I'm not in sales any more, with a move 2 years ago to...gulp...project management. Our company just went/ is still going through the absolute toughest financial stretch any of us have witnessed. Our sales folks haven't remotely approached their numbers in 2 years now. I bailed from that segment at the perfect time.
However, due to restructuring overall, I just barely kept a role that is gonna last 2 more years, and we'll see where that ends up. I feel LUCKY AS HELL, because I have peers who have nowhere to land. The frustrating piece is that for 3 decades I have done everything you'd ever want an employee to do. Commitment level 11 out of 10. Now I gotta wonder if the company still wants me. It feels really freaking strange.
I am not bitter. I am not angry. It's more bewildered. The positive piece is that in order to survive, we must adapt and change the ways we do business. My current role is part of that solution. I have always told others that there are trade-offs in having a megacorp job, and that outlook helps maintain my sanity. When that ledger of pro's and con's tilts in the wrong direction, I'll be gone, but to what? It's hard as hell to replace that income you've built over the years.
The good thing is that at the end of this year I'll be eligible for retirement. I'm certainly not ready to retire, but options are also good to have.