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Article

Leaving Gracefully

© Cici Mattiuzzi

It is no secret right now that the world is in a recession that could last for a while. If you get laid off, there are good ways of reacting and there are bad ways of reacting. Giving up and getting angry is not an option. Staying positive is the best approach. Interestingly, while some people are reporting layoffs, other new graduates and experienced professionals are reporting job offers. There really are companies hiring so do not despair and do not burn any bridges to your future.

As millions are losing their jobs, there is no end of discussion about how to leave and how to survive. If you are ever faced with the unpleasant reality, you want to handle it in the most eloquent way possible. Your behavior is going to be judged and reviewed by your colleagues for years to come. Whether you know it or not, you are interviewing for your next job. People who move to other companies will decide if you warrant an invitation to join them at their new firm based not only on the work you did but also on your tact and grace under "fire".

Being upset after a layoff is natural. It is one of the biggest rejections in life. It is like being served with divorce papers when you didn't even know there was a problem. You show up on time, do great work that is well recognized, and then bam! out of nowhere, you get served with the pink slip. And to add insult to injury, while you are in the "layoff meeting" your are being locked out of your computer access and a company security officer is waiting outside your boss's door to escort you out of the building... oh yea, and your ID badge will be confiscated...

If you are the person who's on the way out the door with pink slip in hand, you really should think twice about telling everybody what you really think, especially in writing. Especially if you are angry, or hurt or resentful. Do not do any thing rash. As you leave, do it like an Oscar award speech, thank everybody and their dog.

Consider this as a practical matter. The people who remain behind are your professional contacts and may very well be the ones who help you find your next job. They may hear of a new job, or they may be planning their next move with you in mind. You do indeed want them to know how to contact you, but you don't want to leave any impressions that might cause them to hesitate before contacting you.

If you leave angry, you could be the one who reminds them that they hate their job just as much as you did. That increases the burden they carry as they continue. No reason you should remind them. And if they like their job, they are going to think there was something wrong with you.

You also want to make certain that you do not do anything that might cause anyone to question your judgment. Some of those you work with now might soon be in new jobs themselves. They might be starting their own business and looking to hire, or they might end up in a position where they can recruit or hire others in your field. The way you leave this job may be instrumental in landing the next one.

Keep in mind that losing a job is one of the worst experiences you will ever have in life. You are losing that daily contact with friends and venturing out into the unknown. You are bound to feel a sense of loss and disappointment. Indeed, it is not at all unexpected that you will experience a sense of depression. Writing on the topic: "Recession, Depression and Depression," my husband, psychologist Paul G. Mattiuzzi noted: "there is an extensive literature on the connection between unemployment and psychological well-being... work is often essential for psychological health."

Networking your way to your next job starts the minute you decide what you want to do in life and continues until you retire.

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Event

Energy Efficiency and Smart Grid Tapping Sacramento's High-Tech Human Capital in support of our Economic Recovery

Where:
Intel Folsom Campus Bldg FM-7
1900 Prairie City Rd.
Folsom, CA 95630

Date:
Wed. May 13, 2009

Time:
6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Costs:
Registration is free

This past January, SARTA leaders along with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Intel Capital and Sacramento State's College of Engineering and Computer Science launched SARTA's latest technology initiative HiTEC (High Tech Engineering Connect). HiTEC has become a vehicle to leverage on the tremendous high-tech talent in the greater Sacramento region. HiTEC's mission is to help promote high technology developments in our region and to inform the community of opportunities for collaboration between engineers, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists in an effort to create and help attract high technology businesses to Sacramento. HiTEC hopes to become a clearing house of high technology resources in areas of great interest to Sacramento; currently clean/green technologies and biomedical technologies.

The first meeting of HiTEC hosted 80 high tech engineers, venture capitalists and angel investors on the campus of Sacramento State for a panel titled "Venture Capitalists in a High Tech Engineering World". Panel members included Roger Akers, Harry Laswell, and Fracois Crepin; three of Sacramento's most successful high technology entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. The response from this meeting was tremendously positive.

HiTEC's next meeting will be at the Intel Folsom campus on May 13 and will focus on engineering in support for energy efficiency and renewable energy, that is, Smart Grid technologies. We expect that this meeting will attract more than 200 people.

Panelists:
Sajol Ghoshal, CTO and Chief Architect, Akros
Konstantinos Papamichael, Associate Director, UC Davis' California Lighting Technology Center
Jim Parks, Director of Energy Efficiency Research and Development, SMUD

Sajol Ghoshal is CTO and Chief Architect, Akros and was previously Chief Operating Officer at Calpont Corp., a development stage company specializing in hardware database systems, where he was responsible for engineering, operations, worldwide sales, product marketing and applications support. At Calpont, he engaged with key alpha development partners such as FedEx, Acxiom, NCR/Teradata and Business Objects. Prior to Calpont, he was Vice President of Engineering of Agere Inc. in Austin, TX. Before Agere, he worked for 13 years at Level One Communications, where he served as Director of Engineering of the WAN Access Division. Mr. Ghoshal has 21 years of experience and holds an MS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of 7 patents.

Konstantinos Papamichael is a professor and the Associate Director of the California Lighting Technology Center at the University of California, Davis. Konstantinos has 25 years of R&D experience in building energy efficiency strategies and technologies, focusing on fenestration systems, daylighting, electric lighting and associated controls. He participates in a wide range of academic and professional activities related to building energy efficiency. He is author/co-author of over 70 publications and has been a member of many committees addressing lighting, daylighting and energy efficiency issues. He is currently the Chair of the IESNA Daylighting Committee.

Jim Parks is the Energy Efficiency and Customer Research and Development Manager at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). He is responsible for demonstrating emerging energy efficiency technologies; promoting electric transportation technologies; and coordinating regulatory and legislative activities in the areas of transportation and energy efficiency. Prior to assuming his current position, he supervised the development of SMUD's energy efficiency, load management and low-income programs; promoted energy efficiency in commercial new construction; and worked as an electrical engineer in the utility industry. He has a degree in electrical engineering and has over 17 years experience in the energy industry. Mr. Parks chairs the following Advisory Boards: Demonstration of Energy Efficient Developments (DEED); California Commissioning Collaborative (CCC); Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE); CMUA Energy Services and Marketing Committee.

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The total FIRST Community -- with over 196,000 students, 86,000 volunteers, and 3,500 sponsors this year alone -is estimated at one million strong and growing. FIRST was founded by inventor Dean Kamen to celebrate science and technology via robotics competitions worldwide. The organization offers innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math while building life skills. Teams earned their invitations to the Championship by excelling in their regional tournaments in competitive play, sportsmanship, and the development of partnerships among schools, businesses, and communities.

High-school student teams built their robots from a kit of hundreds of parts in six weeks. This year's game, called "LUNACY," tested the students' and robots' ability to pick up 9" game balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots, while contending with the laws of physics on a low-friction floor. The Winning Alliance of the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship was: Team 67 "The HOT Team" of Huron Valley Schools from Milford, MI; Team 111 "WildStang" of Rolling Meadows High School and Wheeling High School from Schaumburg, IL; and Team 971 "Spartan Robotics" of Mountain View High School in Mountain View, CA. FIRST also recognized the recipients of numerous educational scholarships worth $9.8 million from the most prestigious science and engineering schools in the country. For more information, visit www.usfirst.org.