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Box 282
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Monday to Friday: By Appointment
Weekend: By Appointment
Address
933 Branch Court
Box 282
Grovetown, GA 20813
Work Hours
Monday to Friday: By Appointment
Weekend: By Appointment
Last month I received my first termination letter since transitioning from the Army in 2018. It was my second job since retiring. My first lasted 14 months before I decided it was not a great fit. I wrote about that in my book, so I won’t go into details here. My second, however, was as a data scientist supporting Army Cyber capabilities. It was a great gig working with great people. All was going well until I went from thinking my position would last another five years to unexpectantly having to clear my desk. Fortunately, seven factors allowed me to quickly move from fired to hired, Better yet, my new job offered a slight pay raise, comparable benefits, and more vacation time. I even enjoyed a little personal time in the gap between jobs.
Let me begin by saying that no one really has this figured out. If someone tells you they do, they’re probably lying–especially if they tell you their techniques work for anyone. There is certainly a level of preparation that goes into closing the gap, and I will get to those soon. However, there is also timing to consider along with some luck or blessing, depending on where you place your faith. Personally, I choose to trust that God has ultimate control, and God is good all the time! But, even God makes the birds leave their nests to find dinner!
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A few months before my termination, my company learned it lost its bid for a follow-on contract. Hence, my colleagues and I suspected we’d soon be wearing a new company logo. We at least thought we would keep our positions. Unfortunately and as fate would have it, other external factors came into play, including budget cuts, that resulted in 75% of the workforce being terminated, and a month earlier than expected. That’s the contract life.
Generally speaking, termination letters are coldly impersonal. Mine read (using my deep voice), “This letter is to inform you that effective DATE your employment with COMPANY will be terminated due to contract end/business-related layoff.” It reminded me of an email I received from Georgia Tech when I first failed their Ph.D. Preliminary Examination. My email ended by stating, “If this was your third attempt at passing the Ph.D. Preliminary Exam, please prepare to conclude your affairs at Georgia Tech.” Fortunately, I passed on my second attempt–whew!
With my letter in hand, career move number three was upon me and earlier than expected. Yet, as I mentioned above, I still came out ahead. I even enjoyed a short break before starting my new job. Nonetheless, multiple factors made that outcome possible. Let’s break them down now.
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I cannot over-emphasize the need for a financial runway. Without one, you may not just find yourself desperate for a new job but to hold on to your home as well. Fortunately, if you can live off less than you earn and invest the rest, a financial runway is accomplishable. If you are in your 20s and reading this, congratulations. Time is on your side, and you could also obtain financial freedom by the time you are my age–perhaps earlier. If you are starting to show some gray, you can still build a financial runway, but financial freedom will require a substantial commitment.
If you would like to learn more about creating a financial runway and obtaining financial freedom, a few books you might try. Besides mine, there are Set For Life by S. Trench, The Simple Path to Wealth by J. Collins et al., and Your Money or Your Life by V. Robin et al.
These are the factors that most contributed to my short-term unemployment. You may wonder how I spent my time. If so, well, I visited with my in-laws, installed an oven, worked on my website, and completed some online courses. I even managed to complete a purchase agreement for a new investment property, another area where having a financial runway helps. I close next week. Lastly, it gave me a little time to give back, so I volunteered for a church event, and I gave a career day talk at a local high school. Sometimes you need a little time to get ahead.
I’d love to hear from you in the comments. If you had to leave your job for another, what steps did you take to control or shorten your unemployment? Which factors do you think are most useful? Did you have a financial runway or rely on some of the other factors I mentioned? Did you take advantage of your time away from work?
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They are really convincing and will certainly work.
Still, the posts are very short for beginners.
May just you please extend them a little from next time? Thank
you for the post.
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