Note: Title editorialized because I dislike one word titles.
Is "fired" the same as "laid off?" 'cuz I was "laid off" and it was f'n awesome once I figured out what was going on. I haven't had a "jobby job" since then and that was Feb 13, 2007.
"Fired" sucks tho. No unemployment. Generally no severance. No letter of recommendation. "Laid off" is "it's not you, it's me" while "fired" is "we are willing to take a financial hit to keep you out of the workforce." It's such a bitch to fire people these days that generally even the biggest screwups get laid off, particularly if they sign an NDA and cooperate. My wife is part of an organization that "fired" someone (with cause - and documentation - and a good lawyer) and the settlement was six figures.