I’ve been feeling an overwhelming fear of layoffs for the past three years, and it’s really starting to take a toll on me. I currently work at a startup in India, and I have about 3.5 years of total work experience, but this is only my second company. My role mainly involves reviewing and testing AI changes, which has left me feeling like I lack ownership over my work. Most of the significant features are developed by senior engineers, and while I understand the architecture, I haven’t been given many opportunities to take on more responsibility. I’ve tried to ask for more ownership, but I made some mistakes early on that seem to have damaged the trust my team had in me. I’ve only been with this company for five months, and I already feel like I’ve made a bad impression. Because of this, I can’t shake the feeling that I might be laid off soon. I’ve heard advice about maintaining emergency funds and avoiding big purchases, but I’m not in a financial position to have 5-10 Lakhs saved up. I often wonder what I would do if I were to get laid off. How would I handle the panic of job hunting? Would I take on side jobs? I wish I had a solid exit plan in place. If I could change one thing, it would be to ensure that no one ever has to face layoffs. I really believe there should be government intervention to protect jobs.