For everyone who has been laid off and is fighting to find work, DON’T GIVE UP! I know it's mentally tough, anxiety-inducing, and has you questioning your worth, but sometimes we have to endure dark nights to witness beautiful dawns. I've been there, I've felt it, and my heart goes out to you. I was a casualty of the dot-com explosion mixed with a merger gone wrong. It wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t my boss's fault, but it felt utterly devastating. I'll never forget walking into what I thought was a meeting, only to see someone I had never met delivering news I had never heard. At that point in my life, I had just started my career, but I had finally started my life. It was my first “real” job. It was my escape from working for less than minimum wage in a factory wrapping electrical coils with fiberglass tape. As I sat in that room, listening to a stranger tell me I was being let go, it took everything not to break down right there. I remember thinking I would never escape fiberglass shards in my fingers and the carpal tunnel that came alongside it. However, that wasn’t my destiny. It was far from it. Yes, I was out of work for over a year. Yes, I questioned my worth. Yes, I wanted to give up. The key thing that pulled me through was encouragement from others and just continuing to try.
That said, I’m here to tell you, YOU CAN DO THIS! It may seem hard now, hope may dwindle, but all things can change with time. I want to help in any way I can. With every problem, I ask myself what part am I playing in it and what can I do to create a better outcome. I want to step up my game in helping. I think we all should; it makes the world a better place. I encourage everyone on LinkedIn to create a post and ask how they can help, reach out to connections, ask how they are doing, repost jobs, and basically put yourself out there as a resource. I know the market is tight, but, remember some of the best companies were started in downturns. Don’t just connect people with jobs; connect people with people to create companies that create jobs. Will it help? There are no guarantees, but if there is an off chance that you help one person, it’s worth it. Whether you think you can make a difference or not, you won’t know until you try.
Engineering Director @SoundCloud | Promotes Communication, Collaboration & Compassion | Enjoys Live Music and Festivals
11 个月Thanks Kenny!
Dual citizen US/Canada - Trusted streaming architect with 20+ years of experience. Proven ability to solve complex streaming tech and design challenges with practical solutions that save money and improve outcomes.
11 个月Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and wisdom, Kenny! I have always seen you as a model of perseverance, and I express gratitude to see you mentoring on a broad scale like this---indeed, I've been disheartened with my trials and tribulations over the last year or so. It was encouraging for me to read your article. COVID brought about the complete shutdown of my live event contracts, and most have not come back as those organizations choose to continue saving money with virtual events. I feel fortunate that I had diversified my work across other areas of video work, some of which were boosted by COVID (e.g. virtual event production, updating live streaming pipelines for legacy systems, etc).
Character Animator (CG / Stop Mo) +Unreal Engine Explorer +Shaolin Disciple
11 个月The struggle is real after 16yrs......never been this broke and it feels tougher than trying to break into the industry 16yrs ago. Staying focused, learning new skillsets and continuing to network.....but I hope to wake from this nightmare soon....haha. You always have great insight! Thanks for sharing homie!