WEBVTT - Leveling Up After Layoff: LaKesha’s Story [BA QA] 0:00:00.600 --> 0:00:03.880 It was literally like a phantom meeting on my calendar, 0:00:03.960 --> 0:00:06.760 and I was just like, oh, I'm getting right off today, 0:00:06.840 --> 0:00:09.760 and I'll be very honest the interviews that I was doing, 0:00:10.760 --> 0:00:13.600 all the things that you hear about some recruiters ghosting 0:00:13.800 --> 0:00:16.720 and not getting back and being kind of unprofessional, I 0:00:16.720 --> 0:00:19.400 did encounter that. I did not encounter that all two 0:00:19.440 --> 0:00:21.560 and a half years ago. Like it's a completely different 0:00:21.640 --> 0:00:22.200 job market. 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.880 Hey, hey, va fam, it's your girl, Mandy Money and 0:00:26.920 --> 0:00:30.240 welcome back to Brown Ambition. Now, for those who are 0:00:30.360 --> 0:00:34.040 new around here, maybe you are joining us because you 0:00:34.680 --> 0:00:37.800 heard my interview on the Way Up with Angela Yee, 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:43.879 or you recently checked out my interview with the incredible 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:48.559 married to real estate stars Egypt Sharad and Mike Jackson, 0:00:49.280 --> 0:00:52.040 or you just stumbled across this show because you're like, hey, 0:00:52.200 --> 0:00:55.560 I'm ready to have a show that centers us in 0:00:55.600 --> 0:01:00.360 conversations about money, career moves, and everything in between. Regardless, welcome, 0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:04.640 you were in the right place. Today's episode is pretty special, 0:01:04.680 --> 0:01:06.240 and I know it's going to hit home for so 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.399 many of you. I was recently on a coaching call 0:01:09.800 --> 0:01:12.120 with one of my beloved Mandy money makers, So for 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:16.240 those who don't know. Mandy Moneymakers is the community that 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.759 I've run, and it started out as a career coaching community, 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:22.600 but really it's become a sisterhood. It is a group 0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:26.600 where women from across the country we gather together and 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:33.840 we support one another through professional challenges. And I'm obviously 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:37.440 I'm there to coach Mandy Moneymakers as they are negotiating 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:41.240 their careers. And I mean like literally negotiating like compensation offers, 0:01:41.280 --> 0:01:44.280 but then just negotiating the ups and downs of our careers. 0:01:44.520 --> 0:01:47.000 And Lakeisha is one of the very first women to 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:49.160 join the Mandy money Makers when I launched it back 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:53.520 in twenty twenty one or twenty twenty two, and Lakeisha 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.120 came on the show because she had recently been let 0:01:56.160 --> 0:01:59.560 go from her job in finance and this was hitting 0:01:59.560 --> 0:02:02.080 out a top. This was back in February or so, 0:02:02.760 --> 0:02:05.360 and I wanted Lakisha to come on the show because, 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:07.960 first of all, when you're a many moneymaker, I am 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:10.880 showing up for you all the time, Okay. So I 0:02:10.919 --> 0:02:14.640 offered Lakisha like a half hour like quick coaching session, 0:02:15.280 --> 0:02:18.480 and I wanted to share it with y'all because what 0:02:18.639 --> 0:02:21.680 Lakisha's going through is so universal for what is happening 0:02:21.720 --> 0:02:23.720 in our economy right now. We're going to talk about 0:02:24.040 --> 0:02:26.200 the fact that she got laid off, We're going to 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:28.800 talk about so much more. We're going to talk about 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:31.960 the emotional toll of getting laid off, what it feels 0:02:32.000 --> 0:02:36.000 like to get underpaid and undervalued, how she's rebuilding her 0:02:36.000 --> 0:02:38.760 confidence in a job market that is was not kidd 0:02:38.800 --> 0:02:44.960 It is wild right now. And Lakeisha is also impressing me. Honestly, 0:02:45.040 --> 0:02:47.639 She's learned so much in the past few years. So 0:02:47.639 --> 0:02:50.400 she's dropping gems for y'all and talking about how she's 0:02:50.840 --> 0:02:53.639 been leveraging her network and how she has stayed ready 0:02:53.680 --> 0:02:56.880 for new opportunities to find her and has been able 0:02:56.919 --> 0:03:00.280 to make bold career moves even though it feels like 0:03:00.320 --> 0:03:03.440 the odds have been stacked against her. So, if you're 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.359 listening and if you've ever questioned your worth, if you've 