Not the Christmas present we were expecting
Back in March, my husband and I decided for me to stay home and take care of our kids, take a break from work and dedicate time to myself and my mental health. I am blessed to have a husband who cares for his family and loves me this much. He has always been a great supporter and provider, but this Christmas we received the news that ruined our plans.
As my mom always says, “Uno planea y Dios dispone.” Yes, we had planned our financial moves, my break from work, our kids' education and many other things. We felt we had control over our finances and our family’s future.
But the news came this week, or the present as I called it in the title of this article. My husband works for this popular and huge beverage company at their headquarters in Plano, Texas. There were rumors of cutting the budget and offering special early retirement packages to some of the workers, but it was just that, small cuts within the company.
And then this past Tuesday, December 6, 2022, we woke up looking at our phones, and all the news feeds, social media platforms and my husband's text messages from colleagues informed us that, “PepsiCo was laying off hundreds of employees today from its headquarters in Plano, Texas.” And then, the unexpected, the unwanted happened. My husband received the call to tell him his position was being moved to Egypt, and he would lose his job.
First, we were in shock for the obvious reasons: our plans as a family, house payments, car payments, medical insurance, our children's school payments and more… we felt overwhelmed and stressed out, because the news was all over the place, everybody talking about it and, of course, asking us if we were ok. Fortunately, the company offered a fair period of time to my husband so he could start looking for his next professional opportunity.
After all, here are the five lessons we learned from this experience, and we will share them with you hoping this may help you one day if you go through the same situation.
Nothing is forever. Every time you start a new professional chapter, remember, it’s just that, another chapter. Enjoy it, learn from it, take advantage of every opportunity from salary, networking, personal branding, training and more… but be prepared for the day you need to go somewhere else.
It’s not a personal thing. We heard from some of my husband’s colleagues how devastating this was for them, and how it affected their mental health. Some people even think they are not good enough, they are not capable or more. But, sometimes it is not on you, sometimes it is a company decision and it just happens to be that you are in the way of their growth plans. Nothing to do with your skills and, of course, nothing to do with you as a person. At the end of the day, we are employees with a contract and every contract has an ending.
Be prepared. I lost my job 6 years ago. We faced the same issue 3 years ago when my husband lost his job for the first time, and we learned the lesson, BE PREPARED. From that moment, we started saving money during the years we were generating more income, we promised ourselves to put in our bank account enough to pay bills and live without concerns for at least 6 months, because we wanted to sleep ok at nights if something happened again with our jobs, and to make sure our children have a home, food and clothes during these type of emergencies. Also, this gives you freedom to focus your energy on finding another job, taking your time, choosing the right offer, negotiating your salary and having your mind where it needs to be.
As long as we are together, we are strong. My husband and I always talk about how we can keep our marriage stronger during hard times, and losing our jobs definitely creates stress, tension and uncertainty. But, we have gone through harder episodes, like fighting for our son’s life, and monetary issues are not something that will destroy our love and commitment to each other and to our family. We think these challenges help us to get stronger, and to fight together, to keep dreaming together and to show our kids how to face difficult moments in life with love and God in our hearts.
Change brings growth. Yes, in life we need to make changes in order to grow. What can look like a bad moment right now, is only preparing us for what is coming, and it’s always something better.
I hope you find this article useful if you are going through a job transition. Don’t worry, everything is going to be OK.
Ana Cruz
