Having been let go by an employer is a painful experience. During this time of uncertainty, it definitely won’t help when you get a call from HR and hands you over that piece of paper. But let not this be the end. Somehow we have to find a way to navigate ourselves around it.
I was let go by my, 2 years ago and having been in the Software Development and Design industry for almost 2 decades, this is the first time I was ever made redundant. First thing in my mind that day was, how do I pay the bills? I have my family here with me in the UAE, how will I provide for them? How will I pay for my son’s tuition? And my dog, GOD my dog, yes I thought of my dog too :D, I don’t want to give him away when I can’t feed him anymore. At that moment, the situation already became a problem for me and I immediately switched to panic mode.
After some realization, I began to see some bright sides to my current situation. Here are a few points that helped me get back on my feet fairly quickly:
- Calm your heart down. Very first thing you have to do is throw away negative emotions. Know that what happened was not your fault and neither was your company’s. Economy is rapidly changing and competition in different industries is so high that companies need to keep up and balance their resources. It’s difficult but you have to exchange that anger and self-pity with gratitude and be thankful for what your previous employers have given you.
Good things should have given you more positivity in life. The not so good things should have strengthened you mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I mean look at you now, you’re still standing right? So stand tall.
I’ll take this opportunity to say I’m thankful for my last company for giving me a chance to go back and work with my friends again and experience the fun environment they have there. To say I enjoyed my time there is an understatement. - You’ve give time time to learn. Whether you learn new things or improve your skills, motivate yourself to being productive during this time. Watch some courses, tutorials, and educational videos. There are lots of free resources out there. If you have some budget, invest in online learning platforms (I find the Learning section in the LinkedIn premium account helpful). Research on the current trends in the area of your interest or expertise and understand what is currently on demand in the market then invest time in learning them.
- Read. Reading is a good way to keep your mind from getting idle. It’s a good distraction too from all your worries. Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*%k are a couple of good ones I would recommend. My son gifted me Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I haven’t started reading it yet, but will soon.
According to doctors and researchers, reading can act as a cognitive reset. Even 10–20 minutes of focused reading reduces mental noise and stress levels, especially compared to passive scrolling. It creates a sense of control and intentionality. Trust me, it helps better than doom scrolling on your phone. - Enjoy the wait. Don’t bury yourself in job hunting. Yes it’s like one of the most important things to do now but also remember you have been given a temporary break. A chance to enjoy life, do things you were not able to do when you were busy working. I had time to watch my son’s basketball games, play ball, date my wife, rearrange my home office, wrote a few songs (though believe me, it’s better to hide them in the bottom drawer :)), I had time to run on the beach. Just think about it, now you have a chance to live a little.
Just stay safe though. We all know what’s happening at the time of this post. - Do what it is that you love to do aside from working. You got time to do it now. Though I’m a software engineer by profession, I have great love for art, design, photography and music. During that time, I was able to go back to my photography hobby. I visited art galleries and did design work on the side. Think of something that you really love to do but rarely get a chance to do when you have work. I’m pretty sure you’ll think of something. No one’s born a workaholic.
- Have fun job hunting. Though that time, I very much hoped the search end soon, I’m kind of enjoyed the process. I got to understand the trends in the market and meet new people. I got to connect with old friends and colleagues and reached out to people I never thought I’ll ever have the courage to speak to and be surprised by just how supportive they can be.
Once this is over, You’ll look back and count the number of new friends and great people you’ve interacted with. - Exercise. Now this is something I admit I’m struggled doing but I’m tried my best. You now have some time to do a quick run in the morning, play sports, or go to the gym. As my wife always say, “you don’t have an excuse anymore”.
Don’t get me wrong though, I was worried at the time specially when i was starting to run out of numbers. But in times like these, worrying will only worsen things. We have to relax from time to time to stay focused.
Tom Hanks said in one clip I saw, “time is your ally. Good or bad, this too shall pass. We just have to wait.” So we might as well enjoy it while doing so. The way I see it, TIME is our best friend specially in this phase of our life.
Keep calm. Stay focused. Keep sending those resume’s. Something good is coming. Pray and have FAITH.
A little piece of advice for those of you who HAVE work, SAVE. Keep at least 3 months of your salary in your bank account. With all that’s happening around us now, You’ll never know.
I hope I inspired somebody with this post.