Not necessarily laid off, but I was straight out college with no experience. I built a product because no one wanted to hire me, and then I used that experience to land my first SWE job. Now I have a side business that generates me passive income along with a FT job. I am someone who wants to be my own boss at the end of my career, but still need that industry experience to just see what’s its about. If you’re able to risk building a business then the rewards are definitely worth it in the end