Being a skier and corporate life

[shwilly]

The dilemma is gone. Got laid off, with many others in the department.

...insanely awesome plans omitted...

Oh, man. Sorry about the layoff, but what a once in a lifetime opportunity. In April you'll be energized and ready to roll after a winter you'll remember for the rest of your life. Your fellow cubicle dwellers salute you.

 

[raisingarizona]

The dilemma is gone. Got laid off, with many others in the department.

Got a reasonable package though. I'll have paycheck coming for part of the winter and no need to work! What timing? So this season is my chance of ski bumming!

Hokkaido Japan 1st-2nd week of January.

Bought Epic Local to supplement MCP. Will drive out to CO after Japan.

Have a place to crash in Summit county with buddy. Probably stay a month. Visit Aspen/Telluride/Taos while there, on MCP.

Onward to Park City, which I will have free lodging, as long as I keep it for less than 10 days. Epic local is blacked out on Saturdays, but I have 2 days at Alta/Bird included in MCP which should be perfect.

Banff, Revelstoke, Whistler on the MCP. Between MCP and Epic Local, I have 6 days in Whistler. Plan to ski my heart out!

Swing by Tahoe on the way back. Northstar & Heavenly on Epic Local, Squaw-pine & Kirkwood on MCP.

Back to Summit till I'm sick of skiing (probably April)

Cataract surgery & job hunting late April. Back to the grind and the cubicle view.

Congratulations on the first day of the rest of your life! I excepted your answer to my last post but now I'm going to be completely honest, the freedom experienced while ski bumming is like nothing you could ever imagine living the 9 to 5 corporate gig New Jersey lifestyle. When you said that you enjoy broadway or opera or whatever it was that makes the tri state area attractive to you I thought, yeah cool, this guy is just a lot different than me and I told myself to keep my mouth shut and to not be a richard. But..........come on man! If you are young and haven't yet created debt, children etc. then go live life! New Jersey sucks man. Like really really badly.

 

[jimk]

Wow. Interesting development. Go for it! Here is my report on my nine week ski bum tour in 2015. I think there are links at the bottom to each of the five installments: http://www.epicski.com/a/2015-geezer-ski-bum-tour-epicski-1

I bounced around to Vail Resorts in CO, UT and CA, but also hit Jackson. I'm going to be in UT in late Jan, CO in late Feb, Whistler in early Mar, and back in UT in early April. Let me know if any questions or if paths cross. Pace yourself this winter and definitely use this online ski forum (and others) to connect with folks to ski with. Skiing with locals or semi-locals will add a lot to your experience.

 

[abc]

Love your lemonade recipe!

LOL

Well put.

 

[abc]

I'm so envious! Congratulations on your plans! Japan alone is a huge score.

Japan has been on my mind for a while. Just trying to find the "right" time to do it. So that's the first thing that came to my mind!

Ironically, having the luxury to choose my timing means my flight will only cost half of what it normally cost. The next few days I'll research on where to ski and where to stay that sort of thing.

 

[Cornhead]

LOL

Well put.

Man, things are pretty crappy at my job, if I had some money saved I'd be tempted to join you on your adventures.

Have you been to Taos before? It is a cool place. Japan will be outrageous, I'm sure. You are my hero abc, have a ball!

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[JimG.]

The dilemma is gone. Got laid off, with many others in the department.

Got a reasonable package though. I'll have paycheck coming for part of the winter and no need to work! What timing? So this season is my chance of ski bumming!

Hokkaido Japan 1st-2nd week of January.

Bought Epic Local to supplement MCP. Will drive out to CO after Japan.

Have a place to crash in Summit county with buddy. Probably stay a month. Visit Aspen/Telluride/Taos while there, on MCP.

Onward to Park City, which I will have free lodging, as long as I keep it for less than 10 days. Epic local is blacked out on Saturdays, but I have 2 days at Alta/Bird included in MCP which should be perfect.

Banff, Revelstoke, Whistler on the MCP. Between MCP and Epic Local, I have 6 days in Whistler. Plan to ski my heart out!

