Took time off
Herschkorn in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
Age: 45
Previous position: Director in Loan Syndications
Current status: World traveler
I spent about 20 years working in finance in a number of different areas. Last year I was laid off by German bank WestLB. I was lucky enough that two months later I landed a job at ING. They underwent a global restructuring and I was laid off again after only a few months.
After that I left for a trip to parts of Southeast Asia. I went to Vietnam, Cambodia, Northern Thailand and the Philippines. What started out as five weeks I ultimately extended for three months. I've been through some downturns before and I knew this was probably the worst one of my career. I just knew there was going to be so little business getting done that it was a great opportunity to spend time abroad as opposed to trying to find a job.
I've gone back into looking at potential positions and also considering a career switch. I did like what I was doing, and only recently has that market started to pick up a little bit but I also have three professional degrees (in electrical engineering, business and law). I have the luxury now to be able to choose the right thing.
NEXT: Started a hedge fund
