Ten years ago this summer I was laid off from my first real tech comm job -- the one I held for 23 years. Actually I held a succession of jobs during that time, from traditional technical writing to marketing to vendor support. But all were with the same company.

Largely because I'd been in the same place for so long, and because I hadn't needed to find a job in over two decades, the news came as a shock. When the shock wore off I had a severance package to tide me over, and in about two months I landed another job -- with not too bad of a pay cut -- that I held for four years before leaving voluntarily.

Ten years later, my professional life has changed a lot. Though I couldn't have imagined it at the time, in many ways it changed for the better.

I learned that there's a whole big world out there, one that I'd seen only from afar during 23 years behind the corporate walls. There are lots of different ways to do things, and there are always good business reasons for choosing one way over the other. Back at my first company, the reasons usually boiled down to "because this is how we do it."

I realized the importance of broadening my skill set and keeping up to date. In fact, one reason I left that second job was because I was writing too many release notes and wasn't being assigned work that would keep me up to date.

I resolved never again to be shocked by news of a layoff. Instead I'll be prepared, and I'll be taking steps to counteract the news, should it come. I've also gotten over the "it'll never happen to me" mindset: it happens everywhere, it can happen to anyone, and it won't stop happening.

I became a lot more sympathetic toward colleagues who have been laid off or who are facing the threat of layoffs. I always understood, but now more than ever, that a big part of networking is extending a hand -- whether it's writing a reference letter or passing along news about an opening.

If you've been laid off, I'd appreciate hearing your comments. How has the experience affected you -- for good or ill? What advice would you give to those in our profession who might be facing layoffs?