A layoff fundamentally changed how I perceive work

The first layoff is always the worst. You'll treat future gigs as transactional and be better for it. The younger you're laid off the sooner you'll learn this.

I'm so grateful I was laid off just 2 years into my first software gig out of school. I graduated, worked my ass off at a startup, and theeeen covid! It hurt but that was a permanent wisdom upgrade.

You forget over time, and obligations grow.

My first layoff was rough. It was in '00 and I was 21, so I didn't have too many obligations.

My second layoff was in '23 and I was 44 with kids and a mortgage. It hit me a lot harder.

My third was in '24, but I had learned my lessons and had positioned myself better, so I wasn't as badly affected.