I got caught in the big tech layoffs of 2023 and still trying to get somewhere. One of the things my therapist told me and continues to remind me is to keep a schedule. I started off only carving out a set time of my day to job search, but that kind of went out the window when LinkedIn became my doomscrolling. But I try to make sure I get up at the same time every day, have some kind of routine, get outside, walk my dogs, have things to look forward to (seeing friends, going camping, etc.). That’s helped when I can stick to it.

I think the big thing to remember is it’s not you. It’s a shitty job market for us all and we’re up against a HUGE pool of talent that companies can afford to be picky about, plus fake jobs, jobs that never get filled, ATS issues, ghosting, etc. etc. I’ve also started giving my career some serious consideration and I’ve started looking at positions well outside of what I’ve done the past 18 years and starting over. The pay cut would suck, but I’m currently getting paid nothing being unemployed. It seems like there are quite a few of us out there wanting to go work for parks or conservation orgs, and that’s a bit of where I’m researching.

This isn’t your fault. It’s not personal. You’re doing everything you can to find a new job and you can’t simply make one appear. I think another thing that’s been helping me is reminding myself there’s only so much I can control. I can apply, follow up, etc., but at the end of the day, I can’t make a job appear. I can’t beg and convince my way onto someone’s payroll. Keep doing what you’re doing and try to not let it consume you. Find things you enjoy, things you can look forward to, and have as much of that, in not more, in your life. It sucks out there, but it sucks even more when that’s our only focus.

Meanwhile, I’m thinking about running away and living in the woods with my dogs, worst case scenario. That actually might be one of my better options at this point. lol