Reality is finally setting in. When I started this job at EarthLink, I was thinking that I would be here until I retired. It's not that many years! And now, with the layoff of 900+ employees, I am beginning to realize that I will be working somewhere else by retirement.
They say that every cloud has a silver lining, and as hard as this one has been to take, the silver lining is there. I realize how very lucky I am. I have a profession that I really enjoy and I don't think I will have any problem finding work. I have many, many friends who have called or emailed to offer their support and assistance in finding a new place to land. I have a very generous severance package that will give me the luxury of taking my time finding that perfect job! (Although it would be neat if I could get another job very quickly. Then I could invest the severance money so I would have something to fall back on or us for that vacation I would like to take!)
When I was initially told by my boss that I would be part of the layoff, I had assumed that the layoff was limited to the Municipal Networks business unit of EarthLink. Boy, was I wrong. 900+ people, which includes every technical writer in the company, both here in Atlanta, and in California and Tennessee. Some of them, like me, have a last day of September 14. Some, like STC Atlanta's newsletter editor, Paul, have until late November. And, still others, like Drew, have until the 21st of December.
Anyway, it is what it is and we just deal with it!
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Those of you who know Al as the Atlanta chapter president won't be surprised to hear that those of us lucky enough to know him at EarthLink consider ourselves very lucky to have been able to work with such a talented and wonderful guy.
I wouldn't be in Atlanta if not for EarthLink. Over the last 7 years, it has been my pleasure to work with many interesting, intelligent, and top-notch people. I put Al and Paul at the top of that list.
EarthLink sponsored the STC membership for the entire Operations Documentation team as well as several trips to the annual conference. We got to present "Setting Visual Standards With a Diagram Style Guide" at the 2004 conference in Nashville. I wouldn't know those of you I do, if not for EarthLink. So when I leave the Peachtree building for the last time, it will be with a heavy heart.
As one of the 900, I'd like to suggest no matter where you work, you look at the good people there and take a moment to appreciate them.
-Drew
Thank you so much, Drew. I appreciated very much the bi-weekly meeting you set up and handled for our writers' group. I learned much from those of you that presented and just from the talks and comraderie. I will miss all of you a lot. I really hope our paths cross again soon.
Al
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