Unfortunately, some companies wait until the middle of closing day to tell their employees.

Imagine you spent years helping grow a company, and while you’re gone on vacation, they shut down your division without so much as a phone call. Would you be angry? Or would you see it as your opportunity to start fresh?

In the following story, one project manager had this very thing happen to him. Here’s how it played out.

Job Flies Away

Near the deepest part of the last great recession, I was working as a national project manager for a billion-dollar freight company.

I had been with them for ten years and had shepherded their growth from a small regional company to a national player.

Despite the insane hours and travel schedule, I loved the job, and I was good at it.

I had been opening up the California market for two years and had been flying coast to coast every ten days. It came time for me to take a scheduled vacation. I buttoned down the job and hopped on a plane for Baltimore to catch a connecting flight home.

Then, he got the news.

When we landed, I pulled out my phone to check for messages and to catch myself up — no service. I pulled out my laptop to check emails — couldn’t access my account.

It subsequently was revealed to me that, while I had been in the air, my whole division had been closed down and everyone had been let go. No notice or advance warning of any kind.

Needless to say, I was shocked and somewhat devastated, but in hindsight, it turned out to be a wonderful thing.

I reopened the small construction company that I had shuttered to take the job and started doing the same work as an independent for their main competitor, but I have rarely been as surprised as I was that day.

Wow! That would the most shocking news ever.

Let’s see if the readers over at Reddit have ever heard of this happening.

Being laid off turned into a blessing for this reader.

Now, that’s rude.

Here’s someone who quit after seven years and couldn’t be happier.

This person was let go after 13 years.

It’s like he landed in a parallel universe. That would be enough to throw anyone for a loop.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a carpenter who was shocked to find the police waiting for him after his last day of work.