Working On A Quirky Graph

A while ago (6 months or so) I was informed that my position was no longer needed and my team was going to be laid off. We were lucky, however, we had a longer ramp than others as we still had clients we needed to take care of. While the news wasn’t exactly a surprise, it was still a kick in the gut. I was part terrified of the repeating the job search process, thankful I had more time to look than most of my co-workers who were being let go at the end of the week and guilty I had more time that others.

The leeway I had has now come to an end and we are going to be released at the end of next week. We’ve been given a generous severance so it isn’t quite the nightmare I’ve heard from others, but the job market is not feeling as generous as my soon to be ex-employer. I’ve had my resume rewritten by a professional, as well as a cover letter, the company has paid for a career coach as I’m looking to change professions (a minor move, however, it will take some coaching so I can sell myself correctly), and I have a brand new photograph for my LinkedIn. All of those are not silver bullets though, and the market is tight with so many different tech companies doing a massive purge at the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023. There are nightmare posts everyday on social media channels from people who have been looking for jobs for 6, 10, 12 months without a bite, or making it through interview after interview only to be ghosted at the last possible step. There are so many variations of these posts, anywhere from begging for some scrap of hope, to a resigned air of desperation.

I know that I’m lucky. I know that there are possibilities, and you never know what is around the corner, but the outlook is daunting and frustrating. I’m trying to lean on healthy habits to keep moving. Walking my dog 3 times a day so he can keep up on all the smells while I absorb sunlight and fresh air are helping I’m sure, but they also don’t completely solve the problem. I’m forcing myself to check job boards daily and apply to at least one job a day, as well as take courses to improve myself and then meditate while I ponder my options.

But truly, I’m just wanting a Key Lime pie and nap. Either way, the only way anything is going to happen, the pie, the nap or the job, is if I get them myself.