After talking to some previous direct reports who left my company I got laid off from last year, I called my old boss who was forced to lay me off from corporate. He is an old school guy that worked his way up to a Senior Manager the hard way without college. He was in tears when he laid me off, while I kept a good attitude which he wasn't expecting.
Anyways, he has a Sr. Engineer position directly under him that is open from one of my previous direct reports leaving. He told me to apply for that job as a safety net, but he wanted me to apply for a Sr Operations Manager position that has been created, and needs someone with the knowledge that I have learned from him plus my MBA. If that one comes through, this whole thing could be a blessing in disguise. It would mean almost doubling my salary.