I got laid off from Nike and thought I was finished

Then I ended up with a better job, better pay, and a much healthier view of work. You’re going to be okay.

I’m writing this because a few months ago I was the person doom-scrolling this forum at 2:00 a.m., searching for some stranger to tell me my life wasn’t over. So here it is: your life is not over.

When I got laid off, I felt embarrassed, angry, and lost. People kept saying it’s not personal, but it felt personal when the job I’d built part of my identity around was suddenly gone.

For a few days, I completely spiraled. Then I got practical. I figured out my money situation first. Put down everything on paper, including severance, savings, bills, unemployment, everything. Once I knew my actual runway, I stopped panicking as much. Then I started reaching out to people. Former coworkers, old managers, friends, vendors, anyone I trusted. I simply said I’d been impacted by layoffs and was looking for roles in my field.

Amd people showed up for me. A former coworker referred me and an old manager offered to be a reference. Another friend helped clean up my resume. At first I applied everywhere, which was a mistake because it just made me feel rejected faster. So I narrowed it down to roles I actually wanted, roles I was qualified for, and a few backup options.

In interviews, I would say something like how my role was eliminated as part of a broader restructuring, how I’m proud of the work I did at Nike, and I’m looking for a place where I can bring that experience into a role with strong growth and stability.
Eventually, I got an offer that was okay, but I still had interviews moving, so I waited. Two weeks later, I got a better offer: higher pay, better title, and a healthier environment.

The biggest lesson I learned is that I had confused being at a famous company with being in the right job. Nike looked great on my resume, and I’m proud of the work I did there, as bad as the place has become in recent years. But the layoff reminded me that no company, no matter how iconic, is your safety net.

So if you just got laid off: breathe. You’re allowed to be scared. But don’t let the layoff convince you that you’re done. Update your resume. Tell people. Ask for help. Apply carefully. Keep interviewing. And don’t take the first bad offer just because you’re hurt.
I didn’t choose to get laid off. But I did choose what happened next and I ended up better off.

#Layoff #Severance #JobSearch #JobOffer #SuccessStory

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Great post OP! Thank you for sharing your experience.

Similar story here. I got laid off last year and looking back it was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was miserable when it happened but I found a new role relatively quickly and came out the other side in a much better place.

I know that is not everyone's experience and I don't take that for granted. But it is possible, and more often than people expect.

One piece of practical advice: don't wait to start your search. It is tempting to take a breath and decompress, and you should briefly, but in this market the search itself will likely take 3 to 4 months minimum. The sooner you start, the more control you will feel through the process without looking down the barrel of a deadline of severance/UI running out.

Best of thoughts to everyone going through this right now and please ignore the trolls on here who celebrate people losing their jobs.

Best post and most helpful post I probably have ever seen in this forum. Based on my own experience I concur with everything stated. Your mileage may vary, but OP has provided a great roadmap. Print it out and hang it on your bathroom mirror

Easy to say you’ll be ok when you landed a job. Plenty of people I know from the 2024 rounds are still looking and not doing so well. Understand you intend words of encouragement but also recognize luck has a big part in a lot of it.

I think it's easy to mix our identity with the brand, though I made a point to never do that intentionally, somehow it seeped in over the years

that coupled with skills that may not as sharpened when working at other companies, due the overly laid back approach to engineering at nike, and getting cut, is a double whammy

but, we can up our skills, that's on us, and we can look aggressively, that's on us too

helps to have a big company like nike your resume, just need to back it up with something good skills wise, leadership wise

local market in portland is not great, or just bad, but it's a lot better in other areas and remote is still a thing

where ever you land, it can be a place to grow and then move on from there, may not be a bad thing!!

and for those left, maybe think about what it takes to transition out, unless you're less than 5 years from retiring, you gotta think that way....more reductions likely.....itc....

I have the same experience at the OP. Most people at Nike su-k and deserve to work there; but there is a small group of amazing people! They are helping me leave and doing resume check ins.

Laid off in June of '25. It was a shock for a while and then I was so grateful to be free from all the entrapment. AND I agree there is life after.

I also agree that folks drift away. It's ok. You have to expect this. My few close connections from Nike are still friends. Most others are looking out for thrmselves as we all need to. It's natural. You will drift too.

Yes, I agree. Who you thought were friends at work sometimes aren't.

This feels authentic and I want to believe it is but it also has subtle AI tones.

If it isn’t AI then you are quite intelligent and self aware @OP and thank you for writing a note of positivity during a cr*p time.

I will say when you leave Nike, don’t count on most of those people you thought of as friends… they were generally coworkers likely. Not meant as malice but that is just kind of how it is.

Thread regarding Nike Inc. layoffs

I got laid off from Nike and thought I was finished

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