My personal "way forward" plan...
 

Well, I'm getting my buyout offer this afternoon. I'll be offered 6 months salary to leave the company by 3/1/07. I've got 11 years at Ford in IT and we all could see this coming, so it's no big surprise. 90% of all IT staff will be offered buyouts and Ford is hoping that 35% or so take the offer. The "implied threat" is that if you don't take the voluntary buyout and Ford doesn't make their numbers or goes under, you'll get nothing in the way of severance but a pat on the back.

We will have to sell our recently-renovated 2400sq ft Colonial home and move, since SE MI is not a good place to find a job. I'm anticipating a difficult time selling the house and I plan to use some of the severance $ to get us past this setback.

My wife is a school teacher and so she and the kids have their healthcare benefits through her employer, so that's one less thing to be concerned about.

I've been talking to recruiters and they recommend that we make a list of places we would like to live, concentrate my job seach in those areas and see what happens.

Obviously, this is a challenge but I've been through bigger challenges, as have many of you. We have our health and families and we'll face this together and make the absolute best of it. I've been unhappy in MI since we moved here in '91 when I got back from Desert Storm, so this is a good opportunity to make some changes in our life.

Maybe I'll find a place to live/work where I can actually drive my car year 'round (or close to it).

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent.

I am a stock analyst for a large company in NYC. The stocks under my coverage are IT services names. I'm sure you know that a lot of these companies are sending work overseas, so jobs here in the states may be tough to find. That said, the companies that do IT work for the government (SRA International, ManTech, CACI, etc.) and the Dept of Defense in particular, are killing each other for workers. IT workers that are actually employed by the US government are nearing retirement and haven't been replaced, so the Fed is outsourcing big time. BUT, they can't take advantage of cheap overseas labor like everyone else. If you can withstand a FBI-type background check, it might be worth looking into these types of companies, which are typically located in VA, MD, and DC.

Just my $0.02.

Good luck to you.

BTW, it is just a matter of time before my job is also outsourced to SE Asia...

Well, the key is to make this as positive as possible. Hopefully you'll be able to minimize the financial costs by getting into a job quickly, and then you'll end up in a better place to live with some money for savings or spending, or whatever. At least you have the option instead of them waiting for date when they could just lay everyone off with little to no severance.

Good luck.

It's also the time to consider doing something else -- either a similar job in a different industry, or a completely different job. It's always helpful to consider these junctures as the opportunity to branch out and develop in a whole new direction -- teaching maybe? Social work? Politics?

+1. My company lost most of it's East coast office to predatory hiring from other companies. If you can get a security clearance (FBI investigation) there is alot of work in DOD. FWIW - we're not all making bombs and I've worked on some really cool AI and GIS projects.

Sounds like a good plan. Good job on planning, getting things together and turning a potential negative into a probable positive.

Guys,
Thanks for the advice and encouragement. I would definitely consider working for the govt. as one of my skills/areas of expertise is computer forensics and I've used Guidance Software's EnCase software at Ford to perform investigations, etc... I had a security clearance during Desert Storm, so getting another one may be slightly easier. I'm open to opportunities and at this point, I'm not restricting my job search... I'm at IT auditor (CISA) with a background in networks, security and incident response. I'm hoping my experience in the mfg, finance and music industries will help me as well as my Fortune 5 experience (Ford). I'm looking for leads now... Thanks again!!

The State of MI seems to have IT listings frequently.

http://web1mdcs.state.mi.us/vacancyweb/VacancyInq.asp?Par=sState

Just a thought....

Edit: You probably will take a pay cut, but it's a job.

damn, art..so sorry to hear about that. it seems you guys either just moved into that house or just completed renovations. looking for work, selling your house, supporting a family..that's an enormous amount of stress. my very best to you and your family in your new challenges..
ryan

Hey Art, sounds like you have a good attitude....
 

....and at least you KNOW what's coming......

The worst things about these situations are the 'unknowns'....but it sounds like you have your head on straight.....
As for driving the car year round.....the only way I could do that would be to sell it, buy a C4S and a set of winter wheels, and ignore the salt issue........so you have options.....49 of them!!!!

Best of luck to you and your family.

Mark

Government work is not the worst choice you can make. THe jobs are what you make of them, most governments are hard into data accumulation, manipulation and advasnced software. Not to mention generous medical coverage and a real honest to goodness defined benefit retirement program in many instances.

Yep,
We just finished renovating the house last December in time to have my grandfather move in with us. He passed at the end of February and we will most likely have to move. I really don't want to stay in MI at all if we have to move at all because we'll still face the same challenge of selling the house. There seem to be alot of opportunities for IT people with my skillset in other parts of the country. Nashville, Atlanta, N. Carolina, etc... all sound good to me!

PNW

I'm not so sure about moving just yet. If your wifes income give you some cushion, why sell your house at the worst point in the local real estate market?

What about the pharmacutial companys in Ann Arbor? Or perhaps looking at local colleges?

Do you have a degree? Ever thought about teaching yourself? I have tons of family/friends contacts in MI that are in education.

You might want to look in South Carolina, I'm told things are still rocking there. Housing market drives a lot, that's what I'm thinking of when I say "rocking" - across the board, regional stability.

My wife was laid off from Ford almost a year ago, still has not found a job. She worked for one of the consulting firms/contract houses actually.

Houses take over a year to sell in normally red hot Ann Arbor, that's after dropping the price three times and giving away a Hawaiian vactaion with it.

My wife's job is solid (teacher) and we have healthcare benefits through her employer. I really can't commute to Ann Arbor for a long time and houses are too expensive around there. If we prep the house and get in on the market , I think we'll have a better chance then if we wait.

I have taught in the past (adults, at a local community college while I was in the USN). I have a BS in Mgmt and several certifications. I would enjoy teaching and at this point will consider any opportunity.

I do consulting on the side and that brings in nice $, but I would need to build that up substantially if I want to do that full-time, which is also an option!

I have some former neighbors (and friends) who moved to Cary, NC a few years ago and she works for Bayer and he works for BASF. They like Cary and we liked it when we visited them 2 years ago. I'll contact them to see if they hear of any IT jobs at their companies. I need to "network" right now and get some leads...

1. Wife has a job, that's all you need to start your own firm.

2. I was just mentioning that the housing market is tough right now, even in Ann Arbor.

3. Google is in Ann Arbor, from what I've heard they are looking for young folk in their 20's and 30's. Average pay is expected to be (edit) $54,000.

art, if you like north carolina..asheville is a beautiful place..but there's many to select from in nc..
ryan

I have two great clients that I've had since 1998. I can build my side-business, but it will take time (which I will have) and effort (which I can also provide in abundance). Unless I get some solid leads, I'll focus on this (self-employed IT consultant) and see how it goes. I handle just about everything IT-related except programming and websites and I know people I can refer this business to. My clientele are small businesses who need IT work done but don't have an IT person. I have some fantastic references, which also helps...