I'm going to back up Limbic~Region with a slightly different take.

A few years ago, I also went through something similar. But, I made a critical mistake. I stuck it out without really trying to look for another job. We had some good people at work. And none of us wanted to leave the others behind. (Add a new house and little one mixed in with the fun.)

Despite being the senior technical guy left on staff, I was still laid off. Not long after that, I stumbled into a temporary contract doing SVG in Java. I had been playing with SVG to try and inject a little more interest into my technical life. Unfortunately, that didn't last.

I found myself unemployed during one of the worst job markets in my field in my area. (Literally 3 months with no job openings in my field in a major city.) I eventually ended up taking an entry-level Java position a long drive from my house. despite well over a decade in the field.

It took a few years, but I've worked my way back up to a similar level of income.

Lessons I learned in addition to what Limbic~Region spells out includes:

• that you may not get to choose when you leave (even if you are the senior go-to guy left)
• You never know what technical skills you pick up on the side will help you out.
• the loss of income was painful (and the loss of savings that covered the other), but it wasn't as fatal as I had previously assumed.

This experience really solidified for me the guiding principal that I've held since. I can control my skillset and experience, but I can't control my job. The job can be pulled out from under you no matter how much you've worked and sacrificed for the company. But, they can't take away your skills and knowledge.