Swing by Tahoe on the way back. Northstar & Heavenly on Epic Local, Squaw-pine & Kirkwood on MCP.

Back to Summit till I'm sick of skiing (probably April)

Cataract surgery & job hunting late April. Back to the grind and the cubicle view.

You don't sound terribly upset.

Good for you. Enjoy.

 

[dlague]

I think it should not if you are honest about what you were doing.

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[gmcunni]

The dilemma is gone. Got laid off, with many others in the department.

i was in similar situation a few years back, laid off in Dec. your plan is much better than what i did. enjoy and good luck with the job search when you get back.

 

[abc]

Can you take 5 months off in your industry and not have it potentially impeded your job-hunting efforts? These days it can take anybody 3 or 4 months to find a good job, and with a long layoff you'd then be looking at 8 or 9 months, and at that point some HR folks might not review your resume. Just a thought. Sounds like an awesome winter if that's not a concern in your industry though.

Part of the package is we're still considered "employed" as far as employment verification goes. Until the severance period runs out, that is. So I do have several months to play with.

Same paycheck, same "job" but don't have to go to the office. How cool is that? (we do lose all the subsidized benefits such as 401K matching, life insurance etc, need to pay full premium for the insurance under Cobra)

A few months of down time is not considered an issue in our field. Besides, all those others who got laid off will all be competing in the same market. It'll be ugly for a while.

On the positive side, I've already got several e-mail soliciting positions! The "word" had gotten out that we had a 20% work force reduction. So all our competitors are reaching out to try to snap up talents. I'm actually a little ambivalent about this new development.

The headhunter who placed me in this position called up and asked for an updated resume. (he placed my boss and me, both of us are now laid off) I told him I will only look at GOOD positions.

I can always find a job. It's good job that's hard to come by. On that point, I AM UPSET about the layoff. I'm going to miss my work buddies.

 

[JimG.]

Part of the package is we're still considered "employed" as far as employment verification goes. Until the severance period runs out, that is. So I do have several months to play with.

Same paycheck, same "job" but don't have to go to the office. How cool is that? (we do lose all the subsidized benefits such as 401K matching, life insurance etc, need to pay full premium for the insurance under Cobra)

A few months of down time is not considered an issue in our field. Besides, all those others who got laid off will all be competing in the same market. It'll be ugly for a while.

On the positive side, I've already got several e-mail soliciting positions! The "word" had gotten out that we had a 20% work force reduction. So all our competitors are reaching out to try to snap up talents. I'm actually a little ambivalent about this new development.

The headhunter who placed me in this position called up and asked for an updated resume. (he placed my boss and me, both of us are now laid off) I told him I will only look at GOOD positions.

I can always find a job. It's good job that's hard to come by. On that point, I AM UPSET about the layoff. I'm going to miss my work buddies.

I like your attitude.

 

[abc]

But..........come on man! If you are young and haven't yet created debt, children etc. then go live life!

I'm not young. But I somehow missed the kiddie train. So as a consolation prize, I've got a bit extra disposable income to spare as a result. ;-)

My family comes from a culture that debt is a dirty word. So I didn't get into too much of it. We just don't buy things we don't already have cash for. Ok, I do have a mortgage, but it's a small one (small both in the size of the house and the amount of mortgage).

All that means I can live quite cheaply, and apply my spare cash for more serious pursue such as skiing!

 

[snoseek]

Obviously do whats right for you and your future but goddamn am I rooting for you to check out and chase powder all winter!!!!!

 

[Quietman]

Part of the package is we're still considered "employed" as far as employment verification goes. Until the severance period runs out, that is. So I do have several months to play with.

I've played that one before and it worked out well, especially when like you, my boss was in the same situation and we verified for each other. So there is no period of unemployment on my resume, but there are ways to deal with that too. I envy your skiing ambitions, hope it works out for you!!

