What if I am laid off tomorrow?

I’ve been a software engineer for 10 years, mainly working on web and app development. Every few months, when I hear about layoffs at other companies, I wonder: “What if I’m next?”

I got a taste of this at Amazon. While working in the Ads division, there were massive layoffs. We thought our team was safe since we were profitable. But you know what they say - anything that can go wrong, will go wrong! One month after I switched teams to Devices, my entire old team was let go. The crazy part? Just before this happened, my skip-level manager was telling me about big plans and a possible promotion.

I haven’t experienced being laid off personally - never been in “The Meeting” where HR and leaders tell you it’s over. Sometimes that meeting is both your first and last time seeing them.

How does it feel?

Everyone reacts differently based on their mindset, position, finances, and career path. For some, it’s devastating. For others, it’s freeing. Here’s how I plan to approach it if it happens to me.

Mindset

I believe it’s 20% situation and 80% mindset. If it happens, I’ll try to:

• Stay calm and keep an open mind
• Look at my options carefully
• Skip the blame game and drama
• Not waste time digging for reasons - most layoff decisions aren’t personal

Remember: Most layoffs happen because companies over-hired or are closing projects. Rarely is it about your work quality.

People on the other side rarely accept their mistake(It is US not you), and blame it on the performance. Imposter syndrome is sure to kick in and the way to prevent it to take over is to get away from the crowd and just Stay Put. Let that day get over, as I will not be able to get an employment in a flick and on the other hand cutting down the noise will certainly help.

To avoid letting imposter syndrome take over, I’ll:

• Stay away from the crowd.
• Take time to process.
• Hold off on immediate actions like:
  • LinkedIn posts.
  • Reaching out to contacts.
  • Job hunting websites.

Let the feeling sink in and then plan. Plan from next week, and plan inside.

• 🚀 Is there something I wanted to do for a long time: AI course, leadership?
• 👨🏽‍💻Is there a scope of up skill: Read latest trends on javascript.info, bigfrontend.dev
• 📖 Do I want to read a few books before I start preping for interviews?
• ☕️ Do I still want to get in the same job family?
• 📝 Is there a possibility of a career switch?
• 💫 Should I retire? Should I start up something of mine?

Position

I recently became a Senior Staff Software Engineer, though I’ve done exciting work at lower levels too. For 7 out of my 10 years, I was a Software Engineer 2 or lower, with one brief stint as a Senior Engineer.

If I get laid off, I won’t be picky about titles. Having a job beats having no job, and I know I can climb up again with my experience🤞🏽.

Job path

Software engineering jobs aren’t going away anytime soon. My plan would be to:

• Contact former colleagues who know my work.
• Look for internal transfers if possible.
• Be careful about team choice.
• Use the support network for laid-off tech workers.

Financials

This is the tricky and if I get it placed correctly then I will be pull off this situation with a Zen Mode.

My preparation includes:

• Six months of savings.
• Need to figure out medical insurance (currently on company plan).
• Have a list of monthly subscriptions to cut:
  • YouTube
  • Claude
  • Gmail domain
  • Apple services

Now?

Am I truly ready? Not really. I haven’t fully planned for:

• Parents’ medical needs.
• Costs of raising kids.
• Travel expenses (commute, car maintenance, vacation).
• Special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays).

Some of these can be put on hold temporarily until I find a new job. For now, I’ll keep preparing while hoping for the best.

Only the time will tell.