Yet Another Setback

I found out yesterday that when I finish my training on Tuesday afternoon, I will go into non-work (aka layoff) status immediately. I didn't expect this to happen until June or so. My employer (IRS) expected to create a new department this year, and hired accordingly, but the funding didn't come through. That means there are now more employees than jobs for the type of work I've been trained to do.

When my fellow trainees and I applied for the job in October or November, we were given a score based on our work experience and education. That number alone is what they used to determine who would be laid off and it will be the number they'll use to decide when to call us back.

The layoff could last anywhere from two weeks to eleven months. Not to mention that if/when I am called back in, there is a mandatory training period from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for a few weeks. I don't mind that shift at all, but it may be a big problem for my babysitter, because she'd have to be up and ready for Kat before 6:00 a.m. (I don't know of any sitter or daycare center that opens before 6:00.) So, even if I am called back, I may not be able to go back.

I enjoyed the training and I think I would enjoy the actual work, so I'm leaving my name on the list. But I'm not going to count on a call back for this tax season. Instead, I think I will go back to doing temp work. I enjoyed doing that last fall.

Everything happens for a reason and it all works out in the end. Just not the way I expect it to most of the time.