UESJR2021's journey

It’s been a little over a week since I was laid off from my sales position at a tech company. I had a feeling something was off when our new CSO came in and started throwing around terms like 'hunters and farmers.' It felt like every sales manager had attended the same conference and got brainwashed by this jargon. My previous director, who was also on the chopping block, kindly gave me a heads-up two months in advance to start looking for new opportunities. I prepared my resume and started scanning LinkedIn, but I hesitated to apply anywhere, hoping I wouldn’t be affected. My market was performing well, but unfortunately, I was one of 50 sales team members laid off, including several area managers with over a decade of experience. I know some of them had better work ethics and market performance than I did. When I learned about my layoff, my attitude shifted completely. I stopped pushing myself at work, started going to the gym at 10 AM, and made sure to leave the office right at 5 PM. I might sound lazy, but I realized there was nothing I could do to change the situation. On the bright side, I received a severance package that I wasn’t expecting. Years ago, my spouse and I read a book called 'How To Quit Like A Millionaire,' which emphasized the importance of having 'F You money'—enough savings to give you the freedom to leave a job you dislike without financial stress. This mindset has been a game-changer for us. Over the past year, I only had to dip into those savings for two months, and we didn’t feel a significant impact on our lifestyle. We even traveled to Japan, Hawaii, and New York between jobs. After my layoff, the first thing I did was book a flight. I just returned from Korea, where I spent time job hunting and enjoying delicious food. I recognize my privilege in this situation, but it’s important to note that my background is far from privileged. It took discipline and teamwork with my spouse to save money and avoid being tied down by jobs we hated. We chose to build our future together and let time work in our favor. We’re all in this community because someone else prioritized their profit over our well-being, but I believe we can weather these tough times, emerge stronger, and refuse to play into their scarcity mindset.