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:08.560 been laid off, if you've recently been laid off, if 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:11.760 you are worried you're going to be let go, or 0:03:11.760 --> 0:03:14.120 if you're just feeling stuck in your current role, this 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:17.760 episode is for you. Let's get into it. Here is 0:03:17.840 --> 0:03:22.200 my session with Lakeisha. Thank you again, Lakeisha for sharing 0:03:22.240 --> 0:03:25.280 and being so vulnerable and ba fam. If you like 0:03:25.360 --> 0:03:28.480 what you're hearing, don't forget to follow the show on 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.720 Apple podcast and Spotify and leave a review. It takes 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:39.480 less than thirty seconds and it makes all the difference. Enjoy. 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:45.040 I'm proud of you for coming to the group and 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:48.520 saying you were let go, because that's definitely something that 0:03:48.680 --> 0:03:51.280 I know other makers have had happen and they've just 0:03:51.360 --> 0:03:54.960 not shown up and sort of like stewed in the 0:03:55.600 --> 0:03:58.080 I don't know what emotions, probably like a shame. 0:03:57.880 --> 0:04:04.600 Or shack isn't bare, especially the way it's happening, exactly 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:06.760 the way that you see on TikTok, like a lot 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:09.000 of times, particularly for me because I am one hundred 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:13.240 percent remote. So it was literally like a phantom meeting 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:15.800 on my calendar. I think that was Monday morning, or 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:18.359 maybe it was Tuesday. It was January fourteenth. It was 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:21.480 kind of like a phantom meeting, and I was just like, Oh, 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:27.240 I'm getting laid off today because of the language and 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:29.200 it's an important matters. Soon I said, oh, yeah, I'm 0:04:29.200 --> 0:04:32.279 gettinglaid off today, and I reached out to one of 0:04:32.320 --> 0:04:34.280 my text one of my coworkers and I said, I'm 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:37.360 getting laid off today, and she's like, oh, no, it's fine. 0:04:38.000 --> 0:04:40.560 I got the same message, and I'm thinking, well, I 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:41.640 we're both getting laid off. 0:04:44.160 --> 0:04:45.440 Oh goodness. 0:04:46.000 --> 0:04:49.440 But it can be like a jarring shocking thing because 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:52.159 it's like within a matter of like what maybe like 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:55.039 a five to ten minute call, you get this notification. 0:04:55.279 --> 0:04:59.880 So I can see it being embarrassing shocking a lot 0:04:59.880 --> 0:05:02.080 of people in the team worst shell shock because a 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.360 lot of the people have been there. I was the 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:08.400 least tenured person everybody else fifteen twenty five, thirty five, 0:05:08.440 --> 0:05:10.440 thirty years. So wow. 0:05:10.760 --> 0:05:13.000 And you had been there for a couple of years, right. 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:15.000 I've been there for two and a half years, almost 0:05:15.040 --> 0:05:16.080 exactly to the day. 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:18.760 And you and I, like I coached you when you 0:05:18.839 --> 0:05:22.200 got that job. You were coaching. When did you join makers? 0:05:22.200 --> 0:05:24.680 You were one of the ogs, right, yeah. 0:05:24.720 --> 0:05:27.280 And so because from brown ambition, of course, I don't 0:05:27.279 --> 0:05:28.760 hold them up phone like a crazy person. 0:05:30.279 --> 0:05:30.680 You're not. 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:37.479 Anything. I don't have like a ring, like actually I 0:05:37.520 --> 0:05:39.800 do have a ring, like it's just missing some pieces. 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:43.080 Ye. The lighting is amazing, girl. I'm in my basement 0:05:43.120 --> 0:05:45.080 in the corner and it's dark and twisty down here. 