#74: Two Years Post Layoff: The Good, The Bad & The WTF

What two years of rebuilding your career really looks like.

Laid Off Life is a place of respite for the weary workforce. Whether you’re unemployed, underemployed, or just trying to make it through the workday, let this be your 5-minute mental break from the grind of late-stage capitalism.

---

Two Years Post Layoff: The Good, The Bad & The WTF

She’s much happier, but the novelty of not knowing what comes next is wearing off.

January’s been weird. I was so distracted that I almost didn’t notice my two-year layoffversary creeping up on me. So, I’m taking a moment to audit, to reflect honestly and transparently on where I started and where I’m at right now.

When this journey began, I decided to bet on as many horses (horses in this case being income streams) as possible and see which ones pulled ahead. Two years later, the race is still on. There’s no clear winner, and frankly, the horses—and I—are panting like mofos. The novelty of an “anything is possible” life has worn off. I’m ready to plant my feet firmly on the ground with more reliable income and decent health insurance. But sigh, progress isn’t always linear and reinventing your professional life takes time.

Here’s where I stand two years in:

Full-Time Employment

I stopped applying for full-time jobs a long while ago, after realizing the combination of ghost job posts and a white-collar recession made it a colossal waste of time for me personally. Still, recruiters occasionally reach out, and if the job genuinely excites me, I interview.

In November, I interviewed for a role I was pumped about. I made it through several rounds—only to get a rejection note last week. And it was so disappointing. Maybe it’s all the accumulated frustration from the rejection and time-wasting of the past two years. I get it: the world owes me nothing, and everything is hard. Lesson acknowledged.

Self-Employment

Rejection as a solopreneur? I’ll take that over rejection in the corporate hiring process any day. While my feelings about fully embracing solopreneurship have wavered, I won’t deny I love calling the shots at my company, Align Digital + Social. Helping my clients feels infinitely more fulfilling than being a cog in a corporate wheel. And I’ve been so fortunate to land a number of GREAT clients. But I’m still only waist-high in the solopreneur water. What’s preventing me from plunging all the way in?

The toughest part is wearing all the hats—bookkeeping, self-promotion, client work, and everything in between. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t enjoy or feel equipped to handle. I’ve never missed having co-workers more — to vent with, to share the load, to be in the trenches together. Oh, and the cliché is true: it’s feast or famine. Some months, I’m panicking about bills; others, the business is rolling in. If you crave stability, solopreneurship will spike your anxiety like nothing else.

Freelancing

Freelancing has been a wonderfully chaotic mix of creativity and unpredictability. Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on an incredible variety of projects—everything from copywriting and editing to scriptwriting, podcast production, and content development. Each job has brought something new to the table, whether it’s stretching my skills, collaborating with interesting people, or diving into industries I never imagined I’d touch. And honestly? I’ve loved every single freelance gig I’ve landed.

But the biggest challenge is the one every freelancer knows too well: instability. There’s no steady rhythm, no reliable paycheck, no promise of what’s coming next—or even if it will come at all. Freelancing in this current climate feels like riding a rollercoaster blindfolded: thrilling, but also terrifying. Freelancing has taught me to live in a perpetual state of improvisation, to juggle uncertainty with creativity, and to adapt when things shift overnight. It’s not for the faint of heart, but for now, I’m still on the ride.

Money

I made it through last year paying my bills on time and avoiding debt, but I burned through a good chunk of my savings because I only earned about half of my old salary. Failure or success? On bad days, I feel like a huge failure. But in clearer moments, I see that generating the income I did in my first year of self-employment is an achievement. (This topic deserves a deeper dive in a future newsletter and it will get one. I promise.)

The biggest financial pain point by far is health insurance. Between sky-high premiums, limited doctor options with my state exchange plan, and out-of-pocket costs, it’s crushing me. On good months, my gross health insurance costs exceed $2K. If we’re truly a capitalist society, shouldn’t entrepreneurs have access to affordable health care? I’ll stop before I fully go off.

Creative Projects

One bright spot of this journey has been dedicating more time to my creative projects—a longtime dream. Last year I sold a movie, which got me into the Writer’s Guild. But before we pop the champagne, my movie’s been in development limbo for 10 months. Yep, 10 months. Welcome to the chaotic state of the media industry.

This movie project brought me joy and even contributed to my income last year, but it didn’t hit the earnings threshold to qualify me for the Guild’s amazing health insurance. Still, I’ve been sharpening my writing skills, taking screenwriting classes, developing new ideas, meeting producers, and writing a pilot. This work brings me the most fulfillment, though in the current entertainment landscape, it’s no safe bet for reliable and consistent success.

Mental/Emotional State

Thinking about the future still feels really overwhelming. I’m trying to stay positive, motivated, and focused on the present. Some days, that works. Other days—or months—I’m riding the struggle bus, slipping back into a toxic dynamic with my old nemesis fear.

Recently, I’ve started to wonder if the combination of a high-pressure job followed by a layoff has left me grappling with lingering trauma. I think I’m still processing that. My best coping strategy has been retraining myself to approach work differently (smarter, not harder), rerouting my GPS for success, and giving myself permission to pull back when needed instead of always pushing forward no matter what.

Final Thoughts

I don’t know what the rest of this year will bring, and honestly, that uncertainty still scares me sometimes. But I’m learning to loosen my grip on control—or at least trying to. Life, it turns out, isn’t about racing to the finish line or placing all your bets on an outcome. It’s about staying in the game, even when the track feels impossibly long and unpredictable.

There’s no guarantee of a grand victory, but maybe that’s not the point. The last two years have taught me that success is a moving target, and sometimes just staying on your feet is the win.

Here’s to another year of recalibrating, reimagining, and figuring it out as I go. Maybe the horses and I will catch our breath along the way—or maybe we’ll just get better at running while winded. Either way, I’m still in it.

---

Worthy Time Wasters

Here are my recs to combat doom scrolling.

📺 Since I was sick for the better part of December and January, I relied heavily on comfort TV to get me through, which, for me, means competition shows and sitcoms. I watched all of Project Runway Seasons 18 +19. The show still holds up and I eagerly await Heidi Klum’s return. I also went back and watched Season 16 of RuPaul’s Drag Race a longtime fave. I also was thrilled to discover the show Younger, which was recently added to Netflix. How did I miss this show when it was on the air? I’m currently on Season 5 of 7. I’m shook by how nostalgic the late 2010s feel already.

🎥 It’s Oscar season, which means all the top movies are trickling out in theaters and to the streamers. I’m slow going on my watching, but I did see Anora and Nosferatu. Both are must-sees IMO!

🎧 When the accusations of sexual assault against Neil Gaiman went public, I went down a bit of a rabbit hole to learn more. The podcast Master by Tortoise Media did exceptional reporting on the story.

📚 Recent reads include How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang, a romance about two writers with a very complicated past who end up writing on the same TV show and Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors, which follows the lives of three sisters after their beloved fourth sister's death.

---

Have a question, suggestions, or thoughts? Message me!

Have thoughts about what you read, have suggestions for future topics, or a question you want me to answer? Send me a message! I love to hear from readers.

Become a paid subscriber!

This newsletter is a reader-supported publication. If you enjoy Laid Off Life, consider becoming a paid subscriber. I’m kicking off the New Year with a 2025 Reset special. Subscribe now and get 25% off an annual subscription.