So before we dive into my tale of woe, let’s first make sure that we are  all on the same page at least in terms of vocabulary. 

When you lose a  job, there are a couple of different ways to have this happen. One is  that you get laid off. This generally happens when the company is forced  to reduce its workforce because they’ve run into financial problems or a  contract got canceled or they are closing a branch office. Multiple  people generally get laid off at the same time. You get the point. When you get fired, it’s a lot more personal.  Everyone else is still going to have their job but you are not. You  have been told that you are no longer wanted and you need to pack your  things up and get out. 

This is what happened to me. I got fired.