Better phrase for "dependent on" in this scenario
I am trying to think of a word or phrase that best describes this scenario.
Although Marcia ended up finding a new job that she enjoyed, it would not have happened had corporate not had layoffs earlier in the year. "My new job was dependent on my previous position being eliminated," explained Marcia.
However, the phrase dependent on doesn't sound quite right to me. While I understand it's probably the correct usage, I get the impression that she was searching for a new job but couldn't take one until her previous job was eliminated. Rather, I want to describe that she had to get a new job as a result of something negative (i.e. the layoff).
Some other options I've considered:
- "My new job was contingent on my previous position being eliminated."
- "My new job was predicated on my previous position being eliminated."
However, "contingent" gives me the same impression as "dependent" and I'm not sure if that's the correct usage of "predicated."
Solution 1:
“I wouldn’t have gotten my new job had my previous job not been eliminated.”
This makes it clear that eliminating the previous job was necessary, but it doesn’t assert that this is the single cause.