[mikester]

Recently our lead engineer left the company. We had also just endured a severe layoff months earlier. 5 guys gone, now the lead - we're down to 4 and we lost a lot of knowledge. This lead was one of the best if not the best engineer I've ever worked with and the dork thought of me as an 'equal'. He was very knowledgeable in Voice - I am not nor is anyone who was left on our team.

A few weeks go by and the conference calling system goes down hard. O_o - boss calls him up and he walks me through some stuff graciously. He's a great guy but I would have to be at a death's door situation to call him. I know he'd help - it isn't that - it's that the company should not be putting him in that spot unless they are willing to pay him. I'm certainly not going to ask him to spend his valuable time on someone who he doesn't work for anymore.

I've done it myself, mainly for the sake of the people left behind (keep them thinking you're a good guy and all) but there has to be a limit.

If I were fired and someone called me who I had a good relationship with I would spell it out for them plainly - "I can't help you. I want to because I like and respect you but the company you work for fired me. I can't help you with this, I hope you understand."


If your old boss calls you - I would put his number in your phone with a silent ring tone. All you'll see is the missed calls - don't listen to the voice mails he leaves.

Mark his email address in your email program as 'junk' and don't look back.