我上周年度评估的时候，提了点要求，比如想涨点工资，多几天休假，还反映了一些不太满意的地方。结果今天早上就被炒了。

My only advice is that it's the times we live in.

I've worked at my current company for 4 years, I got one raise that I had to demand, that was two years ago. Since then, I've taken over the duties of three other people that they have let go because 'times are tough'. I haven't received anything in the way of compensation, and now that it's been two years of this I'm just totally drained. Their response was to bring someone in who can't even use computers to try and learn my job, I'm to train him as 'my assistant'.

This is jut the world we live in. It's nothing you did wrong, we just sadly live in a society where people at the top want to keep getting everything they've been getting, and so they sacrifice the people below them in order to keep it.

I'm sorry you are going through this.

First, give yourself permission to be upset for a bit. Getting fired is a big, emotional, thing. It's totally understandable that you'd cry.

Given the circumstances here, it may be worth consulting with an employment lawyer. While nothing here is clearly illegal, a lawyer might notice something I don't. And whenever you aren't given a real reason for being fired, that can be used as leverage. So you might be able to negotiate severance or something similar.

Your list of filing for unemployment, updating your resume, and applying for jobs is exactly right. If health insurance was through your employer, you will want to look into either COBRA coverage or getting coverage through healthcare.gov marketplace. But certainly take the long weekend, at a minimum, to relax, gather yourself, and try to get into a better headspace.

Hey OP, I don't really have any financial advice (so I understand if this comment gets deleted), but I just wanted to say: everything will be okay. You seem like a thoughtful, articulate person. You'll land on your feet. I'm sure that having a toddler is going to keep you active and busy, but all the same I'll mention that it's important to keep a routine. And as counter-intuitive as it might sound, don't get completely consumed with looking for a new job.

I got fired from my first real-world job in my early 20s, so I was at a completely different point in my life from where you are now. I spent pretty much the entirety of my unemployment--six months--focused on getting a new job and feeling guilty for spending any time doing anything else other than staring at job boards and applying for positions. It was unhealthy. Whether you like it or not, you've got some free time now*, so use it productively.

*Totally understand you have a toddler so you're time isn't FREE-free, but all I mean is that you no longer have a pesky job taking up ten hours of your day.

US Department of Veterans Affairs is hiring in 60+ locations

Due to the recent signing of the PACT Act the VA anticipates that there will be a huge surge in claims filed and claims to be processed. As a result, they are hiring at 60 + locations including their Chicago location. The posting is open until Feb. 16, 2023. Here are links to the job postings for claims processing:

https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695392900#

and https://www.usajobs.gov/job/695393000#

This position is located in the Department of Veteran Affairs. The Veterans Service Representative (VSR) works as an employee in the Veterans Service Center (VSC) or Pension Management Center (PMC), or BEST Division. The VSR explains benefit program and entitlement criteria, conducts interviews, identifies issues, gathers relevant evidence, adjudicates claims, and inputs data necessary to generate the award and notification letter.

The following are optional resources to assist in creating a resume and applying for the position:

https://www.usajobs.gov/help/how-to/account/documents/resume/

https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/

https://www.usajobs.gov/help/faq/application/documents/resume/what-to-include/

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knock-em-dead-resumes-11th-edition-martin-yate/1122753367

https://www.usajobs.gov/notification/events