Chris Mower» Job Loss

I’m Taking the Leap to Self Employment

Chris Mower — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:32:47 +0000

Rockin' it in my "home office."

This last week, I was laid off from my full-time job as a QA Engineer. The company I was working for ran out of funds and the majority of us found ourselves packing our bags and heading home a little early. So much for “stability.” That was Groundhog Day.

I suppose it probably caught some people by surprise… but the writing had been on the wall for quite a while, so I had already prepared myself mentally for the news, so when it came it didn’t feel like a semi-truck full of bricks hitting me. Actually, it felt very much like a burden lifted off my shoulders. All of a sudden I could do whatever I wanted.

The only problem was that I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do. So I did what any other person would have done. That night I spiced up my résumé and began searching for another full-time job, scheduling a couple interviews for the following days.

By end of week I had completed 3 job interviews. As I exited each interview it felt like a dark cloud kept looming around in my head. I felt good about how I performed in the interviews, so what was it?

I realized the thundercloud in my head was the thought of joining the rat race on someone else’s terms and working a full-time job again. What I really wanted to do was work for myself, on my own terms, and not be held back by what someone says I can and cannot do.

I didn’t make the decision to freelance immediately, but because I had already had interviews, I knew I needed to make it soon. If I were to be offered a job and still be wavering in my decision, I would probably fold. Being religious, I spent quite a bit of time praying and reflecting on the needs of my family vs. getting another full-time job vs. working for myself, and by the time Sunday evening was drawing to a close, I had decided to strike out on my own.

So here I am. As of Monday, 7 February 2011, I’m a freelance web designer, consultant, copywriter, and application designer.

Am I nervous? Yes. But I’m doing something I love and taking a path I’ve dreamt of taking for a long, long time. It’s going to be a hard road ahead for a while, but I look forward to what the future brings.

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Are You Prepared for Layoffs?

Chris Mower — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:11:15 +0000

About a month ago the company I’m working for gathered all 60 of us into a tight meeting room and announced that there would be layoffs in July. It’s not because we’re shrinking or doing poorly, in fact–it’s quite the opposite. It’s because we’re growing. Perhaps on another day I’ll tell you how that works. Those of us who are in management positions already knew what was coming, and it made the meeting all the more interesting because I could sit back and observe the reactions of everyone else.

It helped that the company purchased giant breakfast burritos for everyone and passed them out before the meeting (my idea). Mine was filled with bacon, potatoes, sausage, cheese, and eggs… This of course sounds to you like a tactic to butter people up and soften the blow. And maybe it is… but so what. The truth is at our company, it’s not unusual. Upper management always treats us extremely well with tons of perks, and they’re always transparent about the company’s health.

The burritos were a nice touch, one of those perks. And sure, it probably did soften the blow for a few people.

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When Life Gives You the Slip…

Chris Mower — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:35:21 +0000

I look for opportunity in all areas, which is why when I saw this video, I had to post it here. More on this later, but for now I’ll let the video speak for itself, enjoy. (If the videos do not display instantly, please reload the page.)

If there’s enough interest in this topic, I will set up a public screening and Q&A session with the makers of this film in Salt Lake City. Please let me know in the comments below.

Lemonade Movie: It’s not a pink slip, it’s a blank page.

Watch the full movie: 35 minutes 57 seconds w/ limited commercial interruptions.

As a disclaimer, there are a couple strong explicative words scattered through the film.

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