When a job is not enough...

I’m a degreed professional who is newly unemployed.

My employer, shortly after I joined the company, has decided to close their doors indefinitely. This happened to me right after being laid off six months from another company who is barely keeping their doors open and has to conduct layoffs every quarter in order to do so.

I’m in healthcare, which is a pretty secure and sustainable field.
What I’m learning is that no job or career is safe in 2025. My degrees no longer offer job security and my profession, although in high demand, does not protect me from layoffs. I’m just as disposable as every other professional now. My profession is nothing special.

I will say that my skillset, not my degrees, has made it easier for me to be more resilient and find another job easily. I also interview really well. Once I can get in front of the hiring manager, I’m set. But that’s another issue. Due to all the massive layoffs, the competition has become more stiff and artificial intelligence is now being used to screen applications, making it more difficult to get through to the interview process. There are also less jobs available to apply for due to job creation being down since this summer.
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The jobs that are mostly available in my field are fee for service positions where I only get paid for how many clients I can see in a week. I HATE those kind of jobs because they are heavy laden with paperwork and treat clients like they’re in a puppy mill. I don’t mind hourly work instead because I can make more money than salaried professionals so I have been applying to a lot of those. However, it is hard to remain positive with a job market that is so dismal and bleak.

You may be wondering why a tech founder is even looking for a job. Because I have bills to pay and our business is not yet profitable. When you first start a business, this is always the case for a few years. I can’t allow my family to suffer for my dreams. I have responsibilities that require a steady income so that I can re-invest my business profit back into my business rather than utilizing that revenue to fund my lifestyle. This is business 101 and sometimes business owners need jobs too.

I would highly suggest that every business owner look at having something outside of their job. As an employee, you need to create your own financial security. I thought that being in healthcare was mine but I was wrong. It is the wild, wild west out there in this current economy and you have to look out for yourself. My current job didn’t even offer me another position within their healthcare system. They just gave me a month’s notice and sent me on my way. These jobs do not care about you. It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do. You are always disposable and insignificant when it comes to their bottom line.

Be safe out there, folks!