 

[Savemeasammy]

Would it really look all that bad on a resume to have a few months missing from your employment history (and I do understand how this will not be the case for you)? In your case, it could easily be explained in your cover letter that you took advantage of a unique opportunity, and that you were in a financial position to do so. (I would think that being nearly debt-free, and having a substantial savings demonstrates a great deal of discipline and responsibility).


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[jimk]

When I took about nine weeks to ski in winter 2015 between my retirement and my unretirement everyone at my new office was supportive about it even though it meant a gapped billet for a while. I was fortunate, they actually hired me before I went away knowing what my situation was and most admired that I had the determination to take the break.
I'm sure it depends on the job field, but I just hired a man in his mid-50s who had been unemployed for nine months. He had taken time off to tend to a sick parent and then deal with funeral and estate matters. It made complete sense at his age and situation. He probably got a bump in wealth from inheritance that more than made up for salary loss. He's been a great fit since coming onboard.

 

[Edd]

I agree that a gap of less than a year isn't much to worry about. Everyone wants to take a year off but is scared to do it. My wife is trying to convince me that we should do it in about 6 years or so. My response is that she's crazy.

 

[JimG.]

I'm sure it depends on the job field, but I just hired a man in his mid-50s who had been unemployed for nine months. He had taken time off to tend to a sick parent and then deal with funeral and estate matters. It made complete sense at his age and situation. He probably got a bump in wealth from inheritance that more than made up for salary loss. He's been a great fit since coming onboard.

Sounds like me. I lost my mom in 2012 and my dad in 2014. Before she died we spent a year and a half watching my mom decline in health in a nursing home. Then I had all of the estate issues to deal with for both of them. Still dealing with my dad's estate.

Anyway in January 2015 my boss pulled me in his office to give me a lecture about spending too much time with my parents and their affairs and not enough time breaking my ass for him. He told me to make a decision about who was "buttering my bread".

Resigned on the spot and I have not worked since. Because it was clear that my parents are the ones who have always "buttered my bread". My life has been happier and unbelievably productive since. No intention of going back to work unless something that fits my best case scenario presents itself.

 

[abc]

I agree that a gap of less than a year isn't much to worry about. Everyone wants to take a year off but is scared to do it.

I don't think it has to do with the length. It's easier to look for a job when still having a job. That's why people immediately look for a new job because they can pretend they're still working during the severance period.

(or because they have bills to pay and can't just go away skiing for 5 months)

Once that period runs out, it's "equal opportunity" whether it's a few months out or even a couple year out. You do have to come up with a plausible story to explain the gap away. Family and/or illness is the usual get away card when the gap gets over a year.

Anyway in January 2015 my boss pulled me in his office to give me a lecture about spending too much time with my parents and their affairs and not enough time breaking my ass for him. He told me to make a decision about who was "buttering my bread".

Resigned on the spot and I have not worked since. Because it was clear that my parents are the ones who have always "buttered my bread". My life has been happier and unbelievably productive since. No intention of going back to work unless something that fits my best case scenario presents itself.

Some bosses are like that. It's hard to work for such a boss. My new (now ex) boss was like that too. But it's hard to tell whether my being laid off has to do with it since so many others were also laid off at the same time.

In case anyone noticed, I hadn't posted on this forum much the last month or so. it's partly to do with the new boss. Because he sat next to me so I couldn't just zip off a post or two in between tasks. My previous boss? He couldn't care less as long as the work is done.

Of course it's just bad luck that he decided to take the cube next to mine. "Sometimes life gives you lemon". But as cornhead puts it, I've got a pretty damn good lemonade recipe in my hand.

 

[Not Sure]

I agree that a gap of less than a year isn't much to worry about. Everyone wants to take a year off but is scared to do it. My wife is trying to convince me that we should do it in about 6 years or so. My response is that she's crazy.

Go for it while your young! If you don't you'll wish you had . As long as you cover your health insurance. A gap in employment can be dealt with honestly on a job application, hey bosses ski too! I litterally got a job due to someone spotting a Sugarloaf sticker on one of my company vans.