What I Learned from Being Laid Off

I think it’s worth being real about this, as it seems to be a slightly taboo topic. The first thing I was told after it happened was not to broadcast it and to just dig deep into looking for a new job. I took that advice, possibly to my disadvantage. This happens to employees every day all over the world, yet few talk about it. I wrote out these lessons as a way to process them and to remind myself of what’s important while I was still looking for a new job.

1. I really liked that job. It let me marry my two passions, animal science and social media, as well as stay in my home state.
2. Now I have to choose between my two passions once again, unless I want to (most likely) move to another state.
3. Never get too comfortable and always keep improving yourself, your job performance, and your working relationships.
4. Stay valuable to the people around you. My boss was in another branch and the team in my branch often didn’t know what I was working on, so eventually they lost touch with the value I was bringing to the company.
5. When I got the job, I said “I made it here, now what?” I now know the answer: I should have been investing in myself throughout my period of employment.
6. I need to invest in myself now more than ever.
7. I should have been checking in and engaging with those in my network throughout my period of employment.
8. It’s really hard to get out of the ‘cash is flowing’ mindset and into the ‘you’re about to be broke as a joke, so get your act together’ mindset.
9. I do NOT want to move back in with my parents.
10. Unemployment services is there to help, if they can, and are nice people.
11. I think I know what a very sudden, very devastating breakup feels like now. It’s really difficult emotionally.
12. I’ve been set free and my next move could be one of many options!
13. No one else has the answer for what to do next. It’s all up to me, and I can’t afford to sit back paralyzed with fear and indecision. This is my life and I am in control of it. It’s up to me to remain positive, maintain my confidence, and figure it out.

Read the rest of my series on finding a new job here:

My Process of Finding a new Job