I left HPE last year after 21 years. HP/HPE gave me the opportunity to raise my family near where I grew up, while allowing me to spend invaluable time with my children as they became adults. Was it all good? No, it seems like the past 18 years have been nothing by aquisitions, layoffs, and new leadership. But on balance I had good managers and great colleages.
I came to this site after I was WFR'd, looking for advice and information. I still come here to share as appropriate and try to help as much as I can. i.e. Can you work for HPI if you were WFR'd from HPE? (short answer is yes, but it can be very difficult when so many HPE folks are doing the same)
What is disturbing is the posts that attack people, calling people names ,and suggesting that they somehow deserve to be let go, or that they are just whining. It is not only childish (says alot about the person posting anonymously), it is a misuse of this site and these sort of posts should be reported to the admins.
As for life outside of HP/HJPE? There is such a thing and yes, it is different. Expect to be pushed past your comfort zone, don't be too focused on what you did, rather - look forward to what you can do. We all learned very valuable skills at HP, figure a way to use them in a different role. Another thing, for those of us who joined HP when it was a different company, you might not have noticed, but our benefits have been declining for years (with every change in leadership, aquisition, etc). The job I have now pays me a fraction more than I earned at HPE, but they pay nearly all of my benefits, the result is that it is like getting a 20% pay raise.
I know this is a tough time for many people. I can only wish you all the best and share my experiences as a means to give others a path forward. I strongly encourage people to re-establish their social/cusiness connections and keep those people around you. If you are in a position to do so, offer what help you can. This is why I use this site. Not as a plaform to demean others.