#1: Full Circle Career Moments
Plus, the magic of George Michael and astrological A.I.
Welcome to the first issue of my newsletter, Laid Off Life, a place of respite for the weary workforce. Whether you’re unemployed, on strike or just trying to make it through the workday, let this be your 5-minute mental break from the grind of late stage capitalism.
In this weekly newsletter you’ll find musings and insights about work and life, things I’m finding useful in my job search and finally, recs about what’s currently sparking my interest - from articles to TV shows and podcasts and beyond.
My intention in starting this newsletter is to talk about the process of navigating career uncertainty. It can feel really lonely trying to figure it all out. So, I’m sharing my thoughts from the front lines. Hopefully you’ll feel seen, supported and entertained, regardless of your employment status.
Coming Full Circle
Back in 2008, during the last economic crisis, I found myself stuck in a dead end job I knew I wanted to leave. I was craving a change in both my career and my life. I wanted to be a writer but was unsure of how to make the transition.
I took one step forward and decided to start a blog called WhatIDidTodayAtWork, delving into the existential absurdity of my job and work in general. I even invited co-workers and friends to contribute. For the first time, I was excited to go to work, if only to gather new material from my blog. Within months, I was laid off.
I chose to view the layoff as an opportunity to transform my hobby into a full-fledged career. Initially, I wrote freelance for different publications and took up side jobs to sustain myself. Eventually, my hustling paid off, and I landed a regular writing contract at a women’s lifestyle website. Through hard work and dedication, I climbed the ladder from a contract staff writer to senior editor, achieving the career position I had long desired.
Over the years, my professional journey evolved, and I went from my editorial job to working as an executive at large media company. I honed new skills while experiencing, mergers, promotions, reorganizations, and encounters with various bosses—some likable, some not so much. Although I knew the media job was not my ultimate destination, I committed myself to continuous growth, often pushing to the point of exhaustion. Eventually, I realized I needed to move on, even though I hadn't yet determined my next career move. But it was hard to leave the financial security of the job. I persevered through the pandemic, busier than ever, torn between feelings of gratitude for employment and envy towards those joining the Great Resignation. I found myself burnt out, too exhausted to envision or plan for the future.
And just like that, I was laid off again. Once more, I find myself unemployed in the midst of an unpredictable economic climate and a shrinking job market. Still, the layoff brought me a sense of relief—I needed this pause to rediscover my career aspirations. I hoped it would be as seamless as the last time.
It hasn’t been. Now, several months into unemployment, I'm faced with confusion and self-doubt. Much further into my career, the pressure to define myself as set of skills and goals, easily digestible in 10 seconds, is mind-boggling. The endless applications and subsequent rejection emails aren’t doing good things for my self-esteem. I’m trying to follow the advice I once gave my younger self and embrace the uncertainty. Yet, navigating the fiercely competitive job market, now referred to as the Big Stay, is proving to be a daunting challenge. There are nights I lay awake, wondering if I’ll ever work again.
One thing has become evident to me through this process: There are no safe jobs. The only thing we can control is knowing what really lights us up and what we want to put our energy and effort into. This realization requires frequent reassessment throughout one's life and career, much like a snake shedding its skin over and over again. Transformation remains a constant pursuit.
I’ve come full circle. Once again, I find myself starting a blog about work, hoping to gain a better understanding of my wants and desires by expressing them on the page. Though I don't have all the answers, I'm committed to seeking them and holding onto hope for a touch of magic along the way.
This Is Useful
This week, I played around with Microsoft Bing Image Creator, an A.I. photo generator, when I was trying to create a LinkedIn profile header photo that I didn’t hate. Things went off the rails quickly as I was trying to come up with the perfect prompt and I ended up with this:
“Create a whimsical design featuring unemployed people watching tv, add a snake shedding its skin in the background. Add astrology elements to the design, such as a terrarium or astrological symbols.”
What’s going on here? Not sure, but either A.I. is crazy or I am. Eventually, I used this tool to create the artwork for my newsletter, so it was a win!
Worthy Time Wasters
And now for some fun stuff! Here are my weekly recs to combat doom scrolling.
LISTEN: Sexy Unique Podcast’s recaps of And Just Like That
If, like me, you happen to be hate watching Season 2 of And Just Like That, let me suggest Sexy Unique Podcast’s recaps for guaranteed lolz and cutting hot takes. Every time hosts Laura Marie Schoenhals and Carey O’Donnell refer to Miranda as “Chablis Hobbs,” I die.
WATCH: Wham! documentary on Netflix
If you have Barbenheimer discussion fatigue, there are other things to watch! The Wham! documentary on Netflix wasn’t the best documentary I’ve seen (it seemed like it ended just when it got going) but it did give me a renewed appreciation for George Michael’s incredible talent. I’ve been listening to this playlist ever since. Also, there was some great archival footage and RAD style.
SOCIAL VIDEO: This explainer video about the Hollywood strikes
There’s been so much content about the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. This explainer video by TikToker @ebestinthewest really broke down how the tech industry influenced Hollywood and how the Justice Department bamboozled us all.
READ: The Scammer and the Scammed (The New Yorker)
Am I the only person who still cares about the Caroline Calloway/ Natalie Beach drama? Probably. This New Yorker article about the release of their dueling memoirs was like catnip to me. If you’ve read either of them, let me know what you think. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re probably better off.
READ: Is A.I. the Future of Astrology? (The New York Times)
In a magazine store in NYC, the astrology app Co-Star created a giant ‘ol machine to promote its new service called The Void, which allows user to ask open-ended questions to an A.I. bot, Magic 8 Ball style. Banu Guler, 35, the founder of Co-Star, named a range of inspirations for the machine, including Soviet-era computers, devices used by NASA, photo booths, vending and washing machines and the Zoltar fortunetelling machines that we all remember from the movie Big.
“Even though you know it’s garbage, it’s special garbage,” [Guler] added, flashing a smirk.
Fine. I’m in.
READ: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
In this book, a podcaster goes back to her prestigious, New Hampshire boarding school to teach a class and is forced to reckon with the murder of her high school roommate 23 years later through the lens of the #MeToo movement. It was riveting!
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Have thoughts? Leave a comment or email me at laidofflife@substack.com.