I was recently laid off from my position as an Associate Full Stack Developer at a product-based company. I started my role at the beginning of this year after completing my internship in August, and I was still in my probation period, which was set to end in November. Out of the blue, I received a Microsoft Teams meeting invitation that stated it was regarding my employment. During the meeting, 17 of us were informed that our roles had become redundant due to AI advancements, and we were no longer needed. I had been working on my probation report, which I was supposed to submit soon, and this news hit me hard. I'm feeling really upset, demotivated, and frustrated because there were no signs that my job was at risk. Thankfully, I had saved up some money, so I should be okay for a while. However, searching for a new job in this economy feels daunting. I plan to take a little time off to refresh my skills in data structures and algorithms before diving back into the job hunt. It’s disappointing because I enjoyed my work, the location was convenient, and the pay was decent.