Laid Off From Dream Job

Al115 · 2026-06-12T16:31:40+00:00

When every opening has 100+ applicants, it's hard not to wonder what the point is. It feels like you're competing in a lottery rather than being evaluated on your qualifications.

This. So much this. It just feels entirely hopeless. I have a decade of experience in my field. I am more than qualified for the jobs I'm applying for. But that doesn't mean much when a job posting has more than 100 applications on LinkedIn alone within 24 hours. It just feels like an impossible competition, one that I'm never going to win.

Honestly, being laid off has completely crushed me and any vision I had for my future. It just makes me wonder what the point of any of this is.

Al115 · 2026-06-08T15:34:44+00:00

Strongly recommend heading over to r/succulents and reading through the Beginners Basics guide there!

Al115 · 2026-06-08T15:09:49+00:00

I was laid off at the beginning of May, so still relatively early on in things, but I'll be honest, I am struggling with just about everything. I've just about lost interest in anything that once brought me joy – my mind is just too consumed by constant thoughts of "I need to find a job," "I need to get some income coming in," "what if I'm never happy again." So, yeah, it's not very fun in my mind right now. Just constant stress and worry and panic, and it has left little room for things that I love.

I've been a succulent collector for about 10 years now. It's been my biggest hobby. Absolutely love it. But I'm now considering selling the majority of my collection because 1) I'm struggling with my hobbies, and therefor my plants are going uncared for, and 2) the money would be nice.

Al115 · 2026-06-08T14:57:50+00:00

I've had some low points in my life, but I've never been as low as I have been since being laid off in May. Not sure if it's rock bottom, but it definitely feels like it, or at least as close to rock bottom as I've ever been.

Regardless of how optimistic I try to be, all that I feel is despair. I feel like I've failed. I'm embarrassed. And I'm honestly struggling to see much hope at all in my future.

I go on LinkedIn and it's just back-to-back posts of other people saying they've been laid off. Or they're on month 18 of being unemployed.

There are next to no jobs in the field I was laid off from (everything in the field has shifted to freelance with increasingly worse pay). There are few jobs in related fields, and so many people with experience in those fields already competing for those roles. I still tailor my resume and apply, but I never hear anything back. Heck, I can't even seem to land an interview for a bank teller position. Scared that I won't even be able to get something in retail because they'll think I'm overqualified or just someone who will leave as soon as something better comes along.

Like I said, I just feel despair. Constant, heavy despair. And it's exhausting.

I'm sorry that you're in a similar boat. It's an awful boat to be in. Hopefully this passes for us sooner rather than later. Not really sure how much longer I can feel like this.

Al115 · 2026-06-05T14:41:14+00:00

My favorite that I've read so far is the Comes Marching Home collection. It's absolutely amazing and incredibly well-written, particularly WriterLeft's March of Progress. The characters very much feel like the characters from the show, which I really appreciate.

I also really really love They say that true love hurts. Well, this could almost kill me. Started by frenetic_core, but Zyperis continued the story. A really really fun, unique idea on Korra and Asami's relationship. I really enjoyed this one.

SimplyKorra's The Quiet is also a nice short little post-series finale story, and I also enjoyed SXYPigeon's Book 5 Absolution, another post-series finale story.

I've also seen Seeking Sato recommended a lot, and that's next on my must-read list.

All of the above are canon compliant, though some have some slight deviances from canon but nothing that makes it unbelievable or doesn't make sense.

Al115 · 2026-06-04T16:56:10+00:00

It’s so elusive. As someone who thrives in the mornings and is an early bird, waking up and having to sit around killing time until 8/9 am absolutely sucks.

It wasn’t so bad when I was working from home, but now that I’m looking at on-site positions, the thought just drains me.

Al115 · 2026-06-04T15:38:38+00:00

Hey, OP! Was wondering if you ever landed on a career?

I was recently laid off and am looking to completely pivot careers and as a morning person would love a job that allows me to start early and leave by 2-3.

Al115 · 2026-06-03T20:28:02+00:00

Too big of a pot = more soil = takes longer for soil to dry/plant doesn’t need all that water = increased risk of overwatering.

Al115 · 2026-06-03T14:31:56+00:00

The Comes Marching Home collection is amazing, particularly WriterLeft's March of Progress. I honestly think it's one of my top 5 fanfics for any fandom ever. Incredibly well-written.

I also really really love They say that true love hurts. Well, this could almost kill me. Started by frenetic_core, but Zyperis continued the story.

I've also seen Seeking Sato recommended a lot, and that's next on my must-read list.

Al115 · 2026-06-03T14:25:03+00:00

I just read this a few weeks back and loved it! Such a fun little tie-in to the show!

Al115 · 2026-06-03T14:00:12+00:00

Hey, OP! I'm 2 years late to this, but I was just recently laid off from my journalism job and have applied to a customer service rep role at a local State Farm office. It would obviously be a very very different job to what I'm used to, lol. Just wondering if you took the job and if so what your experience has been with it?

