Laid off today_
I received a call today asking me to resign after being on the bench for 80 days. It felt like there was no faith in me; they wanted me to share my screen and do it immediately. There was a distinct lack of empathy; they didn’t want to hear anything from me, just demanded my resignation. This experience has made me realize how challenging it can be to work in IT. I used to think I was quite skilled (please don’t misunderstand me, I wasn’t from IIT or in FAANG, but I felt a sense of satisfaction), and I knew more than my peers when I guided them. Today, I felt as if those pixels were mocking me; they have replaced me. People are constantly sharing advice—build your product, join a FAANG, or pursue a government job. I’ve reached a point of mental exhaustion where finding motivation to do anything feels incredibly difficult. Everything sounds exciting, but the reality is that nothing in today’s world seems to cater to those who are mediocre. Yet, mediocrity is not something I can control, at least not after a certain point. Every interviewer expects me to behave like a language model, asking, “Do you know frontend, backend? DevOps? ETL? Kafka?” I find myself puzzled by life. I have been on medication for about three years now, all due to this job—I compromised my sleep and developed hypertension at 22, which my dad doesn’t even have at 60+. Can mediocrity be cured? So far, it seems it cannot. I won’t boast, but I’ve tried everything possible to excel—from those Google/Amazon overachiever DSA sheets to Claude code. However, there seems to be a threshold for the human brain. At some point, I realize that those who claim to be achievers by following certain sheets or tutorials are often just sharing rote knowledge. I have never been able to develop a skill where I’m programming and suddenly think, “Wait, I can use a dynamic programming approach here.” I understand that some may not agree with this perspective, but I’m not targeting anyone. Even if it’s rote, I haven’t been able to do it, so I don’t feel I have the right to criticize. But back to the question: what should someone like me, who feels sandwiched in society between the rich and poor, overachievers and underachievers, successful and unsuccessful, do? I genuinely need some advice.
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I have nothing worthy to contribute to this post. But this experience just reinforces my thoughts to never send a good bye email when leaving the organisation. These civil people won't hesitate to bite when they want. This country is not for honest, decent people.
Not the country but industry, right?
It’s quite disheartening but our farewell emails are just a spam to them. I transitioned to a new role a year ago, yet not a single person from my previous organization has reached out in the past year, despite the strong bonds I had with the team. I can’t help but wonder why that is—perhaps it’s due to the insecurity of being compared based on our job roles.
It seems that honesty is no longer the best policy; nowadays, the market suggests we should "fake it till we make it." Even if one isn’t familiar with AI, it feels necessary to claim knowledge of it just to secure an interview with HR; otherwise, it seems unlikely to happen.
In my family, like many others, we were drawn to the IT field because it was so promising back in the 2000s. Recently, my grandfather asked me how person X from our family managed to move to the USA through the same IT path. I find myself out of words, especially since he isn’t familiar with what AI entails.
Remember this every thing until death is Temporary setback. Read Bhagavad Geeta.
Even arjuna the archer who fought even the devas in indraprastha battle. Could not pick up his gandeeva in Mahabharata. Lord Hanuman who had eaten the sun could not jump from one shore to another shore. You are part and parcel of a Powerful creator. Believe in yourself that you have the destructive and protective power. Just rub it off and decide and be delusional of that happy and successful version of you. Read biographies of other people specially walter Issacsons written. Don't give up buddy. I understand the battle is cruel and the world too. But you were born and given human body for a higher purpose. Go for a walk in the morning. Look at the rising sun. And ask him for power.
What if op is a muslim??
I read and I'll read those you mentioned. Lately, I've been attracted more to philosophy, exploring Marcus Aurelius and Seneca on Stoicism and Nihilism, along with YouTube videos from Aperture. These thoughts occupy my mind during late nights. I've realized that everyone has their own perspective on life, and comparing myself to others or to gods is unhelpful, I can only control myself and learn a little from everyone.
These are some of the most crucial events can happen with your life.
