This is just me venting, though perhaps this brings some comfort to others in similar situations — you're not alone.
Today was my last day at work, I've been laid off. This will now be the 4th time I've been laid off in 5 years. Not fired for cause – laid off for reasons beyond my control.
I was great at every job I had – I know this, because my employers told me so.
I have a glowing recommendation from everyone I've ever worked with. I have a Master's degree, and over a decade of experience in a field that is ostensibly in demand.
I've always been able to find more work, but I know enough to know that this simply isn't sustainable.
This last job only lasted 3-4 months. Because of a significant change in Google's advertising algorithm, our company's sales plummeted unexpectedly. As the old expression goes, “last hired, first fired.”
My boss feels terrible. He's been trying to figure something out – I see him trying. He's even calling around to his friends, trying to help me find something. This was one of those rare jobs where people were kind, and supporting, and the work was fun.
But in the end, it doesn't seem to matter. Google makes a change, I lose my job.
I have some savings set aside, and my wife still has a job, so at least I'll be okay financially, which I fully realize is a luxury many others don't have.
I'm mostly concerned about my resume – companies are going to think I'm job hopping, when in reality, none of this has been my choice. And the more I get laid off, the more it looks like there's something wrong with me, when the reality is I'm just unlucky, and our employment system is highly dysfunctional.
I just can't escape this sense of futility. There's literally nothing more I can do. I have a good education. I have extensive professional experience. I have a network with excellent references. My resume is well-written, and I do well in interviews.
And it Just. Doesn't. Matter.
The thought of having to, once again, look for another job is exhausting.
All I ever wanted was a decent, stable job. I don't need to be rich. Just a decent middle class life. I'm responsible with my money, I can stretch it pretty far. I just need a job that lasts longer than 2 years.
I guess that's all I have to say. I have no insights, or good answers. There's not some terrible boss I can lay blame on. It's just this feeling of being cursed with bad luck, of being stuck in a terrible hamster wheel of the modern economy, of constantly being set back in spite if doing everything “right.” I'm tired of hoping to not only find a new job, but that it won't be terrible.
Wish me luck. And good luck to all of you out there. It can be a tough world sometimes. But we all need to hang in there.