I was recently laid off as my division was downsized. It was about as amicable as the situation could be, I left on good terms with my manager and have plenty of positive references. But I can't help feeling a little depressed. Who else here has ever lost their job? What was the experience like? How long did it take you to move past it? How was the following job search?
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Top comments (6)
It doesn’t really count but I "lost" my first (and last) freelance job after the "how much" talk.
It was a small company and they were very friendly so I started working on the software before we agreed on my salary
Hint: there wasn’t a single update to their platform since a year (when this happened)
What I dislike the most about this is how they were waiting for me to cut my prices.
I got laid off from my first job, which happened to be just about as close to my dream job as could be. My company was bought by a larger company that didn't like remote workers and it wasn't an option for me to move to an office.
Same situation as you, I left on great terms with everyone at the company, but I was definitely in a dark place mentally afterward. I had a weird skillset coming out of that job. Front-end developer, but mostly accessibility and UX expert. Seems like a good combo of skills to have, but after working for only two years, most companies didn't feel I had the experience to back it up.
The first job I found after was absolutely miserable, but I think I took it because I was desperate (read: know your worth!). I stayed there for 5 months before I just couldn't take it anymore. The next job I found is the one I'm currently at. I miss that first job, but I'm making the best of my situation by trying to incorporate aspects I enjoyed from that job into this one.
I'm 2 years away from that experience now and it still makes me sad, looking back. I would absolutely recommend counseling if it is an option for you. I wish I had started when this happened to me.
Best of luck in your job search! Just know that being laid off doesn't have anything to do with your skills or abilities. Find ways to boost your confidence while you're unemployed. And always remember that you're not alone!
I lost my job last summer. I got a new one about 2 week later. Getting fired was the best thing that happened to me ever in my career. I had been stuck for two years at this shitty job where I was unhappy and sad everyday because of my boss.
The new job I landed is infinitely better in every aspect. I am good at what I do and I get recognition for it.
Sometimes a forced change is exactly what you need.
Keep your head up and move forward!
I'm sorry @nepeckman , it's always sh*tty to be let go, there's no way around it. I've lost two jobs because the startups I was in didn't work out.
In the first case it was quite unexpected because I was hired 3 months before (😅) and they put up a facade of being in great shape (I should have done my due diligence better I guess, for many reasons that became apparent only after the fact), the second time it was expected because the money ran out on us before we could find a feasible business model.
It wasn't great, not life shattering but not great either, after that I became a freelance and I wasn't the biggest fan of startups for some time...
I hope you can find something better. They are not many but there are a few job listings on DEV: dev.to/listings/jobs
Thank you for sharing your experience! I'm trying to work towards acceptance myself, and your book looks like an excellent resource.
Sorry I forgot to say that I kind of knew the guy and was minor at this time. I would never do something like that now.