Tips for getting back up on feet after being laid off 6

[MiataMan]

Hi all, i am a plumbing & fire protection engineer with 3 years experience in NYC. Like the title says i was unfortunately laid off just yesterday. I had left my last company of 3 years on very good terms to pursue a new position just a few weeks ago. However, after just 2 weeks of working the CEO terminated my employment stating that i "falsified" my qualifications. I don't agree with it. He had contacted me on Linkedin desperate to fill a position since his senior engineer with 15+ years experience was leaving soon (He was only there 2 months). After an interview with his associates, who were not in the plumbing & fire protection field and did not ask me any technical questions, he extended a very high offer to me which i could not refuse. However, upon starting the job i had soon realized that the department was in shambles and i could not handle the work they were giving me.

I'm already over it, i just want to move on with my life and be more wary of the offers im given in the future. Luckily i have supportive friends, family, and former coworkers are even reaching out to me. I live with my parents and have no loans thankfully. My questions are:

-I still have Cobra insurance to accept from my last job, but its very expensive, is there another option?
-When searching for a new job, should i even mention this job since it only lasted 2 weeks? The next employer would appreciate my honesty if i just straight up told them i wasn't the right fit for the position and was laid off. But i also don't want it to hurt my chances of gaining employment. I doubt i even qualify for unemployment at this point.
-I'm looking at this as an opportunity to start fresh. With plumbing & fire protection engineering experience, what other paths could i take? Finance? Anything in the healthcare field? Maybe work for MTA or ConEd/National Grid? I have my EIT, plenty of 2D CAD experience, and knowledge of NFPA/plumbing codes.

Thank you all in this time of need.

 

[KENAT]

Um, have you contacted your original employer to see if they'd like you back?

Now it may feel a bit like going back cap in hand or whatever, but assuming they still have the work you were doing; you were a competent employee and they haven't filled your position you may still be 'doing them a favor' in that they can start being productive with you immediately rather than spending time and money to find someone else who may take a while to get up to speed - if they work out at all.

As to healthcare, have you checked out whatever Obamacare has to offer in your vicinity?

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[glass99]

Miataman: there is a ton of work in the NYC construction world right now. If you have good HVAC credentials, you should be able to get work with one of the mechanical firms fairly readily. Do not feel bad about your last place having blown up. The consulting and construction world can be chaotic, and this kind of thing happens all the time.

However I actually think your instinct to assess your options is a good one. Go interview for a finance job. I did the same thing after I got laid off a few years back. The money is substantially better in finance (triple-ish), but you have to work in a pretty emotionally unhealthy environment. I ultimately came back to engineering, but with the attitude that I had options and if I was going to get sucked into the mediocrity of my old firm again I would jump ship for finance. Happily I found a niche in consulting engineering which is very non-mediocre, so it worked out. I look at the guys back at my old firm, and I actually pity them for their blah-ness. They are plodding forward in an industry which is creeping backwards. You are at a point where you can make a big change, and you should seize this opportunity. Both private equity and M+A are hot right now...

 

[MiataMan]

I want to leave the option of going back to my old company as a last resort. Even though i left on very good terms, I feel on a business level the atmosphere wouldn't be the same anymore if i went back. And i definitely would like to see what else is out there before i go that route. I will be looking into Obamacare today, just wanted to see what everybody's input was on that.

 

[JMirisola]

I agree with Kenat, call the old company.
Also, where you still live with your parents and, from the sounds of it, don't have a lot of overhead, take some time to look around at what other fields interest you. Then, when you do start interviewing for positions, take what you learned from this bad experience and ask questions during the interview to be sure that you won't end up in the same situation.
As for mentioning the 2 week position, I would just say you'd accepted a position that, in the end, fell through. The last thing you want to do is speak ill of that temporary employer.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog

 

[glass99]

Miataman: re: your old firm, you have to go forwards not backwards. You may be the returning prodigal son or the guy they can't trust. You have options!

 

[rotw]

I think you should give it a try with your old company, try to get an appointment with your former manager and explain that you left due to a bad judgment - all this is being happen just few weeks ago, I would not mention lay off







"If you want to acquire a knowledge or skill, read a book and practice the skill".

 

[MiataMan]

Thanks for the advice all, you're right that the construction world is hot right now. I see people moving around jobs all the time these past 2 years. I guess i will have to contact my old boss sooner or later, i'd be using him as a reference for other jobs. Regarding finance, what is M + A? I've heard finance jobs are usually much higher paying but also much more cut throat. But i feel when i hear "finance" the only thing that pops into my head is investment banking, financial analysts, etc. I'm sure there's many more jobs out there in finance than those two.

 

[TheTick]

Insurance: Shop! Shop! [!]SHOP![/!] COBRA is sooooo overpriced.

p.s. I think you may the first person I've seen use the words "Miata" and "man" in the same sentence.

 

[MiataMan]

So another issue... in the heat of the moment of getting fired, i was in such a state of shock that i accidentally signed a piece of paper stating i lied to them about my qualifications and thats why im being fired. I know its most likely not an issue unless i was planning on suing them. But how else can this negatively impact me? Also, i heard you can revoke termination paper signatures because by law they know you are in shock and not thinking clearly?

