HPE employee who got laid off at the end of July here. Enjoying my severance package and raging hard before I start my new job on Monday.
Stop wishing ill will upon your former colleagues. It's not gonna help you or them. They are just as scared as you are.
Clean up your resume and LinkedIn profile, and start applying. If you're any good, you'll get offers quickly. If not, well, I'm sorry, but collect your UI payments, go back to school, and then try again.