swing of things, but the mindset of my new company couldn’t be any more different from my previous one. For starters, technology is actually valued... especially security. The number of times I’ve heard “if there’s a tool you want to take a look at, let’s go for it!” is mind-boggling! I’m also able to actually do “security” stuff, unhindered by other non-security tasks. The workstation group does their thing, the network group does theirs, the server team does theirs. Lots of verbal exchanges boiling down to;

“How do you do X process?”
“You won’t have to do that! It’s taken care of!”

The cherry on top was a four day work week. Got a full day of pay to attend the local security conference with my team (Triangle InfoSeCon)!

Life is good....

wiredtitan

Congrats! I hit 6-figures at 26 in the east coast as well. Hope you're liking RTP it's got incredible mobility.

coreyb80

Congrats on the new role and great way to stay positive!!

JD20

Hey huge congrats! Inspirational story. 

shochan

SO, it's been 6mos, how is the your gig now?  

SoCalGuy858

It's absolutely awesome!  I went permanent three months in (temp to hire) and the differences between the roles couldn't be bigger (and better).  I went from being a pawn in an organization that viewed security as a hindrance, to a valued leader and SME in an organization that not only values security, but shows it.  Much, much larger security budget (relative to the contrasting size of the organizations), much bigger appreciation for security from the C-level on down, and a willingness to train/promote from within.  There is already talk about splitting up my team (combined Network and Security) and creating a separate security team, with me possibly moving into a supervisory role.

All in all... absolutely awesome!

DntH8Me

Congrats all around, looks like just what you needed to move into the next stage(s) of your career.