I don’t remember the exact moment when my dad got laid off from his job, but I do remember what came after it.
I was still in elementary school and suddenly he was around way more. He came on every field trip, picked us up from school, and always helped bring me my flute when I would forget it on band practice day (a regular occurrence).
While I loved that part, I also felt stressed.
My mom was the sole earner financially supporting a family of 6. She was always nervous about getting laid off. If she didn’t have income coming in, we didn’t have income coming in.
Looking back, it makes sense why I appreciate a portfolio career so much. You don’t rely on one employer or source of income, and you can create your own stability.
With 72% of tech workers worried that they’ll be laid off in the next year, I wanted to share real stories of people who were laid off and became self-employed—how they navigated it, made the decision, and started from zero.
My call for stories of people navigating a layoff to self-employment