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:49.159 So don't feel any don't feel don't feel self conscious 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:50.800 about that. Well, I want to use this half hour, 0:05:51.240 --> 0:05:52.800 but how do I I want to use this half 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:54.599 hour in the best way possible, and I want it 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:56.719 to be all about you and sort of like, what 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.720 exactly is the challenge for you right now? I know 0:05:59.760 --> 0:06:02.799 and shared that you were let go from your job 0:06:03.320 --> 0:06:06.279 in finance, right or treasury kind of thing for a 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:10.120 financial company I won't say the name. And it was 0:06:10.120 --> 0:06:12.159 like death by a thousand cuts, right. They had been 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:14.800 laying off people, and so you felt that's the worst 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:18.040 you feel it creeping up, right, So tell me it's 0:06:18.080 --> 0:06:21.880 been a couple of months since then, what's your what 0:06:21.920 --> 0:06:23.800 do you feel like your main challenge is right now? 0:06:23.800 --> 0:06:26.159 And like what's keeping you up at night? If anything? 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.119 So the good thing is I was able to find 0:06:29.160 --> 0:06:33.560 another role internally with the same company, so they laid 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:38.320 us off from January fourteenth and February fourteenth. I was 0:06:38.360 --> 0:06:43.040 extended an offer internally. And so I know it may 0:06:43.120 --> 0:06:45.440 seem like, well, why are we on the call? So 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.520 it's a couple of things. I would No, it doesn't. 0:06:50.120 --> 0:06:52.040 I'm just saying I'm happy for you. Damn, I wish 0:06:52.080 --> 0:06:53.920 you had told us. Did you tell us? 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:57.479 I thought I thought I said something, But I think 0:06:57.560 --> 0:07:01.040 also kind of like the climate of it. I was like, well, 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:03.599 you know other people have but other people that I 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.040 discovered that had been laid off, I was reaching out 0:07:06.080 --> 0:07:09.040 to them like separately, like hey, can do you want 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:12.280 to review each other's resumes? And YadA YadA yadda, And 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:14.480 so I did tell them, and I was like, Hey, 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.000 these recruits will reaching out to me, Can I pass 0:07:17.080 --> 0:07:19.560 your name off to them? Kind of thing. So I 0:07:19.680 --> 0:07:22.560 may have said it in the group to everyone, but 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:24.760 I know that the people that I was connecting with 0:07:24.800 --> 0:07:27.480 that had also recently been laid off, i'd spoken to 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:29.400 them because I was like, hey, can I just kind 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.680 of pass you off to those like external recruiters that 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:33.760 have been reaching out to me? 0:07:35.080 --> 0:07:37.840 Well, you're so compassionate and you're almost to a fault, 0:07:38.120 --> 0:07:40.800 you know, I think that even to take this call. 0:07:40.880 --> 0:07:42.840 You were like, I don't know, I kind of should 0:07:42.880 --> 0:07:44.560 I take this spot because I don't know if I'm 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:47.040 the right person. Like here, girl, if you don't come 0:07:47.080 --> 0:07:47.400 get this. 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:50.560 Spot, Like I was, just like, so many people been 0:07:50.640 --> 0:07:53.520 laid off. You know federally and you know, corporate and 0:07:53.800 --> 0:07:56.400 even local government. But I was like, well, you know, 0:07:56.440 --> 0:07:58.360 I still do have some questions and some things that 0:07:58.400 --> 0:07:59.000 I'm working on. 0:07:59.360 --> 0:08:02.120 Yeah, so what's your big question? Then what's your big 0:08:02.200 --> 0:08:02.960 challenge right now? 0:08:03.000 --> 0:08:05.880 So to your point, I did feel the layoffs coming. 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:08.840 So and one thing that one of the many great 0:08:08.840 --> 0:08:11.720 things about makers is that you teach us to just 0:08:11.920 --> 0:08:14.080 always be looking. So I had even taken like a 0:08:14.120 --> 0:08:16.920 couple of interviews during my two and a half years, 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:20.560 like before well almost two years before I felt the 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:24.360 layoffs coming. So I'd always been in contact with recruiters. 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:28.280 So even that the day they announced the layoffs, I 0:08:28.360 --> 0:08:30.320 hit control alt to lead. I'm like, I'm taking the 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:31.960 rest of the day off, and I reached out to 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:34.640 a recruiter who had reached out to me two days before. 