Let me share my experience. I was part of lay off, not once but twice. Not because I was incompetent but it was because those companies sucked. After 2nd layoff I decided not to work in corporate anymore. With this in mind I joined a core product based company, spent 3 years leaning everything I could come across. From sales to marketing, product dev etc. Never cared about my metrics or KPIs, got multiple warnings but survived. Left the job in August 2025. Never looked back. Built some micro SaaS products and a service based business in the same space I was working in my last company. Hired three people. Keeping it lean. Currently I am making 5-6 lacs per month. I take around 3lacs per month, remaining salary and investment into the products I am building. Right now, I work straight 14-15 hours and it makes me happy. Not even once I feel fatigued, it's because am doing it for myself. Not some cocksucker manager or a CEO.
I pledged, I will beg if requires but never join corporate shithole again.
Take some off, ponder and build something for yourself. It's challenging but tenacity pays off.
Make this life something you can enjoy and spend time with your loved ones without worry.
This is fascinating. I would like to connect with you if you would like?
Your story is again making me think, should I even be in this industry 😞
Don't be in the industry that you don't want to be
The earliest you realise the best for you
It depends on the type of person you are. I know people on my team who were happy even after being laid off or insulted during calls. You need an IDGAF attitude. If you're soft-spoken and worry about small comments despite good work, or if you don't object to pressure, corporate life, not just in IT, will be tough. That's what I understood in 4 5 years, and I might be wrong, so do your thorough research if you've time.
Perhaps you were in wrong profession, utilize this time to reflect and introspect to understand where do your interests lie.
I am out of options. At 27, I'm nearly ineligible for junior government roles, and the competition for those exams is well-known. I can't be a 'good' manager because I struggle with manipulating people and asking for resignations over a call. My skills lie in backend and frontend development. Even if I consider roles like tech recruiter or teacher, my salary would significantly decrease. I've been searching for the right fit for years and remain uncertain about what it is.
this isn't a reflection of your skill; it's the brutal math of the bench. once you hit a certain number of days, the system flags you for removal, and the process is designed for their efficiency, not your dignity. they didn't see a person; they saw a resource allocation error. don't let a spreadsheet's logic rewrite your own value.
The industry is structured in such a way that spreadsheets seem to determine one's future—who joins, who stays, and who departs.
You absolutely should not have resigned. If a company treats you with this level of cruelty, you have zero obligation to bend over backwards to make things easy for them. You should have forced them to terminate you and demanded the severance you are legally owed. Never let a company bully you out of your rights.
I completely understand your feelings, and I share a similar sentiment towards them. However, my upbringing has instilled in me the importance of politeness, and my introverted nature tends to amplify this challenge. Plus, they have brought in two individuals, one of whom seems particularly intent on intimidating me should I express any objections to resigning because after I agreed, that person casually mentioned, "Okay, I’m dropping off since I’m not needed."
Let's be honest.
Has our government ever truly cared about us? About pollution? About tech layoffs?
Have we ever genuinely cared about the underprivileged or the oppressed? Have we ever voiced support for sanitary workers protests, teachers protests, or industry workers protests?
So why do we expect a private company, whose sole purpose is to make money to care about us? Does that even make sense?
I’m not saying it’s right. But that’s how the system works. And the system is made up of all of us.
That's partly true. I don't expect much from this capitalist society, including organizations that claim their purpose is not just profit but also caring for society and employees. Otherwise, I would have demanded severance. I'm more saddened by my own mediocrity, which has kept me from achieving more. I haven't protested for teachers or industry workers, but that doesn't mean I don't support them. We remain neutral because no one in these metro cities has time. People don't have time to shop for groceries locally, which is why hyperlocal platforms have thrived; it doesn't mean people hate their nearby shopkeepers. People do fill out online petitions and even donate to good causes. But you rightly pointed out that this is how the system works.
While facing the hurdle only, you will prepare well and get the another job with good pay. Keep prepare well and hopefully you will get the job ASAP.