Bouncing Back from Layoffs

By Vanessa Jupe

I have been laid off during every single recession.

That’s three times total in my life so far. 

I guess that makes me a layoff expert. 

Let me share with you how I have gotten through these experiences. I hope it helps!

And every single time, things have worked out for the best. I’ve had time to enjoy my friends and family more, travel, and be creative, and I have always ended up in more prestigious positions. 

2000 - Dotcom bubble burst - I was working for MySanAntonio.com as an intern creating banner ads and other odds and ends. 

The managing editor had recently told me what a great job I was doing and that I could stay with MySA for as long as I wanted. Then, within a couple of weeks, boom, I was laid off. 

That was such a dramatically painful experience. I remember going home to the apartment I shared with a boyfriend at the time and sobbing in the stairway. I was so ashamed!

Life went on. I graduated with honors and had several good jobs in a row. I developed fun, interactive web experiences for places like the San Antonio Spurs and JetBlue Airways. 

And then 2008 rolled around. I was working for a luxury adventure travel company managing their website and doing all of their marketing. Guess what people weren’t spending money on during the housing market collapse-driven reception? If you guessed very expensive trips, you’re right! So I got laid off from that job. 

Fortunately, at this point, I’d matured a bit, and the layoff didn’t hurt so much. Instead, I focused on making the most of the situation and having some fun while I looked for other jobs. 

After that layoff, I took a vacation to Switzerland with my sister to visit a good friend. Then, I visited my grandmother in Houston. And I got hired by DIRECTV, where I’d spend over five years, and transitioned into Digital Product Management. I was promoted four times at that company and learned a tremendous amount. 

And recently, I was laid off from the insure-tech startup I’d joined only a year before. I saw it coming from a long way off, which meant when the news came, it felt more like a weight off my shoulders. The company was financially distressed and had to cut costs. 

I’d already started interviewing with other firms and had promising prospects on the horizon… And then, I paused, took stock of my situation, and had several reassuring conversations with my incredibly supportive spouse. 

I didn’t need to jump back into the corporate world. We have a financial safety net, a healthy nest egg, and passive income. 

Now was finally the time to focus fully on the company I’d been building for the last couple of years. Now was the time to make Leva my full-time focus. The layoff, while not part of my master plan, gave me the perfect springboard to make my dream come true. 

So, when a recession comes your way and you are faced with a layoff, know that it is not the end. It’s simply the beginning of a new chapter. Take time to focus on what you love, and know that something good is in store for you.