Laid off after 22 years, and I can’t sleep. I worry about the immediate future and my job prospects as all the companies that would hire me are going into lean mode. I’m also suffering existentially, thinking about AI and what the job market looks like for anyone a decade from now. What’s everyone else doing to prepare? It feels like savings and emergency funds won’t be enough at some point. For the first time in my life my future is foggy along with everyone else’s. I’m having trouble coping and I keep doomscrolling this forum, and I know it’s not healthy, but I don’t know what else to look at for comfort.
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I was just laid off for the first time in my life and I just have this horrible sick feeling in my gut 24 hours a day. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I’m scared and I don’t know what the future holds. It’s so easy for people on here to say don’t sweat it but unless you’re living in this nightmare, don’t speak. This is cruel and a horrendous way to treat people who work so hard and dedicated their life to a company in a job that they loved. I just hope karma comes back around and the people making these heartless decisions will feel the same someday.
Try not to sweat the small stuff.
I can't sleep for couple years either. I get prescription from my dr. I can't lose this Dell job because we only have a single income at my house.
I was part of the Feb 2023 layoffs at Dell after 13 years under the iron curtain. Getting a job in this market is almost impossible now. regardless of your skills, education level (I have recent MBA and Phd) and experience. If you're over 50, forget it in the Tech industry. ageism is real and it's not going away. Invest in yourself and become an entrepreneur is your best bet. Take your savings and invest in a cash flowing business. Its will be yours and the layoff won't matter. Enjoy life, spend time with your family and kick some a-s.......No company can take that away from you. There is life after Dell. Keep an eye on the Insider Trading sites like Market Beat. you'll see a lot of "directors" and other C-levels selling stock options usually just before a major layoff announcement. https://www.marketbeat.com/stocks/NYSE/DELL/insider-trades/
I’ve been reading about Gaza all day… that’s helped take my mind off my own BS. Even unemployed, we’re still SO DAMN BLESSED in so many ways. Sorry not downplaying your fears - they’re valid and I absolutely empathize. But sitting in that for too long is poison to your mind and I think there’s something to be said for looking around and trying to summon gratitude for what you can. Go outside get some air and sunshine. Reach out to your people. Don’t slack on self care. I know this may sound lame but you’v survived 100% of your worst days so just keep going.
No. I live day by day for the most part and do what I can to keep a job. Even if it's one that I hate. It pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head so no. I don't think about the future all night.
What I do do, is think of ways to make money on the side, though.
I know someone in RR who got laid off and now works at H-E-B, but it’s nowhere near enough to cover the bills especially with a mortgage and an economy weighed down by nonstop inflation.
Be ready to leave tech. Dell is not really a tech company and it’s not like clinging to the idea of superiority because you work in “tech” is going to pay the bills especially in this market. Network. Network. Network. And look to industries that are always hiring like healthcare and parlay your skills into something else.
I advise not tossing your resume into the same pile as thousands of others. Use your network. That still may not help. The tech job market is the worst I have seen. But that doesn’t mean impossible.
If your background doesn’t include what’s valuable right now, get trained up and use temp positions to build up experience while also getting a paycheck. You may come to like the independence and stay there. Otherwise you will be more competitive for positions more relevant companies.
Companies like Dell are no longer resume builders. They are good places to play the back 9 of your career.
@OP sorry to you and all of the others who have been impacted. I was layed off twice by Dell over the years. I regret how I handled both of those situations and even in the middle of it, I knew I would regret it, but I was so stressed out the entire time. I just spent all day long, every day, applying for every job, scouring the web for any opportunity. Spent nights so stressed that I was drinking way too much, just to get to sleep.
Looking back, I wish I had taken a few weeks to get my mind in the right place. Not just for my own physical and emotional health, but I think I totally blew it in so many interviews that I wasted SO MANY job opportunities. Do NOT interview for jobs if you aren’t ready to do a great job in the interview. I would also take the time to do an honest self examination of your resume and skill set. I would definitely sign up for some AI and software development courses if that is something that you would be interested in. Is tech really where you want to work? It’s become incredibly volatile. Maybe you could take this time to do a career pivot?
Anyway, best of luck to all.
I deal with insomnia, but honestly it comes more from being dissatisfied with my career and just the overall state of the economy.
Something I picked up in therapy, though, is the idea of staying connected to a bigger goal. For me, that’s moving to a state like Massachusetts or California. Once I have that in mind, I just work backwards to figure out what steps or opportunities would actually get me there.
It helps keep my mind busy instead of stuck on things I can’t control. I’m also learning to downsize where I can, because I think brutal times are ahead. And if that plan means working at H-E-B as a cashier for a while, then that’s what I’ll do.
Easier said than done and I realize I'll probably come off sounding like a frickin motivational poster, but:
- Don't worry about things that are out of your control and concentrate on the ones that you actually have influence over.
- Don't try to fix everything at once. Identify the (small) steps that will take you where you want to go and and start working on them, one at a time, in order to improve your life here and now rather than that one thing that will "resolve everything" down the line.
"Fu-k Michael Dell and fu-k the leadership"
yup. never understood why anyone listens to that schmuck. he hasnt been relevant in over 10y and to hear him talk about AI makes me cringe.
Dell and its leadership rank is filled with unimpressive people
I was laid off from Dell this time last year. Only advice I can give is to control what is in your power to control. What's happening with AI and the industry is completely out of your sphere of influence. But you can work on yourself and that's really all you can do. I took a virtual class on AI model development and it helped me land another job.
If you can afford to and you still want to work, I'd investigate some kind of skills training or education. It helped me feel productive after that shithole Dell has taken away your dignity. Plus you'll be a more attractive hire to some company that actually deserves.
Fu-k Michael Dell and fu-k the leadership that picked you to go, those toilet under rim sc-m doesn't deserve you.
OP, you should have free EAP access for 2 years if you’re in the US, used to be through Lyra. I’ve used it, it’s good suppprt. Wishing you the best. Hang in there! It gets better.
This site lays bare how rotten this company really is. Dell chews people up, spits them out, and calls it business. Folks bleed for this place, and all they get is betrayal and a boot to the a-s. .... ...
How long ago were you laid off? I would advise to take some time off.