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:38.040 It's like, hey, it's the opportunity still exist. But with 0:08:38.080 --> 0:08:40.400 that that was just like entirely too far away. That 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:43.000 was like an hour and a half away from my home, 0:08:43.679 --> 0:08:46.360 and they didn't want to do hybrid. And then my 0:08:46.480 --> 0:08:48.880 thought was, well, even if I talked them into hybrid, 0:08:49.200 --> 0:08:51.360 at any time, they could say no, we need you. 0:08:51.480 --> 0:08:55.400 In all five days and I just simply me and 0:08:55.520 --> 0:08:58.320 my eleven year old car just can't take. 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:02.720 Three hours a day, and that's without trying to right. 0:09:03.040 --> 0:09:05.360 And you know the area I live in, so I'm 0:09:05.360 --> 0:09:07.559 in Maryland and so it's it would be close to 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.439 DC where I was going, so there's gonna be traffic. 0:09:11.280 --> 0:09:13.720 So that was always a good thing. So I was 0:09:13.760 --> 0:09:18.559 always on the lookout. But here's the thing. When I 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.880 got the role, It's a lateral move. And so what 0:09:22.000 --> 0:09:24.840 they did, they were really smart and crafty. What they 0:09:24.880 --> 0:09:29.520 did was our raises take effect March, and so they 0:09:29.520 --> 0:09:31.880 were like, well, since you were about to get a raise, 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:34.480 and this is the lateral move, we're just gonna bump 0:09:34.520 --> 0:09:37.440 you up. What it was, so there was kind of 0:09:37.480 --> 0:09:43.240 like no room for negotiating a higher salary basically I 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:47.280 and I did try trust me, but of course keeping 0:09:47.360 --> 0:09:50.840 in mind like, well, you're also about to get laid 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:53.840 off and then I'll be very honest the interviews that 0:09:53.920 --> 0:09:57.040 I was doing, all the things that you hear about 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.720 some recruiters ghosting and not getting back and being kind 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.560 of unprofessional, I did encounter that. I did not encounter 0:10:03.640 --> 0:10:05.480 that all two and a half years ago. Like it's 0:10:05.520 --> 0:10:09.720 a completely different job market, So I'm thinking the recruiters 0:10:09.760 --> 0:10:12.280 are kind of being a little shaky, and I'm glad 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:14.000 I took the role because the other role that I 0:10:14.040 --> 0:10:16.439 was seriously entertaining, they came back and said they went 0:10:16.480 --> 0:10:20.800 with another candidate. So even before I was like, they're 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.480 definitely going to lay us off, I did want a 0:10:23.600 --> 0:10:26.760 higher salary, so that's why I was fine with looking. 0:10:27.240 --> 0:10:30.280 So now I feel like I'm in a position where 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:32.640 at least for another year, right, because at this company, 0:10:32.640 --> 0:10:34.240 you have to stay in the role for a year 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:36.959 before you post out to anything else, whether it be 0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:41.040 a promotion within the group or elsewhere, a. 0:10:41.120 --> 0:10:44.040 Job on different like internally somewhere else like you did 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:44.760 for this one. 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.960 Even if I still have to wait a year, which 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:51.360 I'm not opposed to that because quiet as it's kept, 0:10:51.480 --> 0:10:55.000 I do see the value in my role in at 0:10:55.080 --> 0:10:58.480 least sometimes being in the office, so even if that's 0:10:58.520 --> 0:11:01.080 two days a week, so I would be opposed to that. 0:11:01.360 --> 0:11:03.920 So now it's kind of like I feel like I'm 0:11:04.040 --> 0:11:06.760 locked in for at least another year at this salary. 0:11:06.840 --> 0:11:09.800 And then this is a difficult year for everybody to 0:11:09.840 --> 0:11:12.600 be looking, right, because we have that's why I said, 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:14.760 I'm just gonna take this role while they're offering I'm 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:17.080 not going to look any further. Because it's like we 0:11:17.120 --> 0:11:20.320 have the college graduates, we have the federal employees who 0:11:20.520 --> 0:11:24.640 sometimes have three and four degrees because they just kept 0:11:24.640 --> 0:11:27.160 going to school because it was being paid for. 0:11:27.840 --> 0:11:37.120 Interesting stories. Interpretation of the why what she wants today? 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:39.200 I do always do that, but I just say because 0:11:39.240 --> 0:11:42.120 I don't, because I know these people love. I would 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.440 say most of my friends are within the federal government, 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:49.880 and they do fall into that demographic of I just 0:11:49.920 --> 0:11:51.679 went through a breakup, Let me go get a master's 0:11:51.720 --> 0:11:55.800 another master's. So like, they do have lots of degrees 0:11:55.840 --> 0:11:57.640 and not the amount of student loans right because they 0:11:57.640 --> 0:12:00.000 were paid for. And then there are other corporate peoples. 