 

[Latexman]

M&A - Mergers and aquisitions.

Good luck,
Latexman

Technically, the glass is always full - 1/2 air and 1/2 water.

 

[GregLocock]

I think at that point it may be wise to call a lawyer.

Cheers

Greg Locock


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[MiataMan]

Just setup a couple appointments with some lawyers tomorrow. Will see what they have to say about this.

 

[TheTick]

I've been let go a few times. Fact of life. I've gotten good at it.

Last time, I stunned my boss and (and his) with grace and professionalism as they were giving me "the meeting" and "the terms". Left quite an impression, they talked about it for weeks.

Captain Hindsight says:

"Never, EVER sign anything the day it happens."

 

[KENAT]

Multiple lawyers? Are you shopping for best value or something?

One thing I probably should have explicitly stated in my initial reply, I was assuming that you were basically happy at the original employer and it was just a case of grass looking greener that made you leave.

If you weren't happy at your original employer then running back tail between you legs may be even less attractive than I made it sound.;-)

You also mentioned looking outside of engineering. If you don't have some level of passion (passion is perhaps a strong word but bear with me) for engineering then this may be a very good opportunity to get out of the field. While engineering pays pretty darn well for only requiring a bachelors degree, it's not a license to print money in most cases and if you're just doing it for the pay check you'll probably get disgruntled and dissatisfied sooner or later. Often get posts on this site from dissatisfied folks who fell into engineering by being good at math & physics in school but have no real interest in engineering and get sick of it after a while.

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(probably not aimed specifically at you)
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[MiataMan]

Haha, nah i've just never had to call for a lawyer's services before so i wanted to "shop around" i guess. I actually enjoyed my last job, coworkers and bosses were excellent. Projects were fun, maybe a little easier than i thought now that this has happened. It was just the compensation i felt was not too good. I distinctly remember my old boss telling me to be careful because many employers like to throw out crazy offers just to get you in the door to fix a jam they're in. I should have listened, lesson learned. Honestly, i just want a decent paying job i enjoy without having to do crazy overtime or having to worry about getting fired. After this incident, im starting to feel that this is tough to find in this particular industry. Prove me wrong, i would love to hear otherwise. Thats why im wondering what other paths i could possibly take with my degree and experience.

"Never, EVER sign anything the day it happens".... i will take that to heart now...

 

[1gibson]

Sounds like you need to call your old boss, tell him/her (s)he was right, and thank him/her for trying to give you that advice. Then end the conversation. If they miss you and feel like making an offer, no harm in listening, keep it in your back pocket.

Another life lesson you should learn ASAP is that your plan B always has to be more reliable than your plan A.

 

[glass99]

The thing about finance is that the money is way better. 5 years in you can be expecting to be making $250k vs engineering where you might expect say $80k. An engineer I used to work with quit and went into private equity at Bank of America and was getting $300k bonuses + base salary in his second year. Ok there is the occasional superstar engineer that makes $400k, but if you are a superstar like that in finance you are making $40MM. If you think that the reason you work is money, then its irrational to not go into finance. Engineering simply does not come close, and you have to do it at some level because either you can't get a job in finance (probably not the case) or because you like engineering better.

The finance career entry points are analyst, trader, or personal investment advisor. All three branches respect a quantitative background like engineering. Analyst is an entry point with the most branches down the track. Personal investment advisor used to be called "stock broker", and is basically a sales job with a commission. Your boss gets 1% of the amount of money under management, and its your job to cold call prospects. Trading isn't hot like it used to be a few years back, but still lots happening in that space.

Finance also has a bit of a locker room/frat house ambiance. Lots of hazing, yelling, and bullshit chatter about who's Hermes tie has been "earned". Personally I don't care for it, but for $400k/yr at age 40 its worth considering. In NYC this buys you a basic upper middle class life including private school for your kids, a 2000 sft apartment in a nice neighborhood, summers in the Hamptons, winters in the Caribbean, a spouse not working, a nanny, a cleaning lady, a therapist, a marriage counselor, an Audi for weekends, and a subscription to the NY Times. You know, the basics.

If you are an engineer in NYC at age 40 earning $100k/yr, you live in an 800 sft apartment in a sweatier neighborhood, your spouse works, your kids are in day care or with family, your vacations are domestic and short, your kids are in public school (which could tough depending on how "sweaty" your neighborhood is), a monthly subway ticket, and a cleaning lady. Its ok, but its hard to feel on top so you kind of have to derive some portion of your satisfaction from work. If you are in a situation in engineering where you have a dick boss making your life a misery, you know you are getting the worst of both worlds.

 

[MiataMan]

My brother is worried and thinks because of whats happened, i'll have trouble finding another job... so calling my old boss back is sounding to be a better idea...

 

[Signious]

If you are afraid that this little hiccup will have an effect on future jobs, ask for an exit interview with one of your direct supervisors and get something in writing explaining the situation to have in your back pocket.

(Purely hypothetical) For all you know the CEO's nephew just graduated and wanted a job, so you being the newest employee was first to go.