Well, there's no more guessing at least.

The company I work for recently merged with another branch within the same company and we've all been wondering about our jobs for the last month or so. Yesterday I found out that as of November 30th, I'll be unemployed.

Maybe.

Don't worry, I'll explain.

It could have been worse. Other branches within our company are shutting down as early as next month, but we've been spared the immediate crisis and given some time to decide what we're going to do. And that decision isn't easy.

The company has put together a decent severence package--and by decent I mean the employee's manual states the company doesn't give severence pay--so I won't be hurting immediately. Matter of fact, between it and unemployment I could pretty much live for over a year without really changing our lifestyle one bit. And I'm here to tell you, a year of full-time writing sounds really good to me.

But then the company offered me a job, if I want it. In Cleveland.

EEK!

Now I'd been planning on moving to Pennsylvania in about five years or so, after I'd saved enough money to buy a house outright and to start up a coffee shop. Cleveland isn't too far from Bradford. I just don't know if I'm ready to leave Seattle yet. The company offered to give me the severance pay anyway if I decided to make the move. Whatever I didn't spend would just go into our pocket. Then again, that's true if I don't move, too.

There's one other option. Retraining. My industry, according to the unemployment office, is going the way of the dodo. Technology is replacing skilled professionals, and the prospects are that there will be fewer jobs in the future. Because of this, professionals in my industry are eligible for state paid retraining into another career field.

And I LOVE computers.

I might just have to pursue serious certification and see if I can't get myself hired into the old evil empire. If not there, it isn't like there's any shortage of tech companies in the Seattle area. AND, I could write while going to school. I'd still have more time than I do now, so my productivity could also jump.

But there's a job waiting for me. In Cleveland. No risk.

I'm really glad I've got six months to decide.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of The Abyss.