Today marks one full year since my layoff from Google.
The summer before, I'd packed up my entire life in Chicago as Google moved me to Mountain View for a career change, from engineering to technical writing. I was excited for what felt like the pinnacle of my career path -- I couldn't think of a more prestigious company to work for than Google, and I was excited about the prospect of my new gig as a tech writer. I'd finally be able to combine the thing I have the most corporate experience in, IT/engineering, with the thing I have the most passion for, writing.
After 2 months of interviews, a month of packing and moving, and 6 months at my new job, I woke up to being completely locked out of all company systems.
The layoff hit me pretty hard. I'd never been without work. (The longest break between jobs I'd ever had before this was a single week, and only because I already had a planned vacation!) I didn't know many of my coworkers particularly well because I'd been there less than a year. Being locked out of all my work accounts meant I had no way to contact any of them, and it took me days to find everyone through contacts on LinkedIn. It also meant I had no access to any of the work I'd done, so I have no writing samples to offer alongside new applications.
My husband encouraged me to take some time off for a bit and focus on my personal writing projects, so that's what I decided to do. I wrote hundreds of thousands of words last year -- working on a novel, scripts, satire, and personal essays, and had an amazing time doing it (I also made a whopping $158!).
Then, in July, my husband lost his job (at a different tech company) as well. We decided to move back to Chicago, where the cost of living was more reasonable and we have a solid network, though this time we had to pay for it ourselves (ugh).
I've been looking for work off and on for the last year, but much more significantly the past 6 months. I’ve been shocked at how few people respond, and the even fewer interviews I’ve gotten. In the past, I was lucky enough to get every single job I interviewed for. Long tenure at those companies meant I only actually interviewed a few times — but still, a 100% acceptance rate can certainly artificially inflate your ego. (Don’t worry, the past 6 months of applying for jobs has brought it back down to normal size.)
I've learned a ton the last year -- about myself, about work, and about the importance of where you focus your time and energy. I'm not quite "over it" yet, but maybe I will be when I've paid off my move back to Chicago and have health insurance and a 401k again.
For now, I’m looking for work while working on my passion projects, focusing on my personal goals, and remaining optimistic. 2024 is already starting out better — I haven’t been laid off yet!
Regional Sales Manager @ DTEX Systems
9moBummed to see this, you’re one of the great ones. Let me know if I can help at all.