So today I had a student ask me why I was fired from my last job. I responded by saying, “I wasn’t fired, but rather laid-off… there’s a big difference.”
He had a puzzled look on his face, so I figured he needed a little clarification.
“Getting fired means you’ve done something wrong and the company doesn’t want you around anymore,” I said. “But getting laid-off means the company can’t afford to pay you any more, so they are forced to let you go.”
He nodded his head and looked at me.
“Well then,” he said, “why didn’t you just stay and work there for fun?”
I chucked to myself and then out loud as I said, “Fun don’t pay the bills.”