The Career Checkpoint
Career turn December 2024 marked the first time in my career that I was suddenly laid off. I had been working at this company for 8 months when I found out I was among the group of people leaving. It was completely unexpected. I had been " optimized " with many other people. Despite the shock, I managed to joke around, stay positive, and overall felt like I was living in an episode of Seinfeld . After some time, I started to reflect on what happened, trying to analyze what happened. "Expect the unexpected and you will never be surprised" I don’t think I was underperforming. I gave my best and genuinely enjoyed the research aspects of the job. I consistently received positive feedback. Am I upset about leaving the team? Yes, a little. I miss the team — it was one of the best groups of people I’ve had the chance to work with. But I see this as a positive change in my life. It’s pushing me to rethink my career path, set goals, and appreciate the importance of be...