Into the great wide open

• By Matt Cyr
• 1 October, 2012
• 2 Comments

So it turns out that Johnny Depp and I have something in common after all. No, it’s not a talent for creating movie characters who like to over-accessorize (here and here). It’s that we’re both using Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open” as a soundtrack as we start down the road on life’s next great adventure. While Johnny Depp was escaping the clutches of the music industry, I’m merely looking down the barrel of my first-ever job layoff.

I fell victim to my employer’s “retrenchment” activities recently, which I guess is proof that health care reform really is “taking cost out of the system.” (Hmm, are there any other buzz words I can throw in here…ah, yes, they’re taking steps to become an “accountable care organization” in a time when everyone is trying to ”bend the cost curve.” I feel better already.)

But as I said to my wife the other day, at least my layoff made the home page of boston.com. There’s no such thing as bad press, right?

Truth be told, while I’m not happy to be part of the undulating mass of un-, under- and post-employed Americans, I am excited about the opportunity to start a new chapter in my career. After 12 years, it was time to move on. As a former colleague said, I “had a good run.” I collaborated with some truly amazing people, did some very exciting things and worked for an organization that does stunning things every day.

But I’ve had the feeling for a while that I needed a new challenge, and this forces my hand, puts me out in the great wide open, thumb out to the highway.

I can’t wait to see where the road takes me.