Day 2

Today, I had my first full day of interviews - and honestly, it was rough. I'm still working out the best way to schedule my interviews, but I can't help but feel as though no matter what I do, the whole day is going to be shot.

Today I had calls at:

• 10:30am - interviewer was late, I sent mail after 15 mins canceling
• 11:00am - last minute call with someone I was talking to on Linkedin while waiting for the 10:30am interview
• 12:00pm interviewer - spoke for about 20 mins, recruiter wasn't really sure what the CTO was looking for and said she'd get back to me
• 4:30 in person interview - left at 3:45pm to head to the office, spent 10 mins circling the block looking for the building entrance, not sure how I did.

From 10:15am to 12:20pm, I was sitting in front of my computer waiting for phone calls. I spent two hours sewing costumes today, but I didn't finish and am now stressed out about not finishing before I head up to Boston tomorrow on the 5:40pm Amtrak. I have a 10:30am call and a noon lunch interview and I haven't packed yet, so tomorrow is pretty shot - not going great.

I also attempted to file for unemployment today but discovered that I need a New York State driver's license to do so, so I guess I'll need to do that sometime next week.

I did have a great time seeing some of my former colleagues for drinks - it was really nice to see them. I also bought a pair of boots because definitely the best time to spend money on unnecessary articles of clothing is when you're currently unemployed.

I was thinking about having today's lesson be 'tips on interview scheduling', but I'm not really sure if I have it down yet, so I'm going to leave this entry as a placeholder with the lesson TBD.

Day 1

Today, I woke up at 9:30am - I find it pretty hard to stay asleep after 9am or to stay awake past midnight, and I actually really enjoy the consistency of my schedule. I'm hoping to train in the mornings (my gym has 10am sessions on weekdays), but today I was planning on getting lunch with another unemployed friend A., so I signed up for an evening training session.

I drank some coffee and had a quick chat with my friend S. while she walked her dog before heading to the dentist for a cleaning. My teeth were looking good - thank you, Sonicare! I received a lot of teasing for purchasing an electric toothbrush with the proceeds from my first ESPP, but this purchase seems to have really paid off.

A. and I weren't able to find a restaurant through the Dine In Brooklyn site that was open for lunch, so I ate at home, responded to some e-mails, and watched some of The Office. In the afternoon, I had another doctor's appointment, worked on the Halloween costumes I'm making for myself and my boyfriend's roommate, E., and cleaned the kitchen in my apartment.

My 7pm training session went well - I'm shocked at how much better I've been able to focus on my lifts since my last real day of work on Monday. The head coach of the powerlifting team that I compete with tells me that I'm particularly bad at leaving my work at work, and I definitely agree - when I have a problem to solve, I can't stop thinking about it!

Today's lesson is about benefits to use up before the end of the month. I picked a terrible time to leave my job, as your health insurance is generally only paid through the end of the calendar month and no company wants to keep paying for you after you're gone!

Doctors you should probably visit before your health insurance expires

1. The dentist. Seriously, when was the last time you had a cleaning? If you're smart, you'll visit the dentist first so that you can schedule any fillings etc. done before the end of the month as well.
2. Your GP - even healthy adults need physicals.
3. For ladies, the gynecologist.
4. The eye doctor - maybe you can use your benefits to buy contacts or glasses before your discounts expire, too!
5. A massage therapist. Even if your insurance doesn't cover massages, you can use your HSA money, and you've definitely had a rough few weeks.

Fortunately, I'm only 25, so I won't need to sign up for the shockingly-expensive COBRA plan (or get healthcare through the exchange) as I am still a dependent on my parents' plan. Thanks, Obama!

Tomorrow, I'm getting back into the interview game, but today it was nice to relax.

Day 0

This morning, in what has been one of the most terrifying moments of my adult life, I left my first job.

This marks the first time in my life when I legitimately don't know what is happening next. I've never been afloat without a plan before, and quite frankly, the prospect is alarming. I didn't take a vacation while employed, and I'm not really sure what to do now that one has been forced upon me!

 After leaving the office for the last time, armed with the knowledge that the world was my oyster, I headed up to East Harlem to drink with my also-recently-unemployed friend L. In the evening, I had a phone interview, so overall not a bad first day of freedom. Additionally, much to the excitement of my roommate D., I also unearthed the remote control for our television!

 I feel woefully underprepared for this situation - most of my friends would probably agree that I am not very good at having free time. This blog is meant to serve as a daily record of my activities (and hopefully as a forcing function to ensure that I don't spend a long period of time without getting out of bed), but I'll also note things that I've learned along the way in the hope that I can assist others in the same situation.

 Today's lesson is a recommended to-do list before your final day of employment:

 Pre-Final-Day To-Do List

1. Write down all of the e-mail addresses of your coworkers so you can keep in touch. You should include your personal e-mail address in your final message to the team, but it's always good to have backups in case others lose your contact information. 
2. Save / print all of your paystubs, 401k info, stock information, and insurance information in case your logins no longer work. 
3. Purge your apartment of all sensitive material (like the copies of design docs that you printed out to review). It will be awkward to run across them in the upcoming months. 
4. Copy any of your personal information from your work devices to your personal devices so that you can return them. For me, this was a pretty easy step - I learned good work / personal device separation skills from my time at Lincoln Laboratory. 

 I also recommend either writing each of your coworkers a personal note telling them why you enjoyed working with them or telling them in person. I had some lovely conversations with my coworkers on my last day of work (and I received a lot of hugs). Any time is a great time to tell someone else why they're wonderful, but on the eve of your departure is a particularly work-appropriate one if you have to choose!