Friend survives recession layoff

Had lunch with a close friend yesterday. She also belongs to the large and growing club of Laid-off Bank of America People, was out of a job for over a year, but is now a manager at Wells Fargo.

She was unemployed during the last recession: there were no jobs to be had. It was a pretty scary time. Her unemployment was going to run out - as well as her severance - so finances were a huge concern. She didn't panic though; instead she researched her benefits situation intensely. She discovered California would extend her unemployment benefits if she enrolled in a career retraining program!

The health-care field attracted her (although her background was Financial Services) and she took a several month certificate program. During that time her unemployment benefits continued. She figured she could either become a health-care worker directly or continue in the computer field in a health-care setting.

Ultimately, the health-care worker option proved less than desirable, and as she finished her certificate the recession had started to lift. New jobs were coming on the market, and she quickly was hired by Wells Fargo. However, the retraining program kept some money coming in, and perhaps more importantly, kept her focused on a positive goal.

Being smart and adaptable helped her keep her cool, and ultimately resulted in a new job.