[RickM]

Troy,

Sorry to hear the bad news.

During my 24 year career in IT I have learned one thing...."the only thing to count on is change".

Unlike our parents there are very few places that offer a one-stop career opportunity.

I have weathered many, many layoffs, resizings, reorgs, right-sizing, etc. One time it got me layed off. No hard feelings from me (for the most part). It's part of business. While many organizations chop for investor profit many do it for the sake of survival and/or being competitive. Additionally, I've seen layoffs by the largest Giants where associates thought they were untouchable (ATT sound familiar?). Then I've seen people working for much smaller, family owned (less "secure"?) businesses for 25 years.

I look at it his way, If I own a business and I need to change direction or simply can't afford the staff I'd have to make some tough decisions. This includes laying people off.

That said, I wish you the best of luck and start networking your butt off now. If you need tips I'll be happy to share.