0:12:00.000 --> 0:12:01.800 So I was like, okay, let me play it safe 0:12:02.120 --> 0:12:05.280 because I like having gas, an electric, and shelter, and 0:12:05.400 --> 0:12:08.880 they had offered a severrance. So my ideal plan was 0:12:09.160 --> 0:12:11.319 I'm going to take this sovereigns and find another high 0:12:11.400 --> 0:12:15.439 painting job. How many were they offering, either fourteen or 0:12:15.480 --> 0:12:20.320 fifteen I think maybe fifteen, you know which, considering the 0:12:20.400 --> 0:12:22.440 short amount of time that I've been there, I don't 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:25.439 think that I wasn't expecting that amount of servers at all. 0:12:25.559 --> 0:12:27.600 That's good compared to what I've seen, you. 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:31.280 Know, yeah, comparatively because the last time with the layoff, 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:35.199 they were basing it on tenure, so it was two 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:39.240 weeks per year of service. And if that would have 0:12:39.320 --> 0:12:43.439 been the case for me, yeah, I would have had 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:47.520 one check plus my on my PTO and whatnot. So 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.680 now my challenge is I never answered the question is 0:12:50.720 --> 0:12:56.040 should I dedicate myself fully to looking for work elsewhere 0:12:56.120 --> 0:12:59.960 or gearing up for that year to look somewhere else 0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.360 within the company, or should I kind of like play 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.120 it safe. Because then the other part is I was like, well, 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:08.680 speaking of degrees, they have this program where if you 0:13:08.720 --> 0:13:11.640 take a certain major, they don't reimburse you, they just 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:13.880 pay for it up front your company. Yeah. 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:14.600 Nice. 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:18.240 So I was thinking, well, you know, if I stay 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:21.319 around another year, I'll be invested fully the four one 0:13:21.360 --> 0:13:23.839 K and the pension of though obviously my pension won't 0:13:23.840 --> 0:13:25.880 be a whole lot only haven't been there on. 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:27.520 The pension and the four to one K, Like the 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:32.240 vesting schedule deep to start over since you moved to Oka, 0:13:32.800 --> 0:13:36.200 no schedule for your four one K you're talking about 0:13:36.200 --> 0:13:38.080 for the match that they're giving you. 0:13:38.160 --> 0:13:41.400 Well, yeah, to keep the match, which isn't you know, 0:13:41.760 --> 0:13:43.480 it's not a huge deal. But I was only like 0:13:43.480 --> 0:13:45.800 a I was only like a years and change away, 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:48.360 So you know it's four. 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:51.520 Years, so you would have had to work four years 0:13:51.559 --> 0:13:55.160 to get the match, right, that has been accumulating. Okay, 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:56.920 that's a nice little carrot. I can see how that 0:13:56.960 --> 0:13:57.679 would get right. 0:13:58.000 --> 0:14:00.320 So then, and like I said, the pension that they 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:02.560 have and so now I'm like, well, if they're going 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:04.800 to pay for me to go to school, maybe I 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:07.840 should get this masters that I was looking at. And 0:14:07.880 --> 0:14:09.840 like I said, the beauty of it is, it's not 0:14:09.920 --> 0:14:14.200 a reimbursement. It's a if you take within this you 0:14:14.240 --> 0:14:16.880 know this list, which is something that I was interested 0:14:16.880 --> 0:14:18.920 in any way, Like, I'm not making it fit into 0:14:18.920 --> 0:14:21.000 that list. Yeah, we'll just pay for it out right. 0:14:21.120 --> 0:14:26.240 So I'm just like, maybe, wait, so they would pay 0:14:26.240 --> 0:14:28.800 for it upfront? Okay, what are the strings attached? Would 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:30.440 you have to stay there a certain amount of time? 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:33.520 No, that's why I think I want to the only 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:37.440 thing I would say strings here are the strings is 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.360 they have certain schools and they're all real I shouldn't 0:14:41.360 --> 0:14:45.320 say real schools. They're all accredited, nonprofit, non for profit schools. 