thrway010101's journey

I was laid off last week without any warning, and I'm still trying to process it all. I received 6 weeks of severance, which is helpful, but my family's financial situation isn't great. We could manage for a couple more months with our savings, but it would really stretch us thin. A former coworker reached out to me about a job opportunity at the same company I was just laid off from. The catch? It's less than half of what I was making before. The new role is supposedly safe for at least two years due to a different funding stream, but I'm torn. Part of me thinks that having any income is better than none, but then I spoke to a junior on my former team who declined a job offer because it came with a significant pay cut. I was surprised by her decision, but I understand that everyone's financial situation is different—maybe she has family support that allows her to wait for a better opportunity. I'm feeling anxious about the state of the industry as a whole and the high cost of living in my area. I'm looking for advice on whether I should take this major pay cut or keep searching for something better.