[jyl]

Being under the layoff sword is really tough. My company has done multiple rounds of layoffs in the last few years and I've had my share of sleepless nights. My rule is to have many months of living expenses in the bank - a year if at all possible, even more. It sounds crazy or impossible, but here in the SF Bay Area I've known too many people who were laid off and then searched for months, even years, for work. I don't think the economy is out of the woods, certainly not down at the level of the individual worker, and I think loyalty to employees is very minimal at many companies. Take a guy who's worked at the company for 5 years and send him packing with 5 minutes' notice and three weeks' severance? I saw that done just a few weeks ago. Good luck, do a lot of networking even if you don't feel you "need to", and take every possible precaution.