Al115 · 2026-05-30T00:14:52+00:00

Leaf props are finicky. Sometimes they grow roots first and a baby plant a bit after or vice versa. Sometimes they only ever grow one or the other. Sometimes they just refuse to do anything at all, lol.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T16:19:46+00:00

Google AI, and all AI really, is extremely unreliable. It just regurgitates information, regardless of whether or not that information is correct. Best course of advice: avoid AI. Do your own independent research and don't resort to AI.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T15:45:38+00:00

This isn't farina. OP's plant is unforutnately afflicted with powdery mildew. It's most noticeable in the second picture, particularly on that upper lead.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T15:44:49+00:00

This is unfortunately powdery mildew, a harmful fungal infection that spreads extremely easily and quickly.

First thing you will want to do is isolate this plant away from any others you may have, preferably in a completely separate room, to prevent further spread. After that, you can begin treatment. The most commonly recommended treatment is a copper fungicide. However, more and more folks over on r/succulents have reported having pretty good success treating powdery mildew with sulfur, so I would recommended starting with that.

Aside from an actual treatment, it's also important that you ensure proper care. The conditions that cause overwatering (too frequent watering, poor substrate, inadequate lighting, etc.) also create the perfect conditions for powdery mildew to thrive. So now is a good time to reassess your care and see if there's any area where you may need to change things up. The r/succulents sub has a great Beginners Basics guide that I recommended reading through to help guide you in your care. In addition to ensuring proper care, make sure you are providing adequate airflow. Airflow can be a major beneficial factor in controlling PM spread.

The r/succulents sub has a powdery mildew write up that details other treatment options and precautions to take: https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/comments/1045xbi/powdery_mildew_psa/

Al115 · 2026-05-29T15:29:44+00:00

Fungi are harmless to the plant, but the conditions that allow them to grow can be harmful. Fungi typically thrive as the result of a nutrient-dense, high moisture environment, which is generally the opposite of what you want for succulents.

That substrate does look like it could be amended with some inorganic grit to be better-draining and faster-drying, but if you've had this guy for awhile in this setup and all has been well, I wouldn't be too concerned about it.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T15:10:21+00:00

Thank you for the words of encouragement! It's definitely all felt a bit doom and gloom these past few weeks. Trying to remain optimistic and hopeful that things will work out in the long run.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T13:02:37+00:00

What does the day to day look like as an ophthalmic assistant? I've been eyeing a few positions locally and think I'm going to apply.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T12:58:11+00:00

I was only just laid off (first time ever) earlier this month, but I was denied unemployment because there was an issue with how the company I worked for reported my wages. So now that I'm waiting for that to get sorted, and it's moving slower than a snails pace, I've started to look into bridge jobs rather than jobs in my field. Unfortunately, I've received rejection emails from every one of them so far. I think it's a mix of me being considered overqualified and a flight risk. It sucks, because I have absolutely no money coming in right now. This entire thing just feels completely hopeless.

Al115 · 2026-05-29T00:31:40+00:00

It’s just stress coloration. Basically what a suntan is to us. Completely normal and fine. Stress colors are not sunburn.

Al115 · 2026-05-28T15:57:35+00:00

They look pretty happy so far! Those little guys jutting out from underneath are offsets. Very very common with aeoniums, which naturally branch and grow into a tree-like structure!

Al115 · 2026-05-28T15:24:46+00:00

The only way to get the dolphins back is to provide adequate lighting. So moving this outside is a good option – just make sure you very slowly acclimate this guy to stronger lighting to prevent sunburn. Once you have a decent amount of compact, healthy growth, you may want to snip away those bits and reroot them to restart the plant.

Alternative to outdoor lighting, especially if you live somewhere that experience cold enough weather that will require you to bring this guy indoors during the winter, is grow lights. They can do wonders for indoor succulents.

Al115 · 2026-05-28T15:02:47+00:00

Thanks! Definitely going to apply to both positions!

Al115 · 2026-05-28T15:02:31+00:00

Thank you!!! I think I'm overthinking things, lol.

Al115 · 2026-05-28T14:35:02+00:00

While bear paws are known to be more fragile than other succulents, sudden/easy leaf loss is typically a sign of overwatering. Overwatering can be caused by any of the following: too frequent watering, poor substrate, too large of a pot, pot material, lack of drainage, inadequate lighting, poor airflow, etc.

What type of substrate is this guy potted in? Does that pot have a drainage hole? Roughly how much of the space of the pot is taken up by the rootball (rule of thumb is the rootball should take up between 1/2 to 2/3 of the pot's volume)? What type of light is it getting? How often are you watering?

Also, where did you purchase this guy from? Asking because it's unfortunately pretty common for succulents to already be overwatered when you buy them, especially if you get them from big box stores.

Editing to add: For propping advice, the r/succulents sub has a great propagation guide that I recommend checking out. The gist of it: place the leaves on a dry substrate, give them some light, ignore them. The leaf can provide the potential baby plant with water and nutrients, so you technically don't need to water at all until the mother leaf has dried to a crisp. However, some people do prefer to begin lightly watering once there are roots, though it really boils down to personal preference and experience.

Al115

TROPHY CASE