[steve86]

The way around that is to have a specialized technical skill that is irreplaceable, at least for a while. I always saved an extraordinary amount from each paycheck in case the scenario you suggest did come to pass. The savings did come in handy, as I have been living on it for 10 years now (left for medical reasons).

[Luke21]

You are right. Certain types of engineers can tell the bosses to take a flying leap and not go to these dreadful things. The bosses will cover for them because they are irreplaceable, but that doesn't work for most of us.