My first job out of college was something I took to stay local. My boyfriend (now husband of 30 years) still had a year left of school so I just needed to start getting some experience and pay the bills. A random call center job started a 25 year career as a call center representative, trainer, supervisor, manager and director. At my peak, I was leading 200 reps and 10 managers in 3 locations. Then I met my match. During a restructure, the HR Director (and personal friend of the owner) decided she wanted to try out Operations. It was a disaster. I'd worked for many wonderful and terrible bosses over the years. She was unbearable. After a year of trying to find a way to succeed on her team, I met with HR to ask for a transfer. The next morning, I got it ... a transfer right out of the company. After 13 years, 7 of them on the Senior Leadership Team, I was handed a severance package that included a confidentiality agreement and a year's salary. I was shocked. I had never even had any corrective action beyond some coaching and feedback and I was fired ??? OK ... how to start over ? With the freedom of time the severance check provided, I did a couple things. I took a week to mourn, I took 2 weeks to do all the things on my TO DO lists (clean out the garage, replant some landscaping, etc ...), I took 1 week to do fun local things I never do (parks, museums, library), and then I spent a week deciding what I wanted to do for my next career chapter. That's where this story gets good ...