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:50.080 So I couldn't just, for example, say oh, I want 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:53.120 to go to University of Baltimore, Like there are certain 0:14:53.280 --> 0:14:57.240 schools that they have for certain majors. So I would 0:14:57.240 --> 0:15:00.680 say those are the strings. Oh, even if I wanted 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:02.960 to go to University of Maryland, which they do offer, 0:15:03.520 --> 0:15:05.840 I could not go in the classroom. I have to 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:09.160 do online, which is strings for some people, is not 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:11.840 for others. You know, some people do learn better. So 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:13.840 those are the only strings that I would say. But no, 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:17.960 I checked, I double checked. I called HR. I've spoken 0:15:18.000 --> 0:15:20.000 to people who have been in the program, people who 0:15:20.040 --> 0:15:22.040 are in the program, took a break. People. We are 0:15:22.040 --> 0:15:27.520 almost done with the program, and there's no obligation of 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:29.680 now you have to stay two years, three years, or 0:15:29.720 --> 0:15:30.200 what have you. 0:15:30.440 --> 0:15:32.600 That's unusual but great. I love that. 0:15:33.200 --> 0:15:35.840 Yeah. So this, I was like, let's think about this. 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:39.200 Since I will potentially be staying for another year, let's 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:39.880 make it work. 0:15:40.200 --> 0:15:42.440 And was this available to all employees or do you 0:15:42.440 --> 0:15:44.200 have to stay there for a certain amount of time? First? 0:15:44.600 --> 0:15:47.920 I think once you passed six months, okay, gotcha. 0:15:48.040 --> 0:15:52.200 Yeah, Hey, ba fam, We're gonna take a quick break, 0:15:52.320 --> 0:15:56.080 pay some bills, and we'll be right back. Welcome back, 0:15:56.120 --> 0:16:00.080 bea fam. Let's get back to the show. So we 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:02.800 try to recap and see if I'm hearing things correctly. 0:16:02.880 --> 0:16:05.880 So in January, you were being let go from your 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:09.160 position at this financial firm, but in tandem with that, 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:11.960 you had already been in the running for another position 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.560 at the company, and so it just so happened that 0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.720 those things overlapped, so you could have if you had 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:19.880 been laid off, you would have gotten these fourteen weeks. 0:16:19.920 --> 0:16:22.600 But you had another opportunity pop up, and so instead 0:16:22.600 --> 0:16:26.880 of taking the severance and piecing out, you decided, you know, 0:16:26.920 --> 0:16:30.000 the job market is nuts. Let me take this offer 0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:33.080 and I'll stay within the company and I'll you know, 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:38.160 ride out however long I can. And Okay. And then 0:16:38.680 --> 0:16:41.920 when you took that new internal role at the lateral move, 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:46.040 and you were on track to receive a raise this 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:50.960 march already, and instead of giving you an opportunity to 0:16:51.120 --> 0:16:55.120 negotiate compensation, they said, well, we're just going to give 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:57.200 you like you're gonna get a raised soon, so we'll 0:16:57.320 --> 0:17:01.240 just keep your compensation where it is. Am I understanding 0:17:01.280 --> 0:17:01.600 that right? 0:17:01.800 --> 0:17:02.320 Exactly? 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:05.720 So now you're at a place where you already thought 0:17:05.760 --> 0:17:09.639 you were being underpaid before, and they've so you're pretty 0:17:09.680 --> 0:17:12.240 much at a zero netnet zero like net net the 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:14.320 same as far as your earnings. You're going to get 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:17.639 a pay bump this month. How many percentage points are 0:17:18.800 --> 0:17:21.600 three percent? So barely cost of living and creating at 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:22.200 the same place. 0:17:22.840 --> 0:17:23.240 Okay. 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:25.840 So you were feeling underpaid before, you're still underpaid, but 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:30.119 at least you have some job security, right right? Okay, 0:17:30.160 --> 0:17:32.520 So now you're wondering should I be? 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:32.840 Oh? 0:17:32.880 --> 0:17:36.840 And also you have this challenge where you are tied 0:17:36.880 --> 0:17:40.920 to staying with this organization for the next year if 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:43.000 you want to, like you, you're not allowed to move 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:44.720 from your job. Obviously, you can quit and get a 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:46.920 job externally, but if you want to stay with this company, 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:48.960 you got to stay there for a year before they'll 0:17:49.040 --> 0:17:51.320 let you think about getting a promotion or moving to 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.399 another situation. Okay, trying to get all the threads together, 0:17:55.320 --> 0:17:59.560 all right, So should you be dedicating your all to 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:02.680 this now next year so you can make the most 0:18:02.760 --> 0:18:06.120 of it in in pursue that promotion or another role 0:18:06.160 --> 0:18:09.320 within the company or should you be spending part of 0:18:09.359 --> 0:18:11.720 your time searching for a job and trying to get 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:14.880 on that out of there? All right, you've been through 0:18:14.920 --> 0:18:18.479 a lot, you have, and I think you've deserved some 0:18:18.520 --> 0:18:21.640 wusaw Like it's stressful as hell, even though it worked 0:18:21.640 --> 0:18:24.080 out for you, even though you were on the brink 0:18:24.119 --> 0:18:27.040 of being let go and you happen to get another opportunity, 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:29.480 that's as stressful as hell time. And I know it 0:18:29.520 --> 0:18:33.280 was stressful because one, I've been there. Two you also 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:35.359 have all this noise of the economy. And I know 0:18:35.720 --> 0:18:37.320 I was teasing you a little bit about it, but 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.000 you're totally right. The job market right now is insane 0:18:41.000 --> 0:18:44.640 in a lot of ways. There are so many federal 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:47.240 workers who are being let go now some of them 0:18:47.320 --> 0:18:51.360 have been brought back. There's all these lawsuits. We're not sure, 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:53.800 but you know, you're also looking, like you said, to 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.280 college graduation season and then you're competing with new graduates. 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:00.520 Although I would say with your experience, what competition like, 0:19:00.560 --> 0:19:03.159 you're not going after You're not probably going after the 0:19:03.280 --> 0:19:06.879 jobs that they're going after. You know, yeah, big outside 0:19:06.880 --> 0:19:09.240 for they're coming an entry level. You've been in the 0:19:09.280 --> 0:19:11.760 game for how many years now, like you have twenty 0:19:12.680 --> 0:19:15.520 twenty girl, I know you're not gonna less some twenty 0:19:15.520 --> 0:19:16.880 two year old stress you out. 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:20.040 No, well no, because this is just always the well, 0:19:20.080 --> 0:19:22.840 we could always downgrade this role, work them to death, 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:25.520 pay them seventy five percent as much. 0:19:25.600 --> 0:19:28.840 Which you can't control, you know, yeah, there, I can't 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:30.520 control that. But I want you to stand on the 0:19:30.520 --> 0:19:33.840 business of like your level of experience, you know, And 0:19:33.920 --> 0:19:37.560 I think that sometimes we can one, especially when you've 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:39.199 just been let go. It's a knock to the ego. 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.200 You already feel like you're underpaid. I know we're also 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:45.560 tough on ourself, and I know you're probably thinking, I mean, 0:19:45.600 --> 0:19:48.320 even before that whole layoff situation, you weren't one hundred 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:51.560 percent happy with the job there, if we can say, 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:54.560 and at twenty years in, you're probably you know, I 0:19:54.560 --> 0:19:55.960 don't want to put words in your mouth, but it 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:59.520 can be disheartening to feel like, well, damn, I'm I'm 0:19:59.560 --> 0:20:03.040 not happy here. Now I'm being reminded I'm disposable, and 0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:05.480 now they got me, you know, by the you know what, 0:20:06.119 --> 0:20:08.439 because they're not going to enter saying we're not going 0:20:08.520 --> 0:20:09.760 to give you a raise, what you're going to do 0:20:09.800 --> 0:20:10.280 about it. 0:20:10.560 --> 0:20:12.480 Right gladly happily said that. 0:20:14.200 --> 0:20:17.040