So I find myself, as so many others have, on the dole. Well, actually I'm not on the dole yet, but that's a whole other kettle o' fish. Thanks HR!

The company for which I worked appears to have spazzed out and made some sort of snap decision to pretty much kill our group, which has been together for 8+ years. They kept one of the architects (who's already looking for a new job) and a few support people, but otherwise...we're all history. Communication, or lack thereof, may have been the primary factor, particularly where we were spread across multiple geographic locations. The HR department is so incompetent they don't even seem to have any idea what the hell they're doing in the layoff process.

Methinks this company is going to find itself in hot water with its existing customers, some of whom are rather large. Much of what I was responsible for is known only by me (I was the lone Windows developer), and it's an integral part of the overall product. I'm not sure whether I should be looking forward to a call in which I can command some astronomical price for consulting work, or dreading it.

One of the things about being a "Jack of all Trades" is that, well, not a lot of places are LOOKING for one. They have some uber-C++ or .NET guy in mind, and...well...that's not really my forté. So it's a real "pick-and-choose" situation for finding a job that's a good fit. Consequently, I've just today got my résumé finished up, and am completely procrastinating about the upcoming job search. I don't have severance to fall back on (apparently...they "haven't decided"), and my unemployment will be delayed, so although I'm in a better position than most due to our frugality and preparations for just such an event, I don't have the luxury of sitting on my duff for long, particularly where health care is concerned. When and if I ever get unemployment, COBRA alone will take >50% of that right away.

So Monday morning, it's time to hit the job boards. I'm miserable (moreso than usual, that is) just thinking about it.