Careering
Part of the cost of terminating the project I was working on was for the company to hire an outplacement firm to counsel all the redundant staff. I get a lovely little portfolio, essentially unlimited internet time, a copier and fax machine and printer - all the amenities. I'm not sure but I'd rather they spent the money by handing me more cash, but I'm not particularly hopeful they'd have done it, so I'll take what I can get. Outplacement is another of those terms that don't seem to quite fit with what they mean. In this case, I'm already "out" and looking for placement elsewhere, and the service provided is largely a do-it-yourself program. We make the best of these things. I can dress down all the time now, for example. It's not much, but at least I'm comfortable. And as for becoming a jackaroo, as has been suggested, well if some molly-coddle British royal can do it, so can I! Yippie-yi-yo.