My Story: Beyond the Layoff

Like so many software engineers in 2026, I was called into an HR meeting early one morning and given the bad news. My position had been eliminated.

I’ve been a software engineer for thirty years, and now, for the first time, I’ve been laid off. My first thought was something like, “Oh, shit. Now what?” But I didn’t make a big deal out of it during the meeting. It wasn’t anything that I did or didn’t do. It was just the reality of corporate restructuring. It’s nobody’s fault, but that doesn’t mean losing my job wasn’t a total drag. It was. I was doing some cool things at my last job, but I really can’t say that I liked what I was doing. So perhaps there’s a silver lining, and it’s just time to move on.

Since then, I have applied to dozens of jobs. At first, I was guilty of mass applying with generic resumes and cover letters. Not getting anywhere doing that, I slowed down and began selecting only the best-fitting roles. For each posting, I now create custom application materials. It’s a much slower process, and I must admit it gets really tiring. The job market has changed dramatically since the last time I looked for work, and it’s not for the better. Not that long ago, if I sent out a handful of job applications, I would get several interviews and at least one job offer. Getting an interview, much less a job offer, isn’t so easy now. Sometimes it seems like applying for a job in 2026 is an exercise in futility.

So why do I subject myself to all of this? Is it because I need another job? My knee-jerk reaction tells me yes, but if I stop for a second to think, then the answer is no. It isn’t another job that I need. It’s a means to make a living that I need. And while a job might be the most common and secure way to achieve that, it isn’t the only way.

Sometimes people escape that employer-employee paradigm and strike out on their own. Why not me? And if you are in the same boat as I am, why not you?

I suppose I already have a foot in the door. I have been self-publishing on Amazon for about five years now, and I already have my registered trademark. Perhaps I need to expand what I’ve been doing on the side so that it can replace my day job.

Over the coming weeks and months, The Far Out Zone will expand its range of products and perhaps add services, too. The sky’s the limit. And that’s not just true for me and The Far Out Zone. It’s true for you, too, whatever your circumstances might be.

If, by chance, you are out of a job like me, I want you to know that you are not alone. None of us are.

Take care,

John