Where do you live? Blacksburg, Va.
What was your last job title? Clinical assistant professor.
In what industry? Higher Education.
How old are/were most of your coworkers? A few older than me but mostly younger.
How did you find out you were losing your job? The Director of Education brought me to her office and told me there would be no funding for my position.
Did you have to leave immediately, or did they give you a few weeks to get used to the idea? They gave me some time to get used to the idea.
What did you do next? First, I worked as an adjunct. Then I found temporary work in another department. Then I worked for even less money as an adjunct. Then for the first time in 18 years I did not have a parking pass for campus. Because I did temporary work I didn’t look so hard for work. Then I figured our finances for the year and saw how much in the red we were. So I have been applying for whatever I can now.
What was your favorite part of the job? Interacting with students. Doing the actual teaching. Coming up with creative ways to reach students and motivate them.
What was the worst part? My position was non-tenure track so I couldn’t get involved on committees and advising students.
Did you like going to work? Yes. It was my dream job that I had always wanted. It had great flexibility so I could work out at the gym or go to yoga and still get all my work done. I was not tied to an 8-5 position.
Did you feel like you were making a difference? Yes. I thought my students were learning a lot of practical skills that would help them when they would teach, and I was facilitating self-reflection.
What have you done since you’ve been laid off? Taught as adjunct twice, coordinated faculty programs, learned to water color and draw portraits, read more, cleaned parts of the house, joined a book club, wrote in a journal.
How do you spend your days? At my computer a lot sometimes doing nothing but playing mahjong. Looking for positions to apply for. Sometimes working in the house. Running errands. Meeting friends or my daughter (who is now in college).
Have your spending habits changed since you’ve been laid off? (Have you cut back on anything? Given up coffee?) Yes, especially since my enlightenment of how much we overspent last year. I don’t go to a trainer any more. I only have one massage a month. My yoga instructor is letting me barter rather than pay for lessons. We don’t eat out as much. I don’t buy clothes. My husband and I have set an allowance of how much we can spend per month.
Do you have big financial worries — kids in college, etc.? Kid in college who has two horses she does not want to give up. We have cut out their supplements since they are healthy and board them in a more inepensive place. She is living off campus and we are paying for her household.
Do you have a spouse who works? No.
How many jobs have you applied for since you’ve been laid off? About 50.
What kind of job are you looking for next? Will it be in the same field or a different one? Why? I am still looking into something I can do program planning or teaching. Since I have a Ph.D. I am looking for professional jobs since when I applied for jobs waitressing or working in a store they wouldn’t consider me.
