Personal timeline

Short_Competition258's journey

Milestones, reflections, and progress updates connected as your layoff-to-next-step story unfolds.

  1. 2
    Feeling Miscellaneous Planning Thinking

    After 25 years in the tech industry, working for companies like Apple and NCR, I found myself laid off in a mass reduction. As I hit my 40s, I started feeling the sting of ageism, with my experience suddenly being deemed 'too expensive' by corporate spreadsheets. It was a tough realization that my years of hard work were reduced to a line item in a budget. In a moment of panic, I invested $9,000 into an executive transition program, hoping to get the support I needed. While the community aspect was great, the advice on branding and LinkedIn left much to be desired. I found myself trying to downplay my extensive history to fit into a corporate mold, hoping a recruiter would notice me. That was my wake-up call. I decided to completely revamp my online presence, showcasing my decades of experience as a problem-solver rather than just another employee seeking a job. This shift in perspective transformed my approach; what corporations saw as a liability became an asset that private clients began to pay for directly. While I don't think everyone should jump into entrepreneurship, I do believe it's crucial to build your own brand alongside your job search. If you've recently been laid off, don't waste your energy seeking validation from a flawed corporate system. Instead, take control of your online presence, embrace your seniority, and ensure your public profile reflects the respect you've earned over the years.

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  2. 1
    Feeling Miscellaneous Planning Thinking

    After spending 20 years building tech brands at companies like Apple and NCR, I've come to understand the harsh realities of corporate loyalty. I’ve seen many people here feeling defeated after layoffs, thinking they aren't good enough. I want to share my experience from the upper echelons of the tech world. In my 30s, I never faced a layoff; I watched others get let go and thought I was better than them. But then, in my early 40s, I experienced the reality of ageism in tech. Layoffs became a pattern for me—despite coming in, fixing issues, and exceeding goals, I was let go time and again. When you get laid off, it’s easy to convince yourself that you’ve failed. But the truth is, a layoff is just a business decision driven by numbers. Those spreadsheets don’t care about your contributions or your performance. They don’t take away your talent when they deactivate your badge. After my last layoff, I decided to leave the corporate world for good. I refused to let ageism and corporate politics break me. Now, I’m building my own business on my own terms. The first few days after a layoff are tough; it feels like a grieving process. It’s important to allow yourself to feel that loss, but also to find ways to heal—exercise, get sunlight, and practice gratitude. Remember, you’ve survived tough times before, and this too shall pass. You will find your footing again.

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