EAR : How do you handle "Shit weeks ?"

[El Presidente]

EAR: 

My job as a CEO of 4 businesses is to handle asteroids. You may have a couple of good weeks but alas...if you are ever long enough in this game, you look forward/expect the next asteroid. Some will sail close, some will hit full on, but they are always oncoming. 

How do you handle them? What is your shield? 

This was as EAR ( email assistance required)  this morning. I won't post it as it is too personal to the sender. 

However, let me paraphrase. 

" Tech company let me go in SF NOV 2023, I thought I was impervious. $700K salary and I can't get a look into a $200K Salary today...Live in NY. 

'"Where do I go now?

[JohnnyO]

Go to Cuba to regroup your thoughts. The stress is less, the hangovers more peaceful. John

[Hammer Smokin']

Thankfully the USA has many low(er) cost of living locations, and IT / Tech is one of the most likely work from home jobs. 

So if the guy / gal is good at what they do, they should be able to relocate and make it work. 

If they don't feel their specific job has a future, still do the move, and start retraining for the future. 

[99call]

9 hours ago, El Presidente said:

" Tech company let me go in SF NOV 2023, I thought I was impervious. $700K salary and I can't get a look into a $200K Salary today...Live in NY. 

'"Where do I go now?

I think if you have a wife and kids, or are old, etc then the concept of moving will be really difficult, but not insurmountable. If you take the leap, it maybe hugely rewarding. I know a lot of people who were obsessed with London life, and it was only when they moved away, they realised how much their 'love' was actually just a confected coping mechanism, and that the life they were leading wasn't actually healthy, or personally rewarding. 

I think some perspective may be useful. If you were being paid $700K, one would assume you have savings, assets/own your house/flat? If that's the case you have won the lottery many times over.  

I work in a very highly skilled and very poorly paid profession, that requires a premises, lots of equipment, site work etc etc blah blah blah. I love my job and I find it personally rewarding and interesting. Do I feel as if it should be more financially valued/rewarded socially? Yes, I do...but that's how society is geared. Some jobs...HR for example, I have friends who work in that sector, they have very poor qualifications, find the jobs incredibly easy (if not boring as hell) and get paid a kings ransom for it. I think AI obviously is going to tip many professions on their heads, and the people within it have my sympathy. Whilst I think paying someone who sits at a desk 700K is ridiculous, I also feel incredibly sorry for them that their world has been turned upside down overnight.  

It would be interesting to know if the person in question got into tech for the money, or because they love it. If you love it (Tech), then unfortunately they will just have to swallow the bitter pill that many in the arts do...i.e. you chosen profession is now just a labour of love, and whatever you get paid for it, whether it be 200k or less, is just what society thinks you are worth, or how dispensable you have become. 

If you are more interested in money, then I'm sure their will be an associated field of practice, if not slightly augmented that you can retrain in, and work within/alongside the incoming technology that effectively replaced you. 

Broadly, I think focusing on the fact that you have been incredibly fortunately previously, as opposed to incredibly unfortunate now, will actually give you a lot of solace and perspective. Also, if you require $700k because of your outgoings, it maybe a cathartic process to look at those outgoings and work out how much of your lifestyle is actually owning you, as opposed to the other way around. 

Anyway I wish you luck, and hope you are successful if orientating what must be a really un-nerving and scary time.

[Fugu]

11 hours ago, El Presidente said:

My job as a CEO of 4 businesses

... 5 - you may add ‘shrink’ 😄

[Fuzz AI]

38 minutes ago, Fugu said:

... 5 - you may add ‘shrink’ 😄

Rob is more...

Than...

[Chitmo]

I’ve had my fair share of life struggles, abused as a child, military career that ended in early retirement for medical reasons. The issues are always relative to the situation, but I find it helpful to get comfortable with the worst case. When you do that the rest isn’t so bad. I’m sorry my answer is probably a little vague, but I’m doing at intentionally because being specific as to how to address someone else’s problems isn’t very helpful. If anyone ever tells you they know exactly what you should do they’re full of shit, you need to find your own happy place and nobody else can do that for you or else it will never feel right.