- Mariana Kobayashi was laid off from LinkedIn in May 2023.
- After traveling for six months, I got a higher-paying job at Google.
- Kobayashi said being laid off from her job was heartbreaking, but it taught her not to make work so personal.
This is an “As Told” article based on a conversation with Mariana Kobayashi. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I found out that I will be laid off from LinkedIn in May 2023.
It was a company I had always wanted to join, and it felt like my dream job.
Before I got my graduation scheme in July 2022, I was rejected from several other roles at LinkedIn. I had other jobs in the meantime, but it seemed like my journey was leading me into the world of technology. I think I've built an image of LinkedIn as the absolute god-like place in this industry.
I was very happy there, so when the layoffs came, I was devastated. I don't watch the news, so I wasn't aware of the gossip; An email just arrived in my inbox out of the blue.
That day I felt like everything changed.
At first, I was shocked and confused because I felt like I had done nothing wrong. I was doing my job right and I was really happy in the company. I felt like part of my identity had been ripped away from me because, even subconsciously, I had built this job as a dream, and now that was starting to fade away.
Living in a bubble
I later realized that I was living in a bubble while working at LinkedIn.
I went to the gym there, I went to the office every day, my friends all worked there, and even my partner worked there at one point. It made me question who I was without my job and what success really meant. When my friends were checking up on me, I felt like I had nothing to add to the conversation because I wasn't doing that thing that made me worthy anymore.
The experience taught me to never again tie my self-worth to my work or a company in that way.
It appears that LinkedIn could have prevented layoffs by making better hiring choices. They certainly felt like they hired too many people after the COVID-19 pandemic and weren't prepared for tough economic times.
Layoffs really affect company culture. Many of my friends who worked at LinkedIn and Google also quit their jobs in the past eight months due to bad moods.
Layoffs can be an opportunity
My best advice to those who have been laid off from their jobs is to take a chance. Something more compatible with you will eventually come your way.
I look at myself now and I'm proud of everything that happened. I've grown on two levels in my career – something that wouldn't have been possible if I had stayed at LinkedIn – my salary has almost doubled, and I'm at a company that's a better fit for me.
I decided to travel after I was laid off and eventually got a job at the Google office in Dublin.
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