Lay Offs: What Now?

Lay offs are never something you expect. They have a tendency to blindside you, and overall I can attest that they are really unpleasant (duh). Getting laid off for me brought up a lot of emotions, both positive and negative. I had worked at the same company for over 7 years at this point, since January of 2017 before getting laid off in July 2024. In my tenure, I had held 6 job titles: Admissions Representative, Senior Admissions Representative, Associate Director, Director, Director of Business Development and Alliances, Financial Aid Officer. I had “put my time in,” if you will. I was committed and loyal to the company. When working in admissions, I was a top performer. Working in management, I learned so many things and have many fond memories to look back on. In financial aid, I learned an entire new skill set and made some lifelong friends.

Lay Offs… Not here.

Lay offs in certain industries are an inevitability (tech comes to mind for me). However, where I worked, I never thought it would happen. It came entirely by surprise. This company had been in business for 40+ years and sales metrics were going well. Unfortunately, the company decided to downsize immensely all at once. My entire department was just… gone. Hurt, shock, sadness. I felt all of these things when I got the call.

I was about to enter my last year of school (which I needed to pay cash for), I have bills to pay, and for the first time in my adult life I wasn’t going to be able to support myself. This was a very scary thought. Since graduating college the first time (in 2017), I had held a full time job (with this company in fact). I had to work through and process all of the emotions that came with this, which was a tough ask of myself.

Looking Back

As I reflect on my seven years at the company, I have so many fond memories. I certainly had my struggles and it was not without a LOT of growing pains (hello entering management on my 23rd birthday), but I learned so much and wouldn’t be sitting where I am without it. I learned that I am excellent at sales and working with data, I love managing people, and I thrive best with a manager who trusts me to do my thing. However, I also learned that I don’t LIKE sales and company culture is everything. Even though I stayed all that time, there are certainly times I wish I wouldn’t have. My mental health probably would have thanked me for it. In the end, I have no regrets and I am still friends with people from the company to this day.

What’s next?

There is never a good time for lay offs, but mannnnnn getting laid off right before entering my last year of school really sucked. However, my sense of loyalty to this company made it incredibly hard for me to leave. So, this took it out of my hands. I had to pivot and be flexible. My first phone call was to my mom (to cry of course), but my second phone call was to my boss at LSU to try and get my Supplemental Instruction job back. Fortunately, there was room for me and I was able to secure that income, as well as, a job I enjoyed.

Next, I had to start looking for a second job, because I knew that wasn’t going to be enough. I was fortunate enough to land a student worker job with the state, which I have really enjoyed and thrived with. It forces me to dress business casual every day, and I get to actually go to an office. I haven’t done this since pre-covid times. It is also a job I’ll get to keep through grad school, which is a huge blessing.

Overall, I won’t say everything happens for a reason (because I don’t believe in that), but I do think THIS happened for a reason. It gave me a lot of freedom to enjoy my last year of school and time with my friends without the pressure of a professional, 40 hour per week job on my back. I’ve been able to be a better student and enjoy the last little bit of my undergraduate experience.