Laid Off During the Recession?

"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us."

Alexander Graham Bell

It started off as a regular morning. You got up, had your daily fix of caffeinated Columbian goodness, wolfed down a bagel sandwich from Dunkin Donuts on the road and strolled into your office with your briefcase in one hand and cell phone in the other-only to have the boss come by and tell you (without nearly enough regret) that you've been laid off and you only have two weeks to find another job.

Unfortunately, hundreds of people are going to find themselves in this position as the economy continues to take a downturn.

No matter how normal it may be, an economic recession is going to take a toll on its residents. At this point, you're going to have two options.

You can choose to flip your lid, like Milton in the movie Office Space, clinging desperately to your belief that the company could never really let you go because they can't possibly function without you. Or you can choose to sadly pack up your stapler, your calculator and your top secret stash of Werther's Originals that you've been hiding in your desk since last Christmas and move on.

Studies show that Generation X and Y'ers entering today's workplace have a far better chance of riding out an economic recession without suffering a major blow to their self esteem or their financial security than the baby boomers. Why? Because the thought of spending their entire adult lives working for the same company never occurred to them. They expect to switch jobs several times in their careers, hopping from opportunity to opportunity as it presented itself, and are more likely to look at a layoff as an opportunity to round out their resume in other areas than their older co-workers.

This is who you want to be.

You want to be that employee that looks at that pink slip and thinks, "Hmmm, maybe I'll finally get the chance to try my hand at teaching college/coaching soccer/writing the next great American novel/etc." No, the next year might not help you make great strides toward who you want to be when you grow up. Yes, you might find yourself living hand to mouth for a couple of months while you adapt to a new lifestyle and wait for the chance to slip back into the industry you intend to call your own.

The point is, one way or another this too shall pass. Sooner or later the economy is going to kick back up, and you'll be able to get on with the plans you had when you first took that job you were so worried about losing. The question is, how do you intend to spend that time in between? Do you want to spend it constantly sweating and worrying about how the recession is going to affect your financial situation? Or do you want to be able to grab the opportunity presented to you with both hands and say "Not a single second of a single minute of a single hour of a single day passed be by that I wasn't looking for that open door!"