I once heard that losing a job is kind of like dropping a rock into a smooth pond. The initial impact causes a dip in the pond and then a ripple affect of tinier waves move out to the edge and dissipate. That is how long it will take for the company to forget you. Period. You are ancient history and the next person gets your office or cubicle. That or someone else that remains will have two jobs now. I got laid off after 10 years as an IT Manager here in SC. I never thought it would happen because I was the only IT Manager with 4 locations in my region. The monolithic company crunched the numbers and said. Hey, we can just get rid of him anyway. It took me some time to stop being angry about that. I still have not replaced that job or income. Age discrimination is alive and well.