Thanks for starting this thread! I think the biggest thing I realized in the previous recession was that you can do everything "right" and still get laid off. Layoffs suck all around (for both the person being laid off and the person doing the layoffs.) It's not something you can necessarily control even if you are the best engineer in your office. Worse, we often have our identities tied up in "what we do" (which seems to be a thing somewhat peculiar to the USA), so it can be hard to realize that you can't outwork or control such a situation and that our identity as an engineer is only part of who we are, not our entire reason for being.
If it happens to you, it's important to understand that you'll go through stages of grief for the job loss. Here's a really good example of what that can look like:
https://medium.com/career-relaunch/the-stages-of-grief-after-being-laid-off-4b75ad9d7036 . It's necessary to give yourself some time to breathe and accept what happened and especially that it's not your fault, especially if you're going to need to jump right into hunting for a new job. It is hard to put your best foot forward in a job hunt process if you haven't fully accepted what happened, are resenting a previous employer for the layoff, or are suffering a confidence loss because you think there is something you could have done differently.
When you are laid off (or believe you will be soon), it's a good time to assess if you are on the right career path for you and broaden your outlook for opportunities in areas you wouldn't have thought to look otherwise. It's also a great time to focus on improving your network and double down on participation in your local ASCE or institute chapters, where you can continue to improve your leadership skills and make new connections even when out of work. I credit a reduction in hours and layoffs all around in a previous downturn for giving me the time to focus on network-building/increasing my own involvement in ASCE.
Lastly, although it can hard to see in the moment....I believe that everything that happens is a stepping stone to something better, even if it feels like a very winding road to get there. I know of more than one entrepreneur who started their own company because they were laid off. I have a friend that started a side-hustle for extra income when she couldn't find a job in a previous downturn... those skills helped her obtain an ownership position in an engineering firm (where she is much younger than most other owners). I know of engineers who left civil consulting when they were laid off to work in other areas where they initially took a big pay cut (engineering software, for one), but now their pay ceiling is much higher than they would have ever received working in a small consulting environment. Still others who got an advanced degree and are now professors, or working in an area that they would never have had the courage to pursue had they not been laid off. Point being - even when jobs aren't plentiful, there are always opportunities to pivot or grow/improve your skills if you choose to look at a layoff as an opportunity to forge a new path.
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Stephanie Slocum P.E., M.ASCE
Founder
Engineers Rising LLC
www.engineersrising.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 08-03-2020 05:21 PM
From: Daniel Bressler
Subject: Being Laidoff Discussion
Being laid off is a terrible feeling but it's a harsh reality that some of us are facing during this time (speaking from very recent experience).
It's important that after being laid off you have a strong family, friends to fall back on and to take care of yourself and your mental health first and foremost.
You should always be optimistic and look at the positive that being laid off can lead to. Such as the start of a path that would have never been pursued or perhaps a total change in your career path. Being laid is terrible and doesn't feel good but like all bad situations, you must make the most of it.
I wanted to start a thread to discuss being laid off:
What are some of the possible opportunities that can come of it?
How do you bounce back from being laid off?
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Daniel Bressler EIT, A.M.ASCE
Junior Engineer
Brooklyn NY
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