5 lessons from being laid off

On media cutbacks.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post announced that it was going to eliminate 240 jobs, largely because of overly optimistic projections about its growth and revenue.

This news was hardly an isolated incident.

As of June, the media industry had cut more than 17,000 jobs in 2023 alone, the most for a single year on record, according to Axios.

But, the Post news hit me harder — because, well, I worked there for more than a decade and I know the pain of being laid off from a job in journalism.

I’ve spent the last few days really ruminating on the Post’s decision. (Worth noting: The Post is pursuing buyouts first. If not enough people take the buyout, however, well you know the deal.) And mostly what I have thought about is what I would tell someone who finds themselves, suddenly, out of work.

My thoughts are below — derived from my own experiences (good and bad) over the last 10 months.

1. You will be in shock. For months before CNN laid me off, there were rumors that they were going to be cutting staff to save money post-merger. I didn’t pay much attention to it. I assumed — dumbly! — that I wasn’t going to be part of all of that. So, when it happened, I was stunned. In shock. I walked around like a zombie for weeks. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it. I never thought of myself as the kind of person who would be let go. It shook me to my core. This is normal. It is a major life moment. It’s totally ok to feel that way.

2. You will be told this will all be for the best. I think, in truth, most people don’t really know what to say when they find out you lost your job. (In my case, it was pretty public so a whole LOT of people knew about it.) So, they say some version of this: “You are going to find something even better. Just wait and see!” Which is nice! But also somewhat cold comfort when you are in the depths of despair about the job you lost. The key is to focus on the fact that people really do still believe in you — and that while things might look hopeless today, they won’t always look that way.

3. You will take it personally. Everyone — and I mean EVERYONE — I talked to after CNN let me go told me that the decision had nothing to do with me. That it was a business move. That I was just a line on an Excel spreadsheet. And so on and so forth. People will say the same to you! But, here’s the thing: It will be VERY hard to believe. Because, ultimately, they could have gotten rid of someone else but they got rid of you. It will feel inherently personal. Time changes that. Perspective enters the picture. You begin to realize those people who said not to take it personally were actually right.

4. You will learn people are inherently good. I’ve written about this before in the newsletter but I’ll say it again: The best thing about being laid off is all the people I got to re-connect with and all the new people I met. Time and time again, people agreed to have coffee or lunch with me — just to listen to my situation and see if they could help out in some way. Lots of those conversations were one-offs — which was and is fine! But plenty more led to follow ups and even job opportunities. Force yourself to talk to people — even when you feel embarrassed about your situation or just generally down on things. They are the best resource you have.

5. You will survive. Look. There were days where I was LOW. Really low. Thought I was a failure. That my career was over. And, to be honest, I still have those days from time to time. But, they’re a lot less frequent now. Most days, I am able to focus on building this Substack community and trying to keep my ear out for other opportunities — in journalism and outside of it — that are out there. It does get easier. You begin to see the good in all of it. (I now drop my kids off and pick them up every day from the bus!) And you realize that time marches on — and that being laid off is just a chapter, not your whole life story.