[mabbo]

That I can survive being laid off.

That emotionally, it won't crush me to find out my company decided I was in the 20% that wasn't needed anymore. That financially, my family can get by if I spend 11 weeks unemployed. That I can accept a job that pays significantly less than I used to make.

I really did think that the entire experience was going to leave me the empty shell of my former self, that the mental toll would leave me severely depressed, and that my world would be shattered. None of that happened. I had a great summer.

My exciting discovery is that I no longer define myself purely in terms of my career.

[the_only_law]

I had the opposite experience. I thought I would easily survive a layoff, but now it looks not so likely.

[gabereiser]

Numbers game, go submit 100 applications, get 25 interviews, get 3 offers. Go.

[the_only_law]

Yeah it’s a little too late for that. My lease is up at the end of the month, my savings have been battered from attrition and emergency expenses and the rental market is ridiculous here (not that that matters without income anyway).

I submitted plenty of applications, got few interviews, got passed up for most of the roles. I no longer have time to wait on onerous bureaucracies. Hell I was hoping for an offer this week, but both myself and the recruiter are at a loss as to what the company decided. I got another email the other day informing me that some job I applied to months ago was just straight up canceled.

The real problem was I didn’t quite understand how things had changed and was desperate to avoid moving. I should have just taken an on site role and moved a long time ago.

[mabbo]

Honestly, that's part of why I took the pay cut.

I only applied to jobs that were remote, because I love the lifestyle. The job I wound up with wanted me hybrid, but I negotiated for remote. I've got a young kid, and that time I'd have been commuting is time I get to spend with her.

But if I'd been open to hybrid jobs, I'd likely have had more opportunities, and more money offered.

[jacknews]

lol, yes it's a numbers game but your rates are off by an order of magnitude IMHO and experience.

[itsmemattchung]

What an eye opening experience! Getting laid off can feel like an emotional rollercoaster and it's great that you were not only able to ride that wave but also, as you mentioned, reprioritize your life in such a way that you no longer tie your identity strictly to your career. I too recently, in the last year or so, come to the same terms; as a millenial, I'm now finding activities outside of "work" (behind the keyboard) enjoyable and guiding some of my long term goals.

[nicbou]

Related: that it won't get you kicked out of the country (in Germany). It's a common fear for immigrants, and it turns out that it's unfounded. You get a few months to find something else.

[RiOuseR]

> I no longer define myself purely in terms of my career.

I've been struggling with this. Any tips?

[sneed_chucker]

Hobbies, relationships, religion.

Jobs can effectively squeeze your time and energy such that the above are hard to come by, making career self-definement a default path for many people.