Hi guys,
I have been furloughed and laid off twice during the start of the pandemic in March 2020. I went through a lot of depression, anxiety, and had some traumatic events happen since between now and then.
I had had a few interviews, and the thought of going back into an office/ starting a new job has been giving me so much anxiety it is INSANE. Anyone else feeling this way?! I had an interview today, and totally cried when I got home. Feeling useless and not good enough even though my ex boss and design director highly recommend me to several people.
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Please know you are not alone. I have school aged kids at home, and have major anxiety at the thought of leaving them with a babysitter after school if I find a new job as I did before my Covid layoff. Ofcourse I am not sure if Iāll even ever find another job being in my forties. I have many sleepless nights with anxious thoughts about my future in this industry. But I try to do some kind of calming meditation and think positive reinforcements. My advise is to take it one day at a time. Be kind to yourself. Find the support system you can trust. This too will pass.
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We have experienced a year long crisis and everyone is experiencing extreme anxiety. You are not alone and you are having a natural reaction to an overwhelming experience. We are just now slowly emerging from a pandemic - which is still very real in some places - and you need to give yourself license to recover. Your ex-boss is recommending you, so feel good about your skills, take a deep breath, and know that it will take some time before you will feel comfortable again.
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oh DarkStorm, please do not give up or feel badly about yourself!!! This has been a super hard year for everyone. First of all, your ex boss and design director really like you and recommend you. You MUST be good!! Please do a bit of meditation, deep breathing exercises, and do positive affirmations upon awakening. I myself, at age 60, can only obtain work from people who know me and recommend me. (this is my own creation: I did light freelance work for 15 years in order to raise my daughter; I got āoff the wheelā.) I was furloughed in June and not rehired. And I believe that I am valuable, still.
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You all are very supportive. I myself have counseling 1 a week. I started about 3 months ago when the anxiety and racing thoughts wound not stop. We are experiencing a harsh change. I am trying to train for change at the local trade school although I have 30 years in the industry. Be encouraged and take it one day at a time as they said above. Also the low balling is pathetic really!
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I have completed a semester in a program that would allow me to pivot. I have another semester to go , and I have done 4 online classes to see if I like this category. Itās been like therapy for me; a new challenge, exploring new areas, the feeling of accomplishment that I have gotten from returning to school after 30 years of working in VP and Director roles. I have come to realize that what you do is less important than the act of doing and learning and growing. Just embrace these new skills and even if you return to a job in your previous area, itās always valuable to learn and grow and be challenged. Itās very frustrating to try to find companies that will hire āexperiencedā talent, but itās also a waste of time to focus on the negative. Gotta keep moving forward.
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What are you trying to switch into? Iāve been wanting to make a career change honestly.
UX/UI design with a focus on start-ups while continuing to do product development and design. I have been creating product for websites for several years, and Iām moving into creating the websites.
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Do you mind me asking where you have been taking these classes? Iāve been interested in UX/UI as well.
Same for me. I have even decided to request Temp to Perm because I refuse to have my next job be something I am unhappy with. Iāve done so many projects, had them stolen and so on. I just finished a temp to perm role because I knew it wasnāt going to be something I was going to be happy with. I have to hold it in from laughing when Iām asked: So why havenāt you been working?!??! I am learning to stand my ground and express that I am interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me. I donāt have the social life I used to have, to balance out a job that was lack luster, so now I am heavily focused on finding exactly what I want and what will serve me. I am also realizing that all of this taught me, that Iāll just find a new job when have to.
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Look at General Assembly, FIT, tons of online programs on Coursera, Udacity, etc. First, I suggest you research what is out there - look on Linkedin to see where the jobs are - then research these areas to see what is interesting to you. If you donāt have a genuine interest in the area it wonāt be a positive experience. I did a lot of research to see how my current skills could be useful in other areas with opportunities.