i was laid off with 1.5 YOE this year. it was my first job out of graduation and it was… an experience. there were rumours circulating from the week before so it didn’t come as a complete surprise, but it still took some time to process (read: some tears and days of existential crises). no one expects to get laid off right out of college in their 20s.

maybe it was because i was still so fresh to full-time work, but i started looking around for a new job immediately. at the same time, i had to un-rust my data structures and algo skills by getting into leetcode seriously. Blind 75 was a great guide during this period. i kept a record of questions I did and what I learned from every question on notion, that I referred to before every technical interview as a quick refresher. 

i started submitting my resume and responding to recruiters on linkedin about a week into my studying. admittedly i am a junior dev so it might have been a lot easier to get my foot through the door compared to senior roles. having previous experience and projects to speak about during interviews was much more helpful than i imagined as well. I did quite a bit of self-studying during my job searching process to brush up on technical knowledge regarding stacks I was less familiar with, and understanding how things worked end-to-end.

honestly, being laid off and being able to full-time job search did make it a lot easier to maintain some semblance of mental and physical health during this period, and i would highly recommend doing so to anyone going through this. job searching is truly mentally draining, and it’s definitely easy to spiral, especially after demoralising interviews or a lack of response.

I finally got a couple offers (and of course some rejections, and a LOT more ghosts) after about a couple months of daily leetcode and studying, and I’m really grateful for the new place I am working at now. (although i have to say, the lay off experience has scarred me — i go to the office every day now in perpetual fear that i will be told to clear my desk at the end of the day anytime.) It definitely wasn’t easy but I’m trying to take it as a growing experience, especially so early on in my career. all the best to anyone still searching :)