To ask for your success stories after redundancy/ job loss/ career pivot?

[PumpkinPieAlibi]

I'm not really able to say much but vaguely, after 12+ years in a permanent role at my company, there is likely to be a restructuring which would mean I will likely be made redundant.

It's mentally been very difficult to come to terms with because whilst it wasn't the perfect job and it's a large organisation (1100+ employees), I knew the job, the processes and most importantly, the people well and had built good relationships and felt stable. Also, the salary is decent (by local standards, I'm not in the UK), we have a hybrid work schedule which I love and isn't so easy to find in my country and good benefits (leave entitlement, pension, private health insurance etc).

On the other hand, growth was limited and the usual issues of favouritism etc do exist here so I likely wouldn't have been progressing anytime if things stayed the same. The workload is also very high and I regularly work longer hours without overtime etc.

My anxiety is through the roof and sleep, appetite, etc is poor. I am ruminating and catastrophising and have had to take Xanax to calm down due to the physical toll (racing pulse, elevated BP, nausea etc).

I'm trying to find a silver lining to all of this I suppose and mentally toughen myself up for what is to come. The job market is terrible locally and I'm honestly just terrified. I'm also starting to realise I don't want to work in corporate till I'm 60 and I really don't enjoy my field anymore.

Any stories of hope from persons who have been through this? Did you find a better job? Pivoted into something you enjoyed more? Made your career less of your identity? Appreciate any and all stories. Ty 🙏

YABU - I didn't find anything better, I wish I stayed in my old job.
YANBU - Life improved. I got a better job/switched careers and much happier now.

I recommend squiggly careers resources, google it or use the link below.

great free resources to support a pivot lhttps://www.amazingif.com/about/

I can empathise with the sense of uncertainty. But I’ve been made redundant twice in my career and honestly, even though it was frightening at the time (and it took me months to find a new job both times), it really was a blessing in disguise as I ended up getting better paid jobs both times. Had it been up to me, I would have just stayed as I’m risk averse by nature (and the benefits like health insurance etc weren’t bad). The first time I was made redundant was about 13 years ago, and I’m now earning more than 5 times as much. I should say that I didn’t pivot to a different type of role/career, and I’m lucky to live in a big city (though my role is pretty niche).

I had a lot of different jobs after leaving uni at 22. 13 years of various Public Relations, personal training, event management roles etc. Nothing really 'stuck'. I was then made redundant at the end of 2012 and ended up taking a sales-type role with a charity working with young people. It was nothing I ever wanted to do and was laid off after 6 months. During that time a mate of mine told me about a job going at his church as a facilities manager. So I went for the interview, mainly because I had a mortgage and a 2 year old and a 9-month old. I landed the job and it turned out to be one of the best jobs I'd ever had and realised that this is what I was born to do. I made the change at 35 and as a late starter, I knew I had to work hard to get up to speed with industry standards, but although I've now changed jobs I'm still in the same industry. It's never too late.

I resigned my job in 2023 with no job to go to. I then lounged around for nine months, living off savings, before I got my arse into gear and started looking for jobs.

Luckily, I landed a job in the civil service mid-2024 before the job market really went downhill.

My new job is difficult and, two years in, I’ve only just calmed down lols. The pay is pretty shite but the pension and flexi-time are fantastic. There are also lots of opportunities for progression, development, sideways moves. That said, it’s hard, intense work but I do mostly enjoy it.

At the end of my 2nd maternity I went freelance, was quite nervous but its really worked out. Ive managed slowly to get it into something I really enjoyed doing and am making the same as if I had stayed in management

So this is my 'history' in a company 11 years which went bust. I asked a supplier for a chat and he offered me a role which was amazing as I was working part time but in a fairly senior position.

I stayed there for 10 years but it was taken over and the misogynistic attitudes made me look elsewhere. I got a another role with a slightly different more digital slant. Great so left and 12 weeks later the new company told me the money from the bank had been withdrawn as had my job!!!

Old customer from previous job offered me a job which I didn't really have much option but to take. It served me well to be back as a client not a vendor.

18 months later another new role with a big international brand came up and I am still not sure how I got the job but I loved it and am really good at it. Fast forward 2.5 years and I have now been made redundant (last week) was contacted about a job 13 days ago and secured it on Thursday last week.

The new role is a culmination of my entire career and I am so excited at 56 years old to be starting again.

If you told me 4 years ago when I left misogynists United I would have a new job with international travel and a salary of £90 against the £65 i was earning I would never have believed you.

My advice update your linked in with the key words your job covers and always chat when somebody messages about a job

It is a tough job market out there. 22 months unemployed, hundreds of candidates for advertised jobs, only exact matches are getting interviewed, AI has destroyed applications and adverts. No one is moving so it’s very sluggish.